Amadeus VII (24 February 1360 – 1 November 1391), known as the Red Count, was
Count of Savoy
The titles of the count of Savoy, and then duke of Savoy, are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the House of Savoy held the county. Several of these rulers ruled as kings at ...
from 1383 to 1391.
Biography
Amadeus was born in
Chambéry
Chambéry (, , ; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the southeastern ...
on 24 February 1360, the son of Count
Amadeus VI of Savoy and
Bonne of Bourbon. After his father's death in 1383, his mother and grandmother fought over the regency. In 1384, in order to suppress a revolt against his relative Edward of Savoy,
Bishop of Sion, Amadeus led an army that attacked and pillaged
Sion. In 1388, he acquired territories in eastern
Provence
Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...
and the port city of
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million[Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...]
.
Nice became part of the domains of the House of Savoy on 28 September 1388, when Amadeus VII, taking advantage of the internal struggles in Provence, negotiated the transfer with Giovanni Grimaldi, baron of Boglio (governor of Nice and the Eastern Provence) of Nice and the Ubaye Valley to the Savoy domains, with the name of ''Terre Nuove di Provenza''. Amadeus' father, Amadeus VI, the Green Count, was credited with purchasing the territory of the mountain pass, the Col de Largentièes, today
Maddalena Pass on the border of France and Italy, for the sum of 60,000
ecus, but this took place in 1388 after his death. The Col de Largentière was of great strategic and commercial importance because it linked Lyon with Italy; it offered an easy route between Piedmont and the outlying valley of Barcelonnette, which came into Savoyard possession when Amadeus VII, or his father, transferred it from the
County of Provence to the
County of Nice.
On 1 November 1391, Amadeus died from
tetanus
Tetanus (), also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'' and characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually l ...
,
European Cases of the Reincarnation Type
By Ian Stevenson, M.D., p. 19. as a result of a hunting accident.[ Upon his death, controversy arose because of his will. Amadeus left the important role of guardian of his son and heir, Amadeus VIII, to his own mother, a sister of the powerful Duke de Bourbon, instead of following the tradition of appointing the child's mother, who was a daughter of the equally powerful Duke de Berry. Due to the dispute between his mother and his wife, rumours that Amadeus had been poisoned emerged soon after his death.][ It took three months of negotiations to restore peace in the family.
Amadeus was known for his hospitality, for he would entertain people of all stations and never turned a person from his table without a meal.
]
Marriage and children
Amadeus married Bonne of Berry, daughter of John, Duke of Berry, who was the younger brother of King Charles V of France
Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (; ), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War as his armies recovered much of the terri ...
. They had:
* Amadeus VIII, later known as Antipope Felix V, married Mary of Burgundy (1386–1422), daughter of Philip the Bold.
*Bonne (d. 1432), married Louis of Piedmont, the final of the Savoy-Achaea Branch.
*Joan (d. 1460), married John Jacob, Marquis of Montferrat
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Amadeus 7, Count of Savoy
1360 births
1391 deaths
People from Chambéry
14th-century counts of Savoy
Deaths from tetanus
Burials at Hautecombe Abbey