Charles Emmanuel I (, Piedmontese: Carl Emanuel I; 12 January 1562 – 26 July 1630), known as the Great and nicknamed (Piedmontese: Testa d'feu; "Hothead", a sobriquet attributed to his aggressive and rash military character), was the 11th Duke of Savoy and ruler of the Savoyard states from 30 August 1580 until his death on 26 July 1630, nearly 50 years later. At the time of his death, he was the longest-reigning Savoyard monarch, a record later surpassed by his great-grandson Victor Amadeus II.
A bold and ambitious ruler, Charles Emmanuel sought to expand Savoyard influence throughout northern Italy during a period marked by the French wars of religion, the Thirty Years' War, and intense rivalry between France and Spain. He led multiple military campaigns, annexing Saluzzo, Trino and Alba but losing Pinerolo and some transalpine territories. He often played European powers against each other in complex diplomatic maneuvers. He was also a patron of the arts and a writer himself.
His campaigns against Spanish influence contributed to the emergence of early Italian nationalist sentiment in 17th-century poetry and political discourse.
Biography
thumb|left|Charles Emmanuel as a boy with [[Dwarfism|dwarf, portrait by Giacomo Vighi, c. 1572]]
Charles was born in the Castle of Rivoli in Piedmont, the only child of Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy and Margaret of France, Duchess of Berry. He succeeded his father as duke on 30 August 1580.
Preserved in the República Mista by his secretary, Tomás Fernández de Medrano, his father Emmanuel Philibert, 10th Duke of Savoy, was a devout Catholic and advised his son Charles to follow in his footsteps:
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My son, I urge you above all to be a true friend and devout servant of God and His holy Catholic religion, as were your ancestors. Never begin anything without first asking His favor and help, for while we men know little, that Majesty sees all and is eternal wisdom. So long as you rely on Him, you will be safe.
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Well-educated and intelligent, Charles spoke Italian, French, Spanish, as well as Latin. He proved an able warrior although short and hunchbacked.
Conflict against France, Geneva and Swiss cantons
In the autumn of 1588, taking advantage of the civil war weakening France, he occupied the Marquisate of Saluzzo, which was a French possession since 1548.
The new king, Henry IV, demanded the restitution of that land, but Charles Emmanuel refused, and war ensued. Geneva and Swiss cantons joined the French coalition. However, the offensive against Savoy was repelled (April 1589) and Bern signed a truce (October 1589). In 1590, Charles Emmanuel sent an expedition to Provence in the interests of the Catholic League, and followed it himself later, but the peace of 1593, by which Henry of Navarre was recognized as king of France, put an end to his ambitions.
Medrano as Secretary of State and War for the Dukes of Savoy
On 1 August 1591, the Duke of Savoy appointed Tomás Fernández de Medrano as his Secretary of State and War. Medrano's royal court connections, his expertise in diplomacy, and his military strategy greatly benefited the duchy's political and military endeavours.
In 1591, the urgency of the situation in Provence had compelled the Duke of Savoy to send Medrano, his secretary of state and war, to court. The Duke of Savoy described Tomás Fernández de Medrano as "a person through whose hands everything has passed and who infinitely desires the service of Your Majesty,"
The sister of Louis XIII, Christine Marie, was married to Charles Emmanuel's son, Victor Amadeus in 1619.
Charles Emmanuel took part in the Valtellina War (1620–1626) on the side of the Grisons and France against Spain. He tried with French help to obtain access to the Mediterranean Sea at the expense of Genoa. After Spanish intervention, Genoa was relieved. Charles then successfully defended Verrua Savoia in a long siege by Spanish troops. The Valtellina conflict ended with another compromise: the Treaty of Monçon. The possession of Valtellina was confirmed to the Grisons, with the region keeping its religious autonomy.
Shifting alliances and death
When the French occupied Casale Monferrato during the War of the Mantuan Succession in 1628, Charles Emmanuel allied again with Spain. During the war, he annexed Trino and Alba to the Savoyard state. However, when Richelieu invaded Piedmont and conquered Susa, the duke changed sides again and returned to an alliance with France. Then, after Philip IV of Spain sent two invasion forces from Genoa and Como under Ambrogio Spinola, Charles Emmanuel declared himself neutral.
During the war, also in 1628 Giovanni Antonio Ansaldo, an agent of Charles Emmanuel, recruited and furnished with ample funds a group of Genoese conspirators led by Giulio Cesare Vachero who were to overthrow the Republic of Genoa and place the city under the protection of the Duchy of Savoy. The plot failed and Vachero and his accomplices were sentenced to death.
At about the same time that Tassoni was inspired to write the Filippiche, Fulvio Testi, a young poet at the court of the duke of Este, published a collection of poems dedicated to Charles Emmanuel. Not all the poems were of a patriotic nature, but those that were, clearly revealed the feelings Charles Emmanuel had stirred in freedom-loving Italians.
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