Charles III, Duke of Savoy

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Charles III
Philip ΙΙ the Landless
MotherClaudine de Brosse
ReligionCatholic Church

Charles III of Savoy (10 October 1486 – 17 August 1553), often called Charles the Good, was

Duke of Savoy
from 1504 to 1553, although most of his lands were ruled by the French between 1536 and his death.

Biography

He was a younger son of

Charles I of Savoy
, the Warrior, his first cousin.

Coat of Arms of the Dukes of Savoy

However, when he was ten years old, his father unexpectedly succeeded his grandnephew

Charles II of Savoy as duke and head of the Savoy dynasty, which had now also received the titles of the kingdoms of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia. However, Charles's father was not the heir general of the deceased duke, only the male heir. Jerusalem, Cyprus and certain other claims and possessions could go to a different heir, and they did, in principle, going to Charles II's sister Yolande Louise. Charles's father was not ready to relinquish those, and he took such titles to his own titulary, staking a claim. He also had Yolande marry his son, Philibert the Handsome
, in 1496, to ensure the male line of succession.

In 1497, Charles's half-brother Philibert succeeded their father as Duke of Savoy, etc. Philibert however died childless in 1504, surprisingly, and now Charles succeeded, at age eighteen.

Charles faced down challenges to his authority, including from Philibert Berthelier.[1]

After Yolande's death in 1499, the de jure rights of Jerusalem and Cyprus were lost to the Savoy family. Charles however, as some sort of heir-male, took those titles, which his successors also used. In 1713, Charles's great-great-great-grandson

House of La Trémoille
, the French lords of La Tremoille, Princes of Talmond and Taranto.

In response to the riots between Catholic and Protestants within Geneva, Charles launched a surprise attack in July 1534, but his army was beaten back.[2] A second siege in October 1535 was attempted, and again Charles's army was defeated when forces from Berne arrived to assist Geneva.[2] Charles was allied with the Habsburg camp in Western European politics, where Francis I of France and Emperor Charles V battled for ascendancy. France invaded Savoy in 1536, and held almost all of Charles's possessions.[3] He spent the rest of his life practically in exile, at the mercy of relatives. He died in 1553 and was succeeded by his only surviving child, Emanuele Filiberto.

He was the duke who imprisoned François Bonivard, the "prisoner of Chillon" in 1530.

Issue

Carlo III later in life, circa 17th century

Charles married the rich, beautiful and ambitious Infanta

Beatrice of Portugal (1504–1538), daughter of the richest monarch in Europe at the time, Manuel I of Portugal, and Maria of Aragon. Beatrice was both first cousin and sister-in-law of Emperor Charles V. They had nine children, but only one child, Emmanuel Philibert
, would reach adulthood:

Ancestors

References

  1. ^ Philibert Berthelier.
  2. ^ a b John Roger Paas, The German Political Broadsheet, 1600–1700: 1600–1615, (Otto Harrassowitz, 1985), 67.
  3. ^ Michael Mallett and Christine Shaw, The Italian Wars, 1494–1559, (Pearson Educational Limited, 2012), 230-231.
Charles III, Duke of Savoy
Born: 10 October 1486 Died: 17 August 1553
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Duke of Savoy

1504–1553 		Succeeded by

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