Charles
III de Savoie
9th Duc de Savoie
(1486–1553)
Other names: the Good
Biographical
9th Duc de Savoie 1504–36 dep; titular 1536–53†
Titular King of Cyprus 1504–53†
Titular King of Jerusalem 1504–53†
Titular King of Armenia 1504–53†
Principe di Piemonte 1504–53†
Titular Prince of Achaia 1504–53†
Duc de Chablais 1504–36 dep
Duca d'Aosta 1504–53†
Marchese di Ivrea 1504–53†
Marchese di Susa 1504–53†
Marchese in Italia 1504–53†
Comte de Maurienne 1504–53†
Conte di Asti 1538–53†
Comte de Nice 1504–53†
Comte de Genevois 1504–14
Comte de Bresse 1504–53†
Comte de Romont 1504–53†
Baron de Faucigny 1504–14
Baron de Vaud 1504–36 dep;
titular
1536–53†
Baron de Gex 1504–36 dep
Signore di Vercelli 1504–53†
Seigneur de Bugey 1504–53†
Seigneur de Beaufort-sur-Doron 1504–14
Seigneur de Fribourg 1504–53†
Signore di Pinerolo 1504–53†
Imperial Vicar of Italy
Although fond of peace, Charles III found himself for the greater part
of his reign in the midst of the most destructive wars; first between
Louis XII of France and the Holy League headed by Pope Julius II against
the French; afterwards between Francis I on one side, and the Swiss and
Duke Sforza of Milan on the other; and lastly between Francis I and his
powerful rival the emperor Charles V: in all of which the territories
of Savoy and Piedmont, though the duke professed neutrality, were devastated
without mercy by French, Swiss, and Imperialists. Duke Charles acted as
mediator between Francis I and the Swiss, and afterwards between Francis
and Pope Leo X; but notwithstanding these good offices, Francis, having
taken possession of the duchy of Milan after the battle of Marignano,
began to covet the territories of Duke Charles, as they were interposed
between France and his Italian conquest, and he purposely picked a quarrel
with his uncle. He wrote to him in March, 1518, in an imperious tone,
to give him Vercelli as a former appurtenance of the duchy of Milan, the
county of Nice as forming part of Provence, and other vexatious demands,
and as the Duke demurred, he declared war against him; but this time the
Swiss confederation interposed, and Francis became pacified. In 1524,
the French having again lost the duchy of Milan, which was occupied by
the troops of Charles V, Francis I marched an army into Italy, passing
through the territories of Savoy with the forced assent of the Duke.
The battle of Pavia, in 1525, having placed Francis in the power of his
rival, the duke of Savoy, together with his sister Louisa, who was regent
of France, warmly interposed to obtain the liberation of Francis, who
afterwards acknowledged that 'he lay under greater obligations to the
Duke than to any other friend or relative,' obligations however which
he soon after forgot. In 1530 Duke Charles attended the coronation of
Charles V, who treated him with marked attention, giving to his wife Beatrix
of Portugal, and her heirs, the county of Asti. Francis pretended to be
offended at this, and he sent to Turin the president Poyat to demand of
the Duke, Vercelli, Nice, the Bresse, and the Faucigny, in right of his
mother, Louisa of Savoy. Poyat appeared before the council of the Duke,
and as Porporati, the president of the council, rebutted the claim, offering
to show his master's original titles to those territories, Poyat insolently
exclaimed, 'Words are useless, the King wills it so;' Porporati replied,
' We have here no code in which the arbitrary will of a king of France
is laid down as law.' In 1535 Francis declared war against the Duke, and
his troops occupied the whole of Savoy and Piedmont, except a few fortresses
which held out for the Duke, who took refuge at Nice. The troops of Charles
V entered Piedmont, and that unfortunate county was for many years the
theatre of war between the two great rivals. In 1543 Nice was attacked
by a combined French and Turkish fleet ; the town was sacked, but the
castle was saved by the timely arrival of Andrea Doria.
In 1547 Henri II, having succeeded Francis I, came to Turin to take formal
possession of Piedmont. In 1551 war broke out between France and the Emperor,
and Piedmont was again the field of battle between the two armies. In
the midst of this confusion, Duke Charles died in 1553, at Vercelli, where
he had taken refuge under the protection of the Imperial troops. Vercelli,
Nice, Aosta, and Cuneo were the only places that still held out for the
house of Savoy.
Place of birth: Château de Chazey, Bugey
Place of marriage: Villafranca
Place of death: Vercelli
Place of burial: Cathedral of San Eusebio, Vercelli
Son of Philippe II de Savoie and Marguerite de Bourbon. He married Infanta
Maria Beatriz of Portugal in 1521, and had issue.
|