Ludwig II (Saluzzo)
Ludwig II of Saluzzo ( it. Ludovico II. Del Vasto , born March 23, 1438 in Saluzzo ; † January 27, 1504 in Genoa ) was a Piedmontese nobleman, Margrave of Saluzzo from 1475 to 1504 and a declared opponent of Duke Charles I. of Savoy .
biography
Margrave of Saluzzo
Ludwig II of Saluzzo is a son of Ludwig I of Saluzzo and Isabella Palaiologo de Monferrato (1419–1475). He was Count of Carmagnola until his father died on April 8, 1475 and he followed him as Margrave of Saluzzo.
The cautious fatherly policy of neutrality was abandoned by him in 1478 with a costly campaign against Charles I of Savoy - the margraviate began to decline. Between 1478 and March 1490 Saluzzo was temporarily annexed by Savoy. After the death of Charles I, the margravate Ludwig II was returned, but its importance was lost. During this time, Ludwig lived as a condottiere and in 1480 set up the mint of Carmagnola as a patron , in which gold ducats were minted with his portrait.
military
Due to his proximity to France, he was appointed governor of Provence in 1487 and was still in office at the end of October 1489. Half a year later he got his margraviate back.
The rest of his life he was involved in the beginning of the Italian Wars . In 1495, when the French King Charles VIII invaded Italy, he joined him and fought with him on July 6th in the Battle of Fornovo . When Louis XII. attacked and conquered the duchy of Milan (1499), followed by Ludwig II of Saluzzo, the following year he was appointed governor of Asti and included in the Ordre de Saint-Michel . Thereafter, the conflict with Spain over the Kingdom of Naples was drawn into, which in 1503 led to his appointment as the French viceroy of Naples . However, the spending of these two wars left Saluzzo on the brink and jeopardized any attempts at economic recovery.
marriage and family
Ludwig II married his cousin Giovanna Palaiologa di Monferrato, daughter of Margrave Wilhelm VIII of Monferrat and Elisabeth Sforza, who died in 1490 and left him a daughter, Margarete, in his first marriage in 1481. In 1492 he married Marguerite de Foix-Candale (1473-1536), daughter of Jean IV. De Foix-Grailly and Margarete Kerdeston , the sister of Gaston II. De Foix-Candale . The couple had five sons:
- Michael Anton Ludwig (1495–1528), 1504 Margrave of Saluzzo
- Johann Ludwig (1496–1563), Margrave of Saluzzo in 1528, expelled and deposed
- Franz (1498–1539), 1529 Margrave of Saluzzo, deposed in 1537
- Adrian (1499–1501)
- Gabriel (1501–1548), last Margrave of Saluzzo from 1537–1543, expelled and captured
Ludwig II died on January 27, 1504 in Genoa, his underage eldest son followed him as margrave, his widow Marguerite de Foix-Candale took over the reign, which she exercised until 1526. He was buried in the church of San Giovanni in Saluzzo.
Buildings
Two buildings are known of him:
- the cathedral Maria Vergine Assunta of Saluzzo (1491–1501)
- the Buco di Viso tunnel (1479–1480), a 75 m long tunnel in the Cottian Alps connecting France and Italy ; it is considered to be the oldest traffic tunnel in the Alps.
literature
- Delfino Muletti, Carlo Muletti, Memorie storico-diplomatiche appartenenti alla città ed ai marchesi di Saluzzo , volume 5, 14th book, (1475–1504), Domenico Lobetti-Bodoni Saluzzo 1883.
- Anthony Stokvis, Manuel d'histoire, de généalogie et de chronologie de tous les États du globe, depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à nos jours , préf. HF Wijnman, Brill , Leiden 1890-1893, new edition 1966, Volume 3, Chapter 12, § 11 Saluces and Tafle No. 16, pp. 731-732
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ludwig II of Saluzzo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ludovico II del Vasto |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Margrave of Saluzzo, Governor of Provence |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 23, 1438 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Saluzzo |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 27, 1504 |
| Place of death | Genoa |