Thomas Ι (''Tommaso I''; 1178 – 1 March 1233) 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 1189 to 1233. He is sometimes numbered "Thomas I" to distinguish him from
his son of the same name. His long reign marked a decisive period in the history of
Savoy
Savoy (; ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...
.
Biography
Thomas was born in
Aiguebelle, the son of
Humbert III of Savoy and
Beatrice of Viennois
Beatrice of Vienne (1160–1230) was a Countess of Savoy by marriage to Humbert III, Count of Savoy.
Biography
Beatrice was born in 1160 in Vienne, France, the second child of Géraud I of Mâcon (son of William III of Mâcon) and Maurette de ...
. He was still a minor when his father died in 1189, and his mother acted as regent until 1191 during his
minority reign
The terms minority reign and royal minority refer to the period of a sovereign's rule when he or she is legally a minor. Minority reigns are of their nature times when politicians and advisors can be especially competitive. Some scholars claim tha ...
.
[ Despite his youth he began the push northwest into new territories. In the same year he granted ]Aosta Valley
The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Fr ...
the "Charte des Franchises", recognising the right to administrative and political autonomy (this right was maintained until the French Revolution). Later he conquered Vaud
Vaud ( ; , ), more formally Canton of Vaud, is one of the Cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of Subdivisions of the canton of Vaud, ten districts; its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat ...
, Bugey The Bugey (, ; Arpitan: ''Bugê'') is a historical region in the department of Ain, eastern France, located between Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saôn ...
, and Carignano. He supported the Hohenstaufen
The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...
s, and was known as "Thomas the Ghibelline
The Guelphs and Ghibellines ( , ; ) were factions supporting the Pope (Guelphs) and the Holy Roman Emperor (Ghibellines) in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th and 13th centu ...
" because of his career as Imperial Vicar
A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...
of Lombardy
The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
.
Thomas worked throughout his reign to expand the control and influence of the County of Savoy
The County of Savoy () was a feudal state of the Holy Roman Empire which emerged, along with the free communes of Switzerland, from the collapse of the Burgundian Kingdom in the 11th century. It was the cradle of the future Savoyard state.
s ...
. One of the key tools that he used was his large number of children, whom he worked to get into positions of influence in neighbouring regions. In part, this was done by getting many of his sons into episcopal offices in surrounding territories, at a time when bishops had temporal as well as spiritual authority. In addition to William and Boniface, who made their careers in the clergy, their brother Thomas started out as a canon at Lausanne
Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
and became prévôt of Valence by 1226. Pietro was also a canon at Lausanne and served as acting bishop there until he was replaced in 1231. In 1219 he worked to get his daughter Beatrice married to the fourteen-year-old Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence
Ramon Berenguer IV or V (; 1198 – 19 August 1245) was a member of the House of Barcelona who ruled as count of Provence and Forcalquier. He was the first count of Provence to live in the county in more than one hundred years. During the minor ...
. This established a close relationship between the two adjoining counties which would help cement Savoy's control over trade between Italy and France.
Thomas fought many battles to expand his control. In 1215, his troops fought in an alliance with Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
against Monferrato, destroying the town of Casale. In 1222, he captured Cavour. He also worked through diplomatic and economic means to expand his control. The county of Savoy long enjoyed control over critical passes through the Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
...
. In his quest to gain more control over Turin
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
, Thomas made an agreement with its rival Asti to reroute its French trade around Turin through Savoyard lands in a treaty on 15 September 1224. In 1226, Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II (, , , ; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusalem from 1225. He was the son of Emperor Henry VI of the Ho ...
came to northern Italy
Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...
and named Thomas Imperial Vicar of Lombardy. In this role, he mediated in a Genoese rebellion and a dispute between the town of Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
and its bishop. Thomas also made a policy of granting franchises and charters to towns on key trade routes, which enabled the merchant class to develop more wealth and built support for his rule.
Family and children
In 1195, Thomas ambushed the party of Count William I of Geneva, which was escorting the count's daughter, Margaret of Geneva, to France for her intended wedding to King Philip II of France
Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), also known as Philip Augustus (), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks (Latin: ''rex Francorum''), but from 1190 onward, Philip became the firs ...
. Thomas carried off Margaret and married her himself. They had:
:# Amadeus, married Margaret d'Albon and later married Cecile de Beaux
:# Humbert, d. between March and November 1223
:# Thomas
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
, lord and then count in Piedmont
Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
and founder of a line that became the Savoy-Achaea, married Jeanne of Flanders, and later Beatrice de Fiesco
:# Aymon, d. 30 August 1237, Lord of Chablais
The Chablais (; ; ) was a province of the Duchy of Savoy. Its capital was Thonon-les-Bains.
The Chablais was elevated to a duchy in 1311 by Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor.
This region is currently divided into three territories, the '' Chablais s ...
:# William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
, Bishop of Valence
The Diocese of Valence (–Die–Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Valentinensis (–Diensis–Sancti Pauli Tricastinorum)''; French: ''Diocèse de Valence (–Die–Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Cat ...
and Dean of Vienne
:# Amadeus, Bishop of Maurienne
:# Peter
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a su ...
, who resided much in England, held the Honour of Richmond
The Honour of Richmond (or Richmondshire) was a feudal barony in what is now mainly North Yorkshire, England. The honour was two tiers below Yorkshire, the middle tier being the North Riding.
Before the honour was created, the land was held ...
, and ultimately in 1263 became the disputed count of Savoy
:# Philip
Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...
, archbishop of Lyon
The Archdiocese of Lyon (; ), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archbishops of Lyon are also called Primate o ...
, who resigned, through marriage became Count Palatine of Burgundy and ultimately in 1268 became the disputed count of Savoy
:# Boniface
Boniface, OSB (born Wynfreth; 675 –5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of the church i ...
, who became archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
:# Beatrice, d. 1265 or 1266, married in December 1219 to Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence
Ramon Berenguer IV or V (; 1198 – 19 August 1245) was a member of the House of Barcelona who ruled as count of Provence and Forcalquier. He was the first count of Provence to live in the county in more than one hundred years. During the minor ...
(1209–1245)
:# Alice (1209–1277), abbess of the monastery of St Pierre in Lyon (1250–1277)
:# Agatha, abbess of the monastery of St Pierre in Lyon (1277) following her sister's death (d. ?)
:# Margaret, d. 1273, married in 1218 to Hartmann IV of Kyburg
:# Avita (1215–92)
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Count of Savoy
1170s births
1233 deaths
12th-century counts of Savoy
13th-century counts of Savoy
People from Savoie
Imperial vicars