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County of Savoy Comitatus Sabaudiae (Latin) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1003–1416 | |||||||||
  Coat of arms | |||||||||
.svg) The County of Savoy and its possessions ( red) within the Holy Roman Empire around the middle of the 13th century. The cream area highlights the rest of theKingdom of Burgundy. Note that some of Savoy's possessions lie outside of that kingdom (instead being part of theKingdom of Italy). Savoy proper is the westernmost of the territories. The unmarked territory directly to the northwest of Savoy proper,Bresse, was acquired in 1272. | |||||||||
| Status | State of theHoly Roman Empire | ||||||||
| Capital | Chambéry(from 1295) | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Count of Savoy | |||||||||
• 1003–1048 | Humbert I White Hands | ||||||||
• 1391–1416 | Amadeus VIII (Anti-Pope Felix V) | ||||||||
| Historical era | High Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Created byRudolph III, King of Burgundy | 1003 | ||||||||
• InheritedMarch of Turin | 1046 | ||||||||
• Emp. Henry VII acknowledgedImperial immediacy | 1331 | ||||||||
• AcquiredCounty of Nice | 1388 | ||||||||
• AcquiredCounty of Geneva | 1401 | ||||||||
| 1416 | |||||||||
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TheCounty of Savoy (Latin:Comitatus Sabaudiae) was afeudal state of theHoly Roman Empire which emerged, along with thefree communes ofSwitzerland, from the collapse of theBurgundian Kingdom in the 11th century. It was the cradle of the futureSavoyard state.[1]
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Sapaudia, stretching south ofLake Geneva from theRhône River to theWestern Alps, had been part ofUpper Burgundy ruled by theBosonid dukeHucbert from the mid-9th century. Together with the neighbouringFree County of Burgundy (today'sFranche Comté), it became part of the largerKingdom of Burgundy under KingRudolph II in 933.[2]
Humbert the White-Handed was raised to count by the lastking of Burgundy,Rudolph III, in 1003. He backed the inheritance claims ofEmperor Henry II and in turn, was permitted to usurp thecounty of Aosta from itsbishops at the death ofAnselm. Following his support ofConrad II in annexing Arles upon Rudolph's death and suppressing the revolts ofCount Odo andBishop Burchard, he also received thecounty of Maurienne (formerly held by thearchbishops of Vienne) and territories inChablais andTarentaise, formerly held byits archbishops atMoûtiers.[2]
While the Arelat remained a titular kingdom of theHoly Roman Empire, Humbert's descendants—later known as theHouse of Savoy—maintained their independence as counts. In 1046, his younger sonOtto marriedAdelaide, daughter ofUlric Manfred II,marquis of Susa. When she inherited her father's lands in preference to other, male, relatives,[note 1] he thereby acquired control of the extensiveMarch of Turin. This was then united with Savoy upon his inheritance from his elder brother.[3]
The counts further enlarged their territory when, in 1218, they inherited theVaud lands north ofLake Geneva from the extinctHouse of Zähringen. In 1220, CountThomas I occupied the towns ofPinerolo andChambéry (Kamrach), which afterwards became the Savoy capital. In 1240, his younger sonPeter II was invited toEngland by KingHenry III, who had married Peter's nieceEleanor of Provence. He was appointedLord Warden of the Cinque Ports andEarl of Richmond and had theSavoy Palace erected inLondon.
In 1313, CountAmadeus V the Great officially gained the status ofImperial immediacy fromEmperor Henry VII. What was left of the Kingdom of Burgundy effectively ceased to be entirely under the authority of the emperor after theDauphiné had passed to the future KingCharles V of France in 1349 andAmadeus VI of Savoy was appointedImperial vicar of Arelat byEmperor Charles IV in 1365.[4]
Amadeus VII gained access to theMediterranean Sea by the acquisition of theCounty of Nice in 1388, and his sonAmadeus VIII purchased theCounty of Geneva in 1401. The extended Savoy lands were finally raised to a duchy in 1416 by the German kingSigismund (seeDuchy of Savoy 1416–1718).[4]
