Savoyard state | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1003–1861 | |||||||||
.svg) Coat of arms of Kings of Sardinia | |||||||||
| Motto: FERT | |||||||||
 The Savoyard state in 1839 | |||||||||
| Status | Plurinational independent state Constituent territories of theHoly Roman Empire | ||||||||
| Capital | Montmélian (1006–1295) Chambéry (1295–1562) Turin (1562–1792; 1815–1861) Cagliari (1792–1815) | ||||||||
| Common languages | French,Italian,Piedmontese,Arpitan,Occitan,Latin | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||
| Government | Composite monarchy | ||||||||
| Count Duke King | |||||||||
• 1003–1048 | Humbert I White Hands (first) | ||||||||
• 1849–1861 | Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia (last) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages Early Modern Period | ||||||||
• Humbert I became Count of Savoy | 1003 | ||||||||
• Savoy elevated to aduchy | 1416 | ||||||||
| 1720 | |||||||||
• Kingdom of Sardinia becameKingdom of Italy | 1861 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | France Italy | ||||||||
TheSavoyard state comprised the states ruled by thecounts and dukes of Savoy from theMiddle Ages to the formation of theKingdom of Italy. Although it was an example ofcomposite monarchy,[1][2] it is a term applied to the polity by historians and was not in contemporary use. At the end of the 17th century, its population was about 1.4 million.[3][4][5] It was part of the Holy Roman Empire until 1797, with its territory being split between the constituent kingdoms ofBurgundy (Savoy proper, Nice) andItaly (Piedmont and the rest). From 1720 it also included theisland of Sardinia, an extra-Imperial possession.
The multi-century history ofSavoy included the period before the creation of theCounty of Savoy, then the county, followed by theDuchy of Savoy, the period from Savoy toSicily andSardinia beforeItalian unification, and thereafter. From theMiddle Ages, the state comprised the Duchy of Savoy, thePrincipality of Piedmont, theDuchy of Aosta, and theCounty of Nice, all of which were formally part of theHoly Roman Empire; however, the Savoyards often acted against the Emperor, repeatedly siding with the French during theFranco-Habsburg Wars. From 1708, it included theDuchy of Montferrat, then the Kingdom of Sicily from 1713 until 1720, theKingdom of Sardinia from 1720, and theDuchy of Genoa from 1815.
The Final Act of theCongress of Vienna of 1815 refers to them as the "States of His Majesty the King of Sardinia". Among contemporaries, "Kingdom of Sardinia" and "Sardinia" were used as common short forms, even though they were confounded withthe island. "Piedmont", "Savoy-Piedmont", and "Piedmont-Sardinia" are also sometimes used to emphasise that the economic and political centre of the Savoyard state was the Piedmont since the late Middle Ages. The seat of the rulers was inTurin. Each state had independent institutions and laws.
These territories formed acomposite monarchy under theHouse of Savoy until thePerfect Fusion in 1847.[2] The Jews of the state weregranted emancipation the next year. In 1860, Turin was made the official capital,[6] and by 1861, this unified state had acquired most of the other states on theItalian peninsula and formed theKingdom of Italy, while its territories north and west of the Alps, including Savoy proper, became part of theSecond French Empire.
Scholarship has debated and used several different terms to reference the often disjointed possessions under control of the House of Savoy. Robert Oresko introduced the term "Sabaudian" in 1997.[7]
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