Amadeus VI. (Savoy)

Amadeus VI. , "The green count" (born January 4, 1334 in Chambéry , † March 1, 1383 in Campobasso ) was from 1343 to 1383 Count of Savoy . He received the nickname because he appeared at knight tournaments in Chambéry in green armor and loved green clothing. Amadeus made a reputation for himself both as a knight and in a campaign against the Ottomans . He instituted a new policy for his house, paying more attention to his Italian possessions than those north-west of the Alps.

Amadeus VI fresco in the Spanish Chapel of Florence

Life

Amadeus inherited the county from his father Aymon at the age of nine . His uncle Ludwig II of Savoy was his guardian until 1349. In 1355 the count married Bonne de Bourbon (1341–1402), daughter of Duke Pierre I de Bourbon and niece of the French King Philip VI. from Valois . With her he had his only surviving child; his successor Amadeus VII of Savoy .

The Count fought with the King of France against England and against the Margrave of Saluzzo , who was made feudal by him , had him captured by English privateers and released for a ransom of 180,000 guilders . He imprisoned his cousin, Jacob of Piedmont , in 1360 and took his feudal oath from him. The Count also wrestled with the Margrave of Montferrat for ownership claims. From 1352 he was successful in armed disputes.

Amadeus acquired the province of Faucigny and secured this acquisition as well as the borders between Savoy and the Dauphiné in the Treaty of Paris in 1355 . On July 21, 1356, the Count succeeded in obtaining the hereditary title of Imperial Vicar from the Roman-German Emperor Charles IV for the parts of the old Kingdom of Arelat that belonged to the empire , with which the Bishop of Geneva, among others, now owed him tribute .

Amadeus' campaign in Bulgaria

In 1366 he led a campaign against the Ottomans and the Bulgarians on the western Black Sea coast . In the same year he took the cities of Sosopolis , Mesembrija , Skafida , Anchialo and ordered the destruction of the latter. He failed in the attempt to capture Varna and then made peace with the Bulgarian ruler Ivan Alexander and the despot Dobrotitsa . He was able to free the Byzantine emperor Johannes Palaiologos , his cousin, who had called him to help, from Bulgarian captivity. In 1367 he defeated the Ottomans at Gallipoli .

He mediated between Milan and the House of Montferrat (1379) and between Venice and Genoa after the Chioggia War (1381).

Statue of "the green earl" in Turin

Amadeus was the first sovereign to introduce a system of free legal advice for the poor. The count's administration was reorganized. In 1362 he donated an order of collar for his knighthood . He was very wealthy and was considered one of the greatest princes of his century. He supported Ludwig, Duke of Anjou, in his claim to Naples and died of the plague during his campaign .

literature

• Marie José: The House of Savoy. From the origins to the red count. Pro Castellione Foundation, Niedergesteln 1994.

Web links

• Bernard Andenmatten: Savoy, Amadeus VI. from. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .

predecessor	Office	successor
Aymon	Count of Savoy 1343–1383	Amadeus VII