Vittorio Francesco of Savoy (Vittorio Francesco Filippo; 10 December 1694 – 20 March 1762)Christopher Storrs, ''War, Diplomacy and the Rise of Savoy, 1690–1720'', (Cambridge University Press, 2004), 196. was the illegitimate son of

Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia Victor Amadeus II (; 14 May 166631 October 1732) was the head of the House of Savoy and ruler of the Savoyard states from 12 June 1675 until his abdication in 1730. He was the first of his house to acquire a royal crown, ruling first as King o ...

and Jeanne Baptiste d'Albert de Luynes. He was styled as the ''Marquis of Susa''.

Biography

His mother, ''Madame de Verrue'', was the French wife of a prominent Piedmontese diplomat working for the Duke of Savoy. At the Savoyard capital of Turin, the Duke of Savoy became infatuated with the young countess and in 1689, Jeanne Baptiste gave in to the duke's overture, encouraged by the Duchess of Savoy

Anne Marie d'Orléans Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

and her uncle, the French king Louis XIV. When Victor Amadeus II became so obsessed with Jeanne Baptiste that he had her shut up from view of the court for some time, Jeanne Baptiste fled Savoy and sought refuge in France, ruled by Louis XIV. When Vittorio's mother fled Savoy in 1700, he and his sister Maria Vittoria Francesca of Savoy were left in Savoy and were cared for by a loving father.
Victor Amadeus II had them both legitimised and created them Marquis and Marchesa of Susa. Vittorio had a military career and led the Piedmontese troops against a French-Spanish army in the Battle of Villafranca (1744), where he was taken prisoner. He married in 1760 with Maria Lucrezia Franchi (died 1777), daughter of Gaspare Orazio Franchi, Count of Ponte Chianale. They had no children.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vittorio Francesco, Marquis of Susa 1694 births 1762 deaths Vittorio Francesco 18th-century Italian nobility 18th-century Italian military personnel Vittorio Francesco Nobility from Turin Italian people of the War of the Austrian Succession Sons of kings Sons of dukes