Amadeus III of Savoy
|
|
Amadeus III of Savoy (1095-1148) was Count of Savoy and Maurienne from 1103 until his death.
He was the son of Humbert II of Savoy and Gisela of Burgundy, daughter of William I of Burgundy, and succeeded as count on the death of his father. Amadeus had a tendency to exaggerate his titles, and also claimed to be duke of Lombardy, duke of Burgundy, duke of Chablais, and vicar of the Holy Roman Empire, the latter of which had been given to his father by Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
He helped restore the Abbey of St. Maurice of Augane, in which the former kings of Burgundy had been crowned, and of which he himself was abbott until 1147. He also founded the Abbey of St. Sulpicius in Bugey, the Abbey of Tamié in the Bauges, and the Abbey of Hautecombe on the Lac du Bourget.
He had no children with his first wife Adelaide. In 1123 he married Mahaut (or Mafalda, or Matilda) of Albon, the sister of Guy IV of Dauphinois, with whom he had 10 children:
- Elisa of Savoy (1120-?) married Humberto of Beaujeu
- Mafalda (Mahaut), (b. 1125 - d. 1158), married Alfonso I of Portugal
- Agnes of Savoy (1125-1172), married William I, Count of Geneva
- Humbert III (1136-1188)
- John of Savoy
- Peter of Savoy
- William of Savoy
- Margaret of Savoy (died 1157)
- Isabella of Savoy
- Juliana of Savoy (died 1194), abbess of St. André-le-Haut
In 1128, Amadeus extended his realm, known as the "Old Chablais", by adding to it the region extending from the Arve to the Dranse d'Abondance, which came to be called the "New Chablais" with its capital at St. Moritz. Despite his marriage to Mahaut, he still fought against his brother-in-law Guy, who was killed at the Battle of Montmeillan. Following this, king Louis VI of France, married to Amadeus' sister Adélaide de Maurienne, attempted to confiscate Savoy. Amadeus was saved by the intercession of Peter the Hermit, and by his promise to participate in Louis' planned crusade.
In 1147, he accompanied his nephew Louis VII of France and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine on the Second Crusade. He financed his expedition with help from a loan from the Abbey of St. Maurice. In his retinue were many barons from Savoy, including the lords of Faucigny, Seyssel, La Chambre, Miolans, Montbel, Thoire, Montmayeur, Vienne, Viry, La Palude, Blonay, Chevron-Villette, Chignin, and Châtillon. Amadeus travelled south through Italy to Brindisi, where he crossed over to Durazzo, and marched east along the Via Egnatia to meet Louis at Constantinople in late 1147. After crossing into Anatolia, Amadeus, who was leading the vanguard, became separated from Louis near Laodicea, and Louis' forces were almost entirely destroyed.
Marching on to Adalia, Louis, Amadeus, and other barons decided to continue to Antioch by ship. On the journey, Amadeus fell ill on Cyprus, and died at Nicosia in April of 1148. He was buried in the Church of St. Croix in Nicosia. In Savoy, his son Humbert III succeeded him, under the regency of bishop Amadeus of Lausanne.
| Preceded by: Humbert II | Count of Savoy | Succeeded by: Humbert III |