Amadeus V The Great Count Of SAVOY

Male 1249 - 1323  (74 years)


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  • Name Amadeus V The Great Count Of SAVOY  [1, 2
    • Amadeus V (4 September 1249 ? 16 October 1323), surnamed the Great for his wisdom and success as a ruler, was the Count of Savoy from 1285 to 1323. He established Chambéry as his seat. He was the son of Thomas II of Savoy and Beatrice Fieschi.[1]


      Following marriage to Sybille of Bâgé in 1272, Amadeus began life in the service of King Edward I of England, as a household knight, serving in the First Welsh War of 1277. During the Second Welsh War of 1282 he was in command of Edward?s forces at Chester that relieved the siege of Rhuddlan Castle.[2]

      His childless paternal uncle, Count of Savoy, Philip I died in 1285.[3] Meanwhile earlier, in 1282, his elder brother Thomas III of Piedmont, had accidentally died in 1282. Philip?s will charged his niece Eleanor of Provence and her son King Edward I of England with the inheritance of Savoy. Amadeus was awarded the County of Savoy, and in order to diminish family rivalry his younger brother Louis was awarded the new Barony of Vaud becoming Louis I of Vaud.[4]

      Through his marriage to Sybilla, Countess of Bugey and Bresse, he was able to incorporate these Burgundian districts into his states. Later expansion saw his dominions further increased.

      On 1 October 1285, Amadeus was declared protector of Geneva after negotiations with the Bishop of Geneva. The hereditary title belonged to Amadeus II, Count of Geneva who was in conflict with the Bishop.

      In 1287 Amadeus besieged the castle of Ile in the Rhône near Geneva, and captured it after fourteen weeks.[5] In 1295, Amadeus acquired the fortress at Chambéry from its previous owner Hugh of La Rochette.[citation needed] He brought Georges de Aquila, a student of Giotto from Florence, to his court. Georges decorated the castle with paintings, carved wood, and frescoes. He worked there for the Savoyards until he died in 1348.[6]

      Among his successes was the Treaty of Annemasse which the Count of Geneva and the Dauphin of Viennois accepted subservient roles to him as his vassals. The treaty was the result of military victories over the both of them. 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.

      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.[7]

      In 1315, Amadeus assisted the Knights Hospitaller in the defense of Rhodes against the Turks.

      Family and children
      He first married Sybille de Baugé, daughter of Guy I Damas de Baugé, Baron of Couzan (c.1230-1269) and Dauphine de Lavieu,[8] and had eight children by her:

      Bonne of Savoy, married twice: 1) John I of Viennois, Dauphin of Viennois,[citation needed] 2) Hugh of Burgundy, Lord of Montbauson, the son of Hugh III, Count of Burgundy.[9]
      John of Savoy (*1284-?)
      Beatrice of Savoy (*1291-1294), in 1291 fiancée promises to marriage count William III of Geneva, eventually contract annulled, William married her younger sister Agnes. [10]
      Edward of Savoy (d. 1329), succeeded his father, and married Blanche of Burgundy, daughter of Robert II, Duke of Burgundy.
      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.[9] Her daughter Marguerite de Mello married John II of Chalon-Arlay.
      Margaret of Savoy (d. 1349), married John I of Montferrat.[9]
      Agnes of Savoy (d. 1322), married William III of Geneva.[9] Their son was Amadeus III of Geneva.
      Aymon of Savoy (d. 1343), succeeded his brother Edward as Count of Savoy, and married Yolande of Montferrat,[9] the daughter of Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat.
      In 1297, he married, secondly, Marie of Brabant,[11] 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:

      Maria of Savoy, married Hugh, Baron of Faucigny, the son of Humbert I of Viennois.[9]
      Catherine of Savoy (d. 1336), married Leopold I, Duke of Austria and Styria.[9]
      Anna of Savoy (d. 1359), married Byzantine Emperor, Andronikos III Palaiologos.[9]
      Beatrice of Savoy (1310 ? 1331), married, in 1327, Henry VI, Duke of Carinthia.[9]
      Ancestry [1]
    Birth 4 Sep 1249  Bourget-du-Luac Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Gender Male 
    Death 16 Oct 1323  Avignon Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Person ID I48171  Main Tree
    Last Modified 29 Oct 2019 

    Father Thomas II Of PIEDMONT,   b. Abt 1199   d. 7 Feb 1259 (Age 60 years) 
    Relationship Birth 
    Mother Beatrice DI FIECHI 
    Relationship Birth 
    Family ID F17583  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Sybille Of BAGE 
    Marriage 1272  [1
    Children 
     1. Bonne Of SAVOY  [Birth]
     2. John Of SAVOY,   b. 1284  [Birth]
     3. Beatrice Of SAVOY  [Birth]
     4. Edward Of SAVOY   d. 1329  [Birth]
     5. Eleonor Of SAVOY   d. Aft 1317  [Birth]
     6. Margaret Of SAVOY   d. 1349  [Birth]
     7. Agnes Of SAVOY   d. 1372  [Birth]
     8. Aymone Of SAVOY   d. 1343  [Birth]
    Family ID F17577  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 29 Oct 2019 

    Family 2 Maria of BRABANT   d. Aft 02 Dec 1338 
    Marriage 1297  [1
    Children 
     1. Maria Of SAVOY  [Birth]
     2. Catherine Of SAVOY,   b. 1284   d. 1336 (Age 52 years)  [Natural]
     3. Anne Of SAVOY   d. 1359  [Birth]
     4. Beatrice Of SAVOY,   b. 1310   d. 1331 (Age 21 years)  [Birth]
    Family ID F17573  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 29 Oct 2019 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 4 Sep 1249 - Bourget-du-Luac Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 16 Oct 1323 - Avignon Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Sources 
    1. [S03581] Wikipedia Encyclopedia.

    2. [S01910] Blood Royal, Issue of the Kings and Queens of Medieval England 1066-1399 by. T. Anna Leese.