Amadeus V (1249 – 16 October 1323), also known as Amadeus the Great, was Count of Savoy from 1285 until his death. In recognition of his service to the Holy Roman Empire, he was granted the titles of Imperial Count and Imperial Vicar of Lombardy, along with lordship over Asti and Ivrea.

A prominent medieval ruler, he played a pivotal role in expanding and consolidating the House of Savoy's influence across regions that today form parts of France, Italy, and Switzerland.

Life

Amadeus was the son of Thomas II of Savoy and Beatrice Fieschi. Through his mother he was a grandnephew of Pope Innocent IV. During the 1294–1303 Gascon War, he acted as an agent of King EdwardI of England in the negotiations that led to the 1299 Treaty of Montreuil and the 1303 Treaty of Paris; separately, he arranged for the marriage of EdwardI with Margaret of France. In 1301, Amadeus also settled his dispute over control of Valais with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sion. His reign, however, also saw friction between the County of Savoy and the Duchy of Austria. He pursued an alliance with the Kingdom of France and received Maulévrier in Normandy as a result of initial good relations.

thumb|Amadeus as one of the combatants defeating the [[Milan uprising (1311)|Torriani revolt in Milan (12 February 1311)]]

The eventual recovery of Lyon by the kings of France alerted Amadeus to their expansionistic tendencies towards the regions by the Alps. He sought a powerful ally against potential hostility in the German king Henry VII, who was married to Margaret of Brabant, the sister-in-law of Amadeus. Amadeus accompanied Henry in his Italian campaign of 1310–1313, which culminated in Henry's coronation as Holy Roman Emperor on 29 June 1312. As a reward for his service, Amadeus received the title of Imperial Count, imperial vicar of Lombardy, and the lordships of Asti and Ivrea. Henry also elevated Aosta and Chablais to duchies, though they remained a part of the realm of Savoy.

In 1315, Amadeus assisted the Knights Hospitaller in the defense of Rhodes against the Turks. He died in Avignon on 16 October 1323.

  1. Edward of Savoy (d. 1329), succeeded his father, and married Blanche of Burgundy, daughter of Robert II, Duke of Burgundy.
  2. Eleonor of Savoy (d. after 1317), married three times: 1) William of Chalon, Count of Auxerre and Tonnerre, 2) Dreux IV of Mello, and 3) John I, Count of Forez. Her daughter Marguerite de Mello married John II of Chalon-Arlay.
  3. Margaret of Savoy (d. 1349), married John I of Montferrat.
  4. Agnes of Savoy (d. 1322), married William III of Geneva. Their son was Amadeus III of Geneva.
  5. Aymon of Savoy (d. 1343), succeeded his brother Edward as Count of Savoy, and married Yolande of Montferrat, the daughter of Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat.

In 1297, he married, secondly, Marie of Brabant, who was a daughter of John I, Duke of Brabant and Margaret of Flanders. Her maternal grandparents were Guy of Dampierre and his first wife, Matilda of Bethune. They had 4 children:

  1. Maria of Savoy, married Hugh, Baron of Faucigny, the son of Humbert I of Viennois.
  2. Catherine of Savoy (d. 1336), married Leopold I, Duke of Austria and Styria.
  3. Anna of Savoy (d. 1359), married Byzantine Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos.
  4. Beatrice of Savoy (1310–1331), married, in 1327, Henry VI, Duke of Carinthia.

References

Sources

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