Duchy of Savoy
The Duchy of Savoy (Italian: Ducato di Savoia; French: Duché de Savoie) was a territorial entity of the Savoyard state that existed from 1416 until 1847 and was a possession of the House of Savoy.
For the complex of all of the states ruled by the counts and dukes of Savoy, see Savoyard state. For the early history of Savoy before it was raised to a duchy, see County of Savoy and March of Turin.
Duchy of Savoy- Ducatus Sabaudiae (Latin)
- Ducà 'd Savòja (Piedmontese)
- Ducato di Savoia (Italian)
- Duché de Savoie (French)
- Ducato di Savouè (Arpitan)
- Ducatus Sabaudiae (Latin)
- Ducà 'd Savòja (Piedmontese)
- Ducato di Savoia (Italian)
- Duché de Savoie (French)
- Ducato di Savouè (Arpitan)
- De jure Imperial State of the Holy Roman Empire (until 1792)
- Core country of the Savoyard state
- Latin
- (official until the 15th century)
- French
- (official from the 15th century)
- Italian
- (official from 16th century)
- Francoprovençal
- (spoken)
Savoyard
1416
1536–59, 1630, 1690–96, 1703–13
11 April 1713
1720
1792–1814
1847
It was created when Emperor Sigismund, raised the County of Savoy into a duchy for Amadeus VIII. The duchy was an Imperial fief,[1][2][3][4] subject of the Holy Roman Empire, until 1792, with a vote in the Imperial Diet. From the 16th century, Savoy belonged to the Upper Rhenish Circle.
Its territory included the current French departments of Savoie, Haute-Savoie, and the Alpes-Maritimes, the current Italian region of Aosta Valley, a large part of Piedmont and the County of Geneva in Switzerland, which was then lost to the Old Swiss Confederacy.[5] The main Vulgar languages that were spoken within the Duchy of Savoy were Piedmontese and Arpitan.
Terminology[edit]
The Duchy of Savoy was the central and most prominent of the territories possessed by the House of Savoy, and hence this title was and still is used often to indicate the whole of their possessions.[6] In reality, the Savoys ruled not a unitary state, but a complex array of different entities and titles with different institutional, cultural, and legal backgrounds.[7] These included for example the Duchy of Aosta, Principality of Piedmont, and county of Nice, which were distinct and not juridically part of the Duchy of Savoy.[8][9][10] The Savoys themselves referred to their possessions as a whole as "the States of the Duke of Savoy" (Italian: "gli Stati del Duca di Savoia").[6] Today, historians use the term Savoyard state to indicate this entity, which is an example of composite monarchy where many different and distinct territories are united in a personal union by having the same ruler.[8][9][10]
History[edit]
15th century[edit]
The Duchy was created in 1416 when Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1433–1437) awarded the title of "Duke" to Count Amadeus VIII.[11][12][13]
Being landlocked at its conception in 1388, the then-County of Savoy acquired a few kilometres of coastline around Nice. Other than this expansion, the 14th century was generally a time of stagnation. Pressure from neighboring powers, particularly France, prevented development, which characterizes the rest of the Renaissance era for Savoy.
The reign of Amadeus VIII was a turning point for the economy and the policy of the state, which deeply marked the history of the nation. His long reign was highlighted by wars (the country expanded its territory by defeating the Duchy of Montferrat and Marquisate of Saluzzo), as well as reforms and edicts, and also some controversial actions. The first was in 1434, when he chose to withdraw to the Château de Ripaille, where, living the life of a hermit, he founded the Order of St. Maurice. In 1439, he received an appointment as antipope, which he accepted (under the name of Felix V), although he subsequently resigned a decade later out of a fear of undermining the religious unity of Christians.
Army[edit]
The duchy was a notable regional military power, often getting involved in wars between the French and Habsburgs. In the 17th century, peacetime strength tended to hover around 4,800 professional soldiers (3,600 infantry and 1,200 cavalry), with a large peasant militia. In times of war, militiamen were trained and impressed and mercenaries were hired, and the size of the army quickly rose. In 1625, the duchy had an army of 26,600 regulars (25,381 infantry and 1,213 cavalry), plus about 8,000 militia. The regulars consisted of 5 to 7 regiments of Piedmontese, with mercenaries comprising the rest, including 9 regiments of French and 2 regiments of Italians. In 1635 the regular army was down to 12,250, then 15,710 in 1637, 18,000 in 1649, then 5,500 in the peacetime year of 1660, then 26,178 in 1672, and 35,000 in 1705 (with 10,000 militia called up to bolster them and more uncalled).[17]
The militia was relatively well-armed and consisted of 24,000 men in 1566, of whom about a third could be used outside of their immediate district.[18]
Flag[edit]
The flag of Savoy was a white cross on a red field. It is based on a crusader flag, and as such is identical in origin to the flag of the Knights of Malta (whence the modern Flag of Malta and of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta), and others (flags of Denmark and Switzerland, with inverted colors to those of England and Genoa, among others). In the 18th century, the letters "FERT" were sometimes added in the cantons to distinguish the flag from the Maltese one.