 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Charles Emmanuel II" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Charles Emmanuel II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.png) Charles Emmanuelc. 1655–1660 | |||||
| Duke of Savoy | |||||
| Reign | 4 October 1638 – 12 June 1675 | ||||
| Predecessor | Francis Hyacinth | ||||
| Successor | Victor Amadeus II | ||||
| Regent | Christine of France (1638–1648) | ||||
| Born | (1634-06-20)20 June 1634 Turin,Savoy | ||||
| Died | 12 June 1675(1675-06-12) (aged 40) Turin, Savoy | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | Victor Amadeus II of Savoy | ||||
| |||||
| House | Savoy | ||||
| Father | Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy | ||||
| Mother | Christine of France | ||||
| Religion | Catholic Church | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Charles Emmanuel II (Italian:Carlo Emanuele II di Savoia); 20 June 1634 – 12 June 1675) wasDuke of Savoy and ruler of theSavoyard states from 4 October 1638 until his death in 1675[1] and under regency of his motherChristine of France until 1648.[2] He was alsoMarquis of Saluzzo,Count of Aosta,Geneva,Moriana andNice, as well as claimant king ofCyprus,Jerusalem andArmenia. At his death in 1675, his second wifeMarie Jeanne Baptiste of Savoy-Nemours acted as regent for their 9-year-old son.
He was born inTurin toVictor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy, andChristine of France.[1] His maternal grandparents wereHenry IV of France and his second wifeMarie de' Medici. In 1638 at the death of his older brotherFrancis Hyacinth, Duke of Savoy, Charles Emmanuel succeeded to the duchy of Savoy at the age of 4. His mother governed in his place, and even after reaching adulthood in 1648, he invited her to continue to rule.[2] Charles Emmanuel continued a life of pleasure, far away from the affairs of state.
He became notorious for his persecution of the Vaudois (Waldensians) culminating in the massacre of 1655, known asPiedmontese Easter. The massacre was so brutal that it prompted the English poetJohn Milton to write thesonnetOn the Late Massacre in Piedmont.Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector, called for a general fast in England and proposed to send the British Navy if the massacre was not stopped while gathering funds for helping theWaldensians. SirSamuel Morland was commissioned with that task. He later wroteThe History of the Evangelical Churches of the Valleys of Piemont (1658). The 1655 massacre was only the beginning of a series of conflicts, theSavoyard–Waldensian wars (1655–1690), that saw Waldensian rebels use guerrilla warfare tactics against ducal military campaigns to enforce Roman Catholicism upon the entire population.
Only after the death of his mother in 1663, did he really assume power. He was not successful in gaining a passage to the sea at the expense ofGenoa (Second Genoese–Savoyard War, 1672–1673),[3] and had difficulties in retaining the influence of his powerful neighbour France.
But he greatly improved commerce and wealth in the Duchy, developing the port ofNice and building a road through theAlps towards France. He also reformed the army, which until then was mostly composed of mercenaries: he formed instead five Piedmontese regiments and recreated cavalry, as well as introducing uniforms. He also restored fortifications. He constructed many beautiful buildings inTurin, for instance, thePalazzo Reale.[citation needed]
He died on 12 June 1675, leaving his second wife as regent for his son.[4] He is buried atTurin Cathedral.
In 1672, the duke had allowed Hortense Mancini (1646-1699) to take refuge in Chambéry. She was fleeing from an unhappy marriage to Armand Charles de La Porte, 2nd Duke of La Meilleraye and needed protection. As a young man the duke had unsuccessfully sought her hand in marriage and it is possible that an affair began at this time.[5] Goldsmith notes, "Charles-Emmanuel’s delight in hosting the runaway Duchess Mazarin quickly developed into an obsessive fascination once he became more closely acquainted with her.”
However, her presence at court led to tension with supporters of the duchess Marie Jeanne Baptiste de Savoie. Goldsmith notes, "Members of the court who favored the Savoyard duchess, who found herself eclipsed in her husband’s attentions by the exotic Hortense, were quick to pick quarrels with Hortense and her circle." When the duke died, his wife became regent and made it clear that Hortense was not welcome in the kingdom any longer. She left Savoy in October 1675."[6]
Charles Emmanuel first met Marie Jeanne of Savoy in 1659 and fell in love with her. However, his mother disagreed with the pairing, and encouraged him to marryFrançoise Madeleine d'Orléans, daughter of his maternal uncleGaston, Duke of Orléans, the younger brother of his mother Christine Marie. They were married on 3 April 1663.[7] The couple had no issue. His mother died at the end of 1663, and his first wife died at the start of 1664. This left him free to get married on 20 May 1665 toMarie Jeanne of Savoy.[8] They had one son:
From his relationship with Jeanne Marie Benso (née de Trécesson), Marchioness of Cavour (the wife of Maurizio Pompilio Benso, Marquess of Cavour), he had a daughter, Cristina Ippolita of Savoy (1655–1730), who married Carlo Besso Ferrero Fieschi, 4th Prince of Masserano.[9]
| Ancestors of Charles Emmanuel II |
|---|
Charles Emmanuel II Born: 20 June 1634 Died: 12 June 1675 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Duke of Savoy 1638–1675 | Succeeded by |
|  | |
