Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
Charles Emmanuel I (Italian: Carlo Emanuele di Savoia; 12 January 1562 – 26 July 1630), known as the Great, was the Duke of Savoy and ruler of the Savoyard states from 30 August 1580 until his death almost 50 years later in 1630, he was the longest reigning Savoyard monarch at the time, only for his record to be surpassed by his great-grandson, Victor Amadeus II. He was nicknamed Testa d'feu (lit. 'Hothead', in context "the Hot-Headed") for his rashness and military aggression.
Charles Emmanuel I
30 August 1580 – 26 July 1630
12 January 1562
Castle of Rivoli, Rivoli, Duchy of Savoy
26 July 1630 (aged 68)
Savigliano, Duchy of Savoy
Being ambitious and confident, Charles pursued a policy of expansion for his duchy, seeking to expand it into a kingdom.
In 1585, Charles married Catherine Michaela of Spain, daughter of Philip II of Spain and Elizabeth of Valois. They had:
In Riva di Chieri on 28 November 1629, he secretly married his long-time and official mistress, Marguerite de Rossillon, Marchesa di Riva di Chieri (bap. 24 December 1599 – 10 November 1640), with whom he had four children, legitimised after the wedding but without succession rights:
In addition, he had several illegitimate children:
— With Luisa de Duyn Maréchal, daughter of Jean-Marie de Duyn, called Maréchal, baron of Val d'Isère:
— With Virginia Pallavicino:
— With Argentina Provana, daughter of Giovanni Francesco Provana, count of Bussoleno and Collegno, and Anna Maria Grimaldi:
— With Anna Felizità Cusani:
— With unknown mistress:
Legacy[edit]
Charles Emmanuel's military campaigns ignited Italian nationalism and patriotism.
Alessandro Tassoni took up the defence of Charles Emmanuel. In quick succession he published anonymously two Filippiche addressed to the Italian nobility. He exhorted the nobles to discard their lethargy, unite and instead of fighting each other, join Savoy in ridding Italy of Spanish hegemony.[7]
At about the same time that Tassoni was inspired to write the Filippiche, Fulvio Testi, a young poet at the court of the duke of Este, published a collection of poems dedicated to Charles Emmanuel. Not all the poems were of a patriotic nature, but those that were, clearly revealed the feelings Charles Emmanuel had stirred in freedom-loving Italians.[7]
More than fifty years later Vittorio Siri still reminisced that “all Italy broke forth with pen and tongue in praises and panegyrics at the name of Carlo Emanuele, and in demonstrations of joy and applause that he had revived . . . the ancient Latin valor, wishing that he . . . [might] one day become the redeemer of Italy's freedom and the restorer of its greatness.”[8]