| Charles Emmanuel I | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by unknown, c. 17th century | |
| Duke of Savoy | |
| Reign | 30 August 1580 – 26 July 1630 |
| Predecessor | Emmanuel Philibert |
| Successor | Victor Amadeus I |
| Born | 12 January 1562 Castle of Rivoli,Rivoli,Duchy of Savoy |
| Died | 26 July 1630(1630-07-26) (aged 68) Savigliano, Duchy of Savoy |
| Spouse | |
| Issue more... | |
| House | Savoy |
| Father | Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy |
| Mother | Margaret of Valois, Duchess of Berry |
| Religion | Catholic Church |
| Signature |  |
Charles Emmanuel I (Italian:Carlo Emanuele di Savoia; 12 January 1562 – 26 July 1630), known asthe Great and nicknamedTesta di Fuoco (Piedmontese:Testa d'feu; "Hothead", a sobriquet attributed to his aggressive and rash military character),[1][2] was theDuke of Savoy and ruler of theSavoyard 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-grandsonVictor Amadeus II.
A bold and ambitious ruler, Charles Emmanuel sought to expand Savoyard influence throughout northern Italy during a period marked by theFrench wars of religion, theThirty Years' War, and intense rivalry betweenFrance andSpain. He led multiple military campaigns – annexingSaluzzo,Trino andAlba but losingPinerolo and some transalpine territories – and often played European powers against each other in complex diplomatic maneuvers. He was also a patron of the arts and a writer himself.[3]
His campaigns against Spanish influence contributed to the emergence of earlyItalian nationalist sentiment in 17th-century poetry and political discourse.
Charles was born in theCastle of Rivoli inPiedmont, the only child ofEmmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy andMargaret of France, Duchess of Berry.[4] He succeeded his father as duke on 30 August 1580.[5]
His father was a devout Catholic and advised Charles to follow in his footsteps:
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.[6]
Well-educated and intelligent, Charles spoke Italian, French, Spanish, as well as Latin. He proved an able warrior although short andhunchbacked.
In the autumn of 1588, taking advantage of thecivil war weakening France, he occupied theMarquisate of Saluzzo, which was a French possession since 1548.[4]
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.[7]
On 1 August 1591, the Duke of Savoy appointedTomás Fernández de Medrano as his Secretary of State and War, Medrano's expertise in diplomacy and military strategy would have greatly benefited the duchy's political and military endeavours.[8] The broader conflict involving France and Spain ended with thePeace of Vervins (2 May 1598), which left the current but separate question of Saluzzo unsolved. After the Duke started talks with Spain, Henry threatened to return to war until, with theTreaty of Lyon (17 January 1601), Saluzzo went to Savoy in exchange forBresse, Bugey, and Gex.[4]
Having made peace with France, Charles Emmanuel attacked the city ofGeneva. On 11 December that year, he led his troops to the city during the night and they surrounded the city walls by two in the morning. The Savoyardcuirassiers were ordered to dismount and climb the city walls in full armour as a shock tactic. However, the alarm was raised by a night watchman and Geneva's militia rose to meet the invaders. The attempted raid failed with 54 Savoyards killed and many more captured. Charles Emmanuel's army retreated in a panic and the Savoyard prisoners were executed. The heavy helmets worn by Charles Emmanuel's troops, with visors made in a stylized imitation of a human face, were known as "Savoyard" helmets after this notorious incident. A number of these suits of armour were captured by the Swiss and kept as trophies. The Geneva militia's successful defence of the city's walls is still celebrated as an act of heroism during the annual festival ofL'Escalade. The treaty of St. Julien in July 1603 ended the conflict between Savoy and Geneva, with each side restoring occupied territories to the other.
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The Duke's Secretary of State and War,Tomás Fernández de Medrano, wrote an important politicaltreatise titledRepublica Mista, published inMadrid in 1602, which contains a rare and accurate record of the Duke of Savoy'soration during theFrench War of Religion. An excerpt reads:
If the lord has the authority to command his vassals, and the vassals are obliged to obey the lord in matters not against God, how much more so in matters that serve Him, glorify Him, and are for your own well-being? For over six hundred years, your ancestors have lived under mine, in Christian faith and obedience to the Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Church, building temples and observing sacraments for our salvation. How can you abandon your noble and ancient lineage, the honor of your Catholic heritage, and the religion embraced by your ancestors? By aligning with heretics—those who, abandoning God’s Church, have chosen false associations—you now become adversaries of Christ and allies of Satan. There is but one true faith, one Church, and one shepherd: the Roman Pontiff. Do you not see that false religions have sown discord, creating factions and undermining both spiritual and temporal authority? A prince must protect the Catholic faith, for without a strong religion, no empire can remain powerful. Religion and arms united ensure the survival of a monarchy for ages. Let us remember: 'What is best must be honored by the best, and what rules must be served by the ruler.' Turn back to the true faith of your forebears and embrace the unity of Christ's Church, lest you lose the peace and salvation promised to those who remain faithful.[6]
Charles Emmanuel was one of the most wanted candidates for the crown of a restoredSerbian kingdom, hypothetically presumed after a Christian crusade against theOttoman Empire during planning for the Great Conspiracy of the late 16th and early 17th centuries under the auspices ofSerbian Patriarch Jovan,diplomat Damjan,HerzegovinianDuke Grdan and other chiefs of theSerb clans.[citation needed][disputed –discuss][verification needed] At the 1608 Council ofMorača, during a gathering of representatives of the Serb clans and the Serbian Church, Charles was electedKing of Serbia and invited to convert toEastern Orthodoxy (as a precondition for being crowned by Patriarch John) and to vow to protect Orthodox Christianity.[verification needed][citation needed][disputed –discuss] The conspirators, bearing closely in mind the failures of the 1590 decade, did not want to expose themselves in any action before direct support from the West was forthcoming. Thus no broad uprising of the Balkan Christian peoples against the rule of the Ottoman Turks was sparked, as Charles Emmanuel lacked the financial resources to take the crown and restore the Serbian statehood extinguished in the 15th century.
In 1609, Charles Emmanuel came in contact with Albanian mercenaries likeGiovanni Renesi, his brother Demetrio Renesi and a relative Don Joanne Renesi, who intended to revolt against the Ottomans at theConvention of Kuçi in 1614.
With theTreaty of Bruzolo (25 April 1610), Charles Emmanuel allied with France against Spain, but the assassination of Henry IV changed the situation, as the treaty was not recognized byMarie de' Medici, who immediately assumed the regency for Henry's sonLouis XIII, a minor. Continuing his intrigues, on the death in 1612 of DukeFrancesco IV Gonzaga of Mantua, who was lord of theDuchy of Montferrat, Charles Emmanuel caused thewar of the Montferrat Succession by assaulting that district. This arrayed the Venetians, Tuscany, the Empire and Spain against him, and he was obliged to relinquish his conquest.[7] However, as Charles Emmanuel refused the Spanish request to unilaterally disarm, war continued between Savoy and Spain. Charles Emmanuel defendedAsti and then obtained the help of French troops again in January 1617, as the new king of France resumed his father's alliance with Savoy. The conflict overlapped with theUskok War, during which Chales Emmanuel sided with theRepublic of Venice against Austria and Spain. The two wars were solved by a compromise signed in Paris and Madrid (September 1617): both Spain and Savoy disarmed and restored each other the occupied territories, while an Imperial tribunal would solve the issue on the Montferrat succession; theUskoks were expelled from their strongholds.[9]
The sister of Louis XIII,Christine Marie, was married to Charles Emmanuel's son,Victor Amadeus in 1619.
Charles Emmanuel took part in theValtellina War (1620–1626) on the side of the Grisons and France against Spain. He tried with French help to obtain access to theMediterranean Sea at the expense ofGenoa.[10] After Spanish intervention,Genoa was relieved. Charles then successfully defendedVerrua Savoia in a long siege by Spanish troops. The Valtellina conflict ended with another compromise: theTreaty of Monçon. The possession of Valtellina was confirmed to the Grisons, with the region keeping its religious autonomy.[11]
When the French occupiedCasale Monferrato during theWar 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, whenRichelieu invaded Piedmont and conqueredSusa, the duke changed sides again and returned to an alliance with France. Then, afterPhilip IV of Spain sent two invasion forces from Genoa andComo underAmbrogio 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 byGiulio Cesare Vachero who were to overthrow the Republic of Genoa and place the city under the protection of the Duchy of Savoy.[12] The plot failed and Vachero and his accomplices were sentenced to death.[12]
in 1630, Richelieu ordered a French army to march into Savoy to force the duke to abandon his neutrality. The French troops, soon backed by another army, occupiedPinerolo andAvigliana and defeated the Savoy army under his sonVictor Amadeus in Lower Valsusa.The duke died suddenly of a stroke, while campaigning during the second Monferrato war, atSavigliano in late July.[4] He was succeeded by his son Victor Amadeus.[7]
In 1585, Charles marriedCatherine Michaela of Spain, daughter ofPhilip II of Spain andElizabeth of Valois. They had:
In Riva di Chieri on 28 November 1629, he secretly married his long-time and official mistress, Marguerite de Rossillon,Marchesa di Riva di Chieri (bap. 24 December 1599 – 10 November 1640), with whom he had four children,legitimised after the wedding but without succession rights:[citation needed]
In addition, he had several illegitimate children:
— With Luisa de Duyn Maréchal, daughter of Jean-Marie de Duyn, called Maréchal, baron ofVal d'Isère:
— With VirginiaPallavicino:
— With Argentina Provana, daughter of Giovanni Francesco Provana, count ofBussoleno andCollegno, and Anna Maria Grimaldi:
— With Anna Felizità Cusani:
— With unknown mistress:
Charles Emmanuel's military campaigns ignitedItalian nationalism and patriotism.
Alessandro Tassoni took up the defence of Charles Emmanuel. In quick succession he published anonymously twoFilippiche addressed to the Italian nobility. He exhorted the nobles to discard their lethargy, unite and instead of fighting each other, join Savoy in ridding Italy of Spanish hegemony.[13]
At about the same time that Tassoni was inspired to write theFilippiche,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.[13]
Vittorio Siri still reminisced more than fifty years later:
All Italy broke forth with pen and tongue in praises and panegyrics at the name of Carlo Emanuele, and in demonstrations of joy and applause that he had revived [...] the ancient Latin valor, wishing that he [...] [might] one day become the redeemer of Italy's freedom and the restorer of its greatness.[14]
Carlo Emanuele I di Savoia, detto il Grande e soprannominato dai sudditi Testa di Fuoco per le manifeste attitudini militari
Carlo Emanuele I detto il Grande e soprannominato Testa 'd feu (testa di fuoco) per le attitudini militari
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Charles Emmanuel I.".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 942.Charles Emmanuel I Born: 12 January 1562 Died: 26 July 1630 | ||
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| Preceded by | Duke of Savoy 1580–1630 | Succeeded by |
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