Counts and dukes of Savoy explained

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 one point in history or another.

The County of Savoy was elevated to a duchy at the beginning of the 15th century, bringing together all the territories of the Savoyard state and having Amadeus VIII as its first duke.[1] In the 18th century, Duke Victor Amadeus II annexed the Kingdom of Sardinia to the historical possessions of the Duchy, and from then on, the Savoyard dukes also held the title of Kings of Sardinia. The House of Savoy later went on to rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1946 when the monarchy was abolished.

Victor Amadeus II was the longest reigning monarch of Savoy, followed by Charles Emmanuel I, and Charles III or Amadeus VIII.

Italy before the Unification

Counts of Savoy

Name PortraitBirth Marriages Death
width=autoHumbert I
1003 - 1047/1048
c. 980
Maurienne
Ancilla
c. 995/1000
four sons
c. 1047/1048
Hermillon
aged around 68
width=autoAmadeus I
1047/1048 - 1052
c. 1016
eldest son of Humbert I and Ancilla
Adila
1030
three children
c. 1052aged around 36
width=autoOtto
1052 - 1057
c. 1010/1020
fourth son of Humbert I and Ancilla
Adelaide of Susa
1046
five children
c. 1057
aged 47-57
width=autoPeter I
1060 - 1078
c. 1048
eldest son of Otto and Adelaide of Susa
Agnes of Aquitaine
1064
two daughters
9 July 1078
aged 29-30
width=autoAmadeus II
1078 - 1080
c. 1050
second son of Otto and Adelaide of Susa
Joan of Geneva
c. 1065
several children
26 January 1080
aged 29-30
width=autoHumbert II
1080 - 1103
c. 1065
Carignano
son of Amadeus II and Joan of Geneva
Gisela of Burgundy
1090
seven children
14 October 1103
Moûtiers
aged 37-38
width=autoAmadeus III
1103 - 1148
c. 1095
Carignano
eldest son of Humbert II and Gisela of Burgundy
(1) Adelaide
1120/23
no issue
(2) Mahaut of Albon
July 1134/1135
ten children
April 1148
Nicosia
aged 52-53
width=autoHumbert III
1148 - 1189
4 August 1136
Avigliana
eldest son of Amadeus III and Mahaut of Albon
(1) Faidiva of Toulouse
c. 1151
no issue
(2) Gertrude of Flanders
1155
no issue
(3) Clementia of Zähringen
1164
two daughters
(4) Beatrice of Viennois
1175/77
one son
4 March 1189
Chambéry
aged 52
width=autoThomas I
1189 - 1233
27 May 1178
Aiguebelle
only son of Humbert III and Beatrice of Viennois
Margaret of Geneva
May 1196
fourteen children
1 March 1233
Moncalieri
aged 54
width=autoAmadeus IV
1233 - 1253
1197
Montmélian
eldest son of Thomas I and Margaret of Geneva
(1) Margaret of Burgundy
c 1217
two daughters
(2) Cecile of Baux
1244
four children
24 June 1253
Montmélian
aged 55-56
width=autoBoniface
1253 - 1263
December 1244
Chambéry
only son of Amadeus IV and Cecile of Baux
never marriedJune 1263
Turin
aged 18
width=autoPeter II
1263 - 1268
1203
Susa
seventh son of Thomas I and Margaret of Geneva
Agnes of Faucigny
1236
one daughter
15 May 1268
Château de Chillon or Pierre-Châtel
aged 66
width=autoPhilip I
1268 - 1285
1207
Aiguebelle
eighth son of Thomas I and Margaret of Geneva
Adelaide, Countess of Burgundy
12 June 1267
no issue
16 August 1285
Roussillon, Isère
aged 78
width=autoAmadeus V
1285 - 1323
1249-1253
Le Bourget-du-Lac
second son of Thomas II, Count of Piedmont and Beatrice Fieschi
(1) Sybille of Bâgé
5 July 1272
eight children
(2) Marie of Brabant
1297
four children
16 October 1323
Avignon
aged 69-74
width=autoEdward
1323 - 1329
8 February 1284
Baugé
second son of Amadeus V and Sybille of Bâgé
Bianca of Burgundy
18 October 1307
Château de Montbard
one daughter
4 November 1329
Gentilly
aged 45
width=autoAymon
1329 - 1343
15 December 1291
Chambéry
youngest son of Amadeus V and Sybille of Bâgé
Yolande Palaeologina of Montferrat
1 May 1330
Casale
five children
22 June 1343
Montmélian
aged 51
width=autoAmadeus VI
1343 - 1383
4 January 1334
Chambéry
eldest son of Aymon and Yolande Palaeologina of Montferrat
Bonne of Bourbon
1355
Paris
two children
1 March 1383
Naples
aged 49
width=autoAmadeus VII
1383 - 1391
24 February 1360
Avigliana
eldest son of Amadeus VI and Bonne of Bourbon
Bonne of Berry
18 January 1377
Paris
three children
1 November 1391
Château de Ripaille
aged 31
width=autoAmadeus VIII
1391 - 1416
4 September 1383
Chambéry
eldest son of Amadeus VII and Bonne of Berry
Mary of Burgundy
11 November 1386
Sluis
nine children
7 January 1451
Château de Ripaille
aged 67

Dukes of Savoy

Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Amadeus VIII
1416 - 1440
4 September 1383
Chambéry
eldest son of Amadeus VII and Bonne of Berry
Mary of Burgundy
11 November 1386
Sluis
nine children
7 January 1451
Château de Ripaille
aged 67
Louis
1440 - 1465
21 February 1413
Geneva
fourth son of Amadeus VIII and Mary of Burgundy
Anne of Cyprus
1 November 1433 (or 12 February 1434)
Chambéry
seventeen children
29 January 1465
Lyon
aged 51
Amadeus IX
1465 - 1472
1 February 1435
Thonon-les-Bains
eldest son of Louis and Anne of Cyprus
Yolande of Valois
1452
ten children
30 March 1472
Vercelli
aged 37
Philibert I
1472 - 1482
17 August 1465
Chambéry
third son of Amadeus IX and Yolande of Valois
Bianca Maria Sforza
January 1474
no issue
22 September 1482
Lyon
aged 17
Charles I
1482 - 1490
28 March 1468
Carignano
fifth son of Amadeus IX and Yolande of Valois
Blanche of Montferrat
1 April 1485
two children
13 March 1490
Pinerolo
aged 21
Charles II
1490 - 1496
23 June 1489
Turin
only son of Charles I and Blanche of Montferrat
never married16 April 1496
Moncalieri
aged 6
Philip II
1496 - 1497
4 February 1438
Chambéry
fifth son of Louis and Anne of Cyprus
(1) Marguerite de Bourbon
6 April 1472
Moulins
three children
(2) Claudine de Brosse
11 November 1485
Moulins
six children
7 November 1497
Chambéry
aged 59
Philibert II
1497 - 1504
10 April 1480
Pont-d'Ain
only son of Philip II and Marguerite de Bourbon
(1) Yolande Louise of Savoy
1496
no issue
(2) Margaret of Austria
2 December 1501
Romainmôtier
no issue
10 September 1504
Pont-d'Ain
aged 24
Charles III
1504 - 1553
10 October 1486
Chazey-sur-Ain
eldest son of Philip II and Claudine de Brosse
Beatrice of Portugal
29 September 1521
Villefranche-sur-Mer
nine children
17 August 1553
Vercelli
aged 66
Emmanuel Philibert
1553 - 1580
8 July 1528
Chambéry
third son of Charles III and Beatrice of Portugal
Margaret of France
9 July 1559
Saint-Paul's Church, Paris
one son
30 August 1580
Turin
aged 52
Charles Emmanuel I
1580 - 1630
12 January 1562
Castle of Rivoli
only son of Emmanuel Philibert and Margaret of France
Catherine Michelle of Spain
18 March 1585
Zaragoza
ten children
26 July 1630
Savigliano
aged 68
Victor Amadeus I
1630 - 1637
8 May 1587
Turin
second son of Charles Emmanuel I and Catherine Michelle of Spain
Christine Marie of France
10 February 1619
Louvre Palace
eight children
7 October 1637
Turin
aged 50
Francis Hyacinth
1637 - 1638
14 September 1632
Castello del Valentino
second son of Victor Amadeus I and Christine Marie of France
never married4 October 1638
Castello del Valentino
aged 6
Charles Emmanuel II
1638 - 1675
20 June 1634
Turin
third son of Victor Amadeus I and Christine Marie of France
(1) Françoise Madeleine d'Orléans
4 March 1663
Louvre Palace
no issue
(2) Marie Jeanne of Savoy
10 May 1665
Turin
one son
12 June 1675
Turin
aged 40
Victor Amadeus II
1675 - 1730
14 May 1666
Royal Palace of Turin
only son of Charles Emmanuel II and Marie Jeanne of Savoy
(1) Anne Marie d'Orléans
10 April 1684
Palace of Versailles
Six Children
(2) Anna Canalis di Cumiana
12 August 1730
Chapel of the Holy Shroud
No Issue
31 October 1732
Castle of Rivoli
aged 66

Kings of Sardinia

See main article: articles and List of monarchs of Sardinia.

See main article: articles and King of Sardinia.

Kings of the Kingdom of Italy

See main article: articles and King of Italy.

width=8% PhotoNameLifeBecame KingCeased to be KingCoat of ArmsNotes
Victor Emmanuel II14 March 1820 – 9 January 187817 March 18619 January 1878Acquired land in Lombardy–Venetia and the Papal States. Uniting most of the Italian Peninsula.
Umberto I14 March 1844 – 29 July 19009 January 187829 July 1900Acquired land in modern-day Eritrea and Somalia, being the first Italian King to have a colonial empire. Assassinated in 29 July 1900.
Victor Emmanuel III11 November 1869 – 28 December 194729 July 19009 May 1946Acquired land in Libya, South Tyrol, and the Istria during World War I. Reigned during the Fascist Period, while also gaining a bit more land in Libya and occupied Ethiopia. He reigned during World War II, in which he surrendered to the Allies. Abdicated in favor of his son, Umberto in 1946 before departing to Egypt.
Umberto II15 September 1904 – 18 March 19839 May 194612 June 1946The last King of Italy. On 2 June, the Italians voted for a Republic, and the Monarchy was abolished on 12 June.[2]

Pretenders to the throne

!Name!Photo!Birth!Death!Became Head!Ceased to be Head
Umberto II15 September 190418 March 19839 May 1946[3] 18 March 1983

Disputed Claimants

After the death of Umberto II in 1983, Prince Vittorio Emanuele succeeded him. On 7 July 2006, Amadeo claimed that Vittorio Emanuel had lost his royal rights when he married without Umberto II's permission in 1971, in which Amadeo declared himself the Head of the Royal House on the same day.

Descendants of Umberto II

NamePhotoBirthDeathBecame HeadCeased to be Head
Vittorio Emanuele12 February 19373 February 2024 18 March 19833 February 2024
Emanuele Filiberto22 June 1972Still living3 February 2024Still claims the throne

Descendants of Amadeo I of Spain

NamePhotoBirthDeathBecame HeadCeased to be Head
Prince Amedeo27 September 19431 June 20217 July 20061 June 2021
Prince Aimone13 October 1967Still living1 June 2021Still claims the throne

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Hearder, Harry . Italy: A Short History . 2002.
  2. Web site: 2023-03-17 . The Last King of Italy . 2024-06-29 . Italy Segreta . en-US.
  3. Umberto II also became King of Italy in the same day.