Members of the House Of Savoy

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Updated June 9, 2017 156 items

List of the members of the House of Savoy, listed alphabetically with photos when available. This list includes the names of each famous person in the House of Savoy, along with information like where each person was born. If you're doing research on historic members of the House of Savoy, then this list is the perfect jumping off point for finding out which notable people are included. The House of Savoy has held prominence in the world dating back many years, so it's no wonder that many people have a fascination with its members. While this is not an exact family tree, it does show a list of many popular members of the House of Savoy.

This is a list that features family members like Umberto I of Italy and Clotilde, Princess of Venice and Piedmont.

The information on this page of prominent House of Savoy members can help answer the questions, “Who was in the House of Savoy?” and "Who is part of the House of Savoy?
  • Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
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    Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy

    Emmanuel Philibert (in Italian: Emanuele Filiberto or Testa di ferro, Piedmontese: Testa 'd fer, "Ironhead", because of his military career; 8 July 1528 – 30 August 1580) was Duke of Savoy from 1553 to 1580, KG. He is remembered for the Italianization of the House of Savoy, as he recovered the savoyard state (invaded and occupied by France when he was a child) following the Battle of St. Quentin (1557) and subsequently moved the capital to Turin and made Italian the official language in Piedmont. Born in Chambéry, Emmanuel Philibert was the only child of Charles III, Duke of Savoy, and Beatrice of Portugal to reach adulthood. His mother was sister-in-law to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and the future duke served in Charles's army during the war against Francis I of France, distinguishing himself by capturing Hesdin in July 1553. A month later, he became Duke of Savoy on the death of his father, but this was a nearly empty honour, as the vast majority of his hereditary lands had been occupied and administered by the French since 1536. Instead, he continued to serve the Habsburgs in hopes of recovering his lands, and served his cousin Philip II of Spain as Governor of the Netherlands from 1555 to 1559.In this capacity he personally led the Spanish invasion of northern France and won a brilliant victory at Saint-Quentin on 10 August 1557. He was also a suitor to Lady Elizabeth Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII of England. With the Peace of Cateau Cambrésis between France and Spain signed in 1559, the duchy was restored to Emmanuel Philibert and he married his first cousin once removed, Margaret of France, Duchess of Berry, the sister of King Henry II of France. Their only child was Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy. Following the death of his uncle, Henry I of Portugal, on 31 January 1580, Emmanuel Philibert fought to impose his rights as a claimant to the Portuguese throne. However, he soon realised that he had quite a fragile position due to the claims of Philip II, who gained control of the country, thus uniting Spain and Portugal. Emmanuel Philibert spent his rule regaining what had been lost in the costly wars with France. A skilled political strategist, he took advantage of various squabbles in Europe to slowly regain territory from both the French and the Spanish, including the city of Turin. He also purchased two territories. Internally, he moved the capital of the duchy from Chambéry to Turin and replaced Latin as the duchy's official language with Italian. He was attempting to acquire the marquisate of Saluzzo when he died in Turin. Later, he was buried in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud of the Turin Cathedral, to which he had moved the Sindone in 1578.
  • Antipope Felix V
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    Antipope Felix V

    Amadeus VIII (4 September 1383 – 7 January 1451) was a Savoyard nobleman, the son of Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy and Bonne of Berry. He was surnamed the Peaceful. After the death of his father in 1391, his mother acted as a regent, because of his youth. He was an antipope of the Catholic Church from 1439 to 1449 as Felix V, in opposition to Popes Eugene IV and Nicholas V.
  • Francis Hyacinth, Duke of Savoy
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    Francis Hyacinth, Duke of Savoy

    Francis Hyacinth (Italian: Francesco Giacinto; 14 September 1632 – 4 October 1638) was the Duke of Savoy from 1637 to 1638 under regency of his mother Christine Marie.
  • Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy

    Amadeus VI (4 January 1334, Chambéry – 1 March 1383, Campobasso), nicknamed the Green Count (Italian: Il Conte Verde) was Count of Savoy from 1343 to 1383. He was the eldest son of Aymon, Count of Savoy and Yolande Palaeologo of Montferrat. Though he started under a regency, he showed himself to be a forceful leader, continuing Savoy's emergence as a power in Europe politically and militarily. He participated in a crusade against the Turks who were moving into Europe.
  • Thomas I, Count of Savoy
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    Thomas I, Count of Savoy

    Thomas (Tommaso I; 1178 – 1 March 1233) was Count of Savoy from 1189 to 1233. He is sometimes numbered "Thomas I" to distinguish him from his son of the same name, who governed Savoy but was not count. Thomas was born in Aiguebelle, the son of Humbert III of Savoy and Beatrice of Viennois. His birth was seen as miraculous; his monkish father had despaired of having a male heir after three wives. Count Humbert sought counsel from St. Anthelm, who blessed Humbert three times, and it was seen as a prophecy come true when Thomas was born shortly before Anthelm himself died on 26 June 1178. He was named in honour of Saint Thomas Becket. Thomas was still a minor when his father died on 4 March 1189, and a council of regency was established, composed of his mother Beatrice, his father's cousin Boniface I of Montferrat, and the Bishop of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. He had reached his majority by August 1191. Thomas possessed the martial abilities, energy, and brilliance that his father lacked, and Savoy enjoyed a golden age under his leadership. Despite his youth he began the push northwest into new territories. In the same year he granted Aosta Valley the "Charte des Franchises", recognising the right to administrative and political autonomy. This right was maintained until the eve of the French Revolution. Later he conquered Vaud, Bugey, and Carignano. He supported the Hohenstaufens, and was known as "Thomas the Ghibelline" because of his career as Imperial Vicar of Lombardy.
  • Eugene Maurice of Savoy-Carignano, Count of Soissons
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    Eugene Maurice of Savoy-Carignano, Count of Soissons

    Eugene Maurice of Savoy (French: Eugène Maurice de Savoie; 2 March 1635 – 6 June 1673) was an Italian-French general and nobleman. A count of Soissons, he was the father of imperial field-marshal Prince Eugene of Savoy.
  • Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
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    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 from 1580 to 1630. He was nicknamed Testa d'feu ("the Hot-Headed") for his rashness and military aggression.
  • Philibert I, Duke of Savoy
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    Philibert I, Duke of Savoy

    Philibert I (17 August 1465, Chambéry – 22 September 1482), surnamed the Hunter, was the son of Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy and Yolande of Valois. Philibert was Duke of Savoy from 1472 to 1482. After his father's death in 1472, his mother became regent. He married in 1476 to his cousin Bianca Maria Sforza and had no children. Therefore, his duchy was inherited by his younger brother Charles after he died from tuberculosis at the age of just 17.
  • Anne Marie d'Orléans
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    Anne Marie d'Orléans

    Anne Marie d'Orléans (27 August 1669 – 26 August 1728) was the first Queen consort of Sardinia by marriage to Victor Amadeus II of Savoy. She served as regent of Savoy during the absence of her spouse in 1686 and during the War of the Spanish Succession. She is also an important figure in British history (see Jacobite Succession below).
  • Charles III, Duke of Savoy
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    Charles III, Duke of Savoy

    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.
  • Umberto I, Count of Savoy

    Humbert I (Italian: Umberto I; c. 980 – 1042 or 1047 x 1048), better known as Humbert the White-Handed (French: Humbert aux blanches-mains) or Humbert Whitehand (Italian: Umberto Biancamano) was the founder of the House of Savoy. Of obscure origins, his service to the German emperors Henry II and Conrad II was rewarded with the counties of Maurienne and Aosta and lands in Valais, all at the expense of local bishops and archbishops; the territory came to be known as the county of Savoy.
  • Charles I, Duke of Savoy
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    Charles I, Duke of Savoy

    Charles I (28 March 1468 Carignano, Piedmont – 13 March 1490 Pinerolo), surnamed the Warrior, was the Duke of Savoy from 1482 to 1490 and titular king of Cyprus, Jerusalem, and Armenia from 1485 to 1490. He was son of Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy and Yolande of Valois, daughter of king Charles VII of France. Charles was related in two ways to the childless Queen Charlotte of Cyprus, titular Queen of Armenia and Jerusalem. Not only was she his father Amadeus' first cousin, in such a way that her rights would naturally descend to this line, but also she was the widow of Charles's paternal uncle Louis of Savoy, Count of Geneva (d. 1482). Charlotte however was without a kingdom, having been exiled in the 1460s from her own legitimate kingdom of Cyprus by her illegitimate half-brother. This double relationship would serve Charles well, as in 1485, when he was 17, she surrendered her rights in Cyprus, Armenia, and Jerusalem to young Charles, her next legitimate heir in line from King Janus of Cyprus and Armenia. The kingdom itself was held by the republic of Venice, but the Savoy dynasty continued to claim it.
  • Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy
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    Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy

    Victor Amadeus I (Italian: Vittorio Amedeo I di Savoia; 8 May 1587 – 7 October 1637) was the Duke of Savoy from 1630 to 1637. He was also known as the Lion of Susa.
  • Elena of Montenegro
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    Elena of Montenegro

    Princess Elena of Montenegro, or more commonly known as Queen Elena of Italy (Montenegrin: Jelena Petrović Njegoš; 8 January 1871 – 28 November 1952) was the daughter of King Nicholas I of Montenegro and his wife, Milena Vukotić. As wife of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, she was Queen of Italy from 1900 until 1946, Empress consort of Ethiopia from 1936 until 1941 and Queen consort of the Albanians from 1939 until 1943.
  • Prince Vittorio Emanuele, Count of Turin
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    Prince Vittorio Emanuele, Count of Turin

    Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy-Aosta, Infante of Spain, Count of Turin (24 November 1870 – 10 October 1946) was a grandchild of King Victor Emmanuel II and a member of the House of Savoy. He was a cousin of Victor Emmanuel III.
  • Prince Thomas, Duke of Genoa
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    Prince Thomas, Duke of Genoa

    Prince Tommaso of Savoy, 2nd Duke of Genoa (Tommaso Alberto Vittorio; 6 February 1854 – 15 April 1931), also known as Thomas Albert Victor of Savoy, was an Italian royal prince, nephew of the King of Sardinia, who on 18 February 1861 became the first King of a united Italy. His cousin and brother-in-law Umberto I and his nephew Victor Emmanuel III became subsequent kings of Italy.
  • Peter II, Count of Savoy
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    Peter II, Count of Savoy

    Peter II (1203 – 15 May 1268), called the Little Charlemagne, held the Honour of Richmond, Yorkshire (but not the Earldom) from April 1240 until his death and was Count of Savoy from 1263 until his death. He built the Savoy Palace in London.
  • Victor Amadeus I, Prince of Carignan
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    Victor Amadeus I, Prince of Carignan

    Victor Amadeus of Savoy (1 March 1690 – 4 April 1741) was an Italian nobleman who was Prince of Carignano from 1709 to 1741. He was the son of Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, Prince of Carignano and his wife, the Maria Angela Caterina d'Este.
  • Maria Beatrice of Savoy

    Maria Beatrice of Savoy (Maria Beatrice Vittoria Giuseppina; 6 December 1792 – 15 September 1840) was a Princess of Savoy and Duchess of Modena by marriage.
  • Philibert II, Duke of Savoy
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    Philibert II, Duke of Savoy

    Philibert II (10 April 1480 – 10 September 1504), nicknamed the Handsome or the Good, was the Duke of Savoy from 1497 until his death.
  • Maria Angela Caterina d'Este

    Maria Angela Caterina d'Este (1 March 1656 – 16 July 1722) was an Italian born Princess of Modena who was later the Princess of Carignano by marriage. She was the wife of Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy, Prince of Carignano. In France she was known as Angélique Catherine d'Este and in Modena and Savoy she was known as Maria Caterina d'Este. She is an ancestor of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy and thus the whole present pretending Italian Royal Family. She is also an ancestor of the pretender of France.
  • Louise of Savoy
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    Louise of Savoy

    Louise of Savoy (11 September 1476 – 22 September 1531) was a French noble and regent, Duchess suo jure of Auvergne and Bourbon, Duchess of Nemours, and the mother of King Francis I. She was politically active and served as the regent of France in 1515, in 1525–1526 and in 1529.
  • Emmanuel Philibert, Prince of Carignano
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    Emmanuel Philibert, Prince of Carignano

    Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy (20 August 1628 – 23 April 1709), Prince of Carignano, was the son and heir of Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano. He constructed the Palazzo Carignano in Turin.
  • Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa
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    Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa

    Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa may refer to: Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa (1822–1855) Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa (1884–1963)
  • Prince Umberto, Count of Salemi
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    Prince Umberto, Count of Salemi

    Prince Umberto of Savoy (22 June 1889 – 19 October 1918) was a member of the Aosta branch of the House of Savoy and was styled the Count of Salemi.
  • Mary of Burgundy, Duchess of Savoy

    Mary of Burgundy (French: Marie de Bourgogne; 1386–1428) was a Duchess of Savoy by her marriage to Amadeus VIII of Savoy, later known as Antipope Felix V.
  • Humbert III, Count of Savoy
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    Humbert III, Count of Savoy

    Humbert III (1136, Avigliana, Piedmont – 4 March 1188, Chambéry, Savoy), surnamed the Blessed, was Count of Savoy from 1148 to 1188. His parents were Amadeus III of Savoy and Mathilde d'Albon the daughter of Guigues III of Albon. He ceded rights and benefits to monasteries and played a decisive role in the organization of Hautecombe Abbey. It is said that he would rather have been monk than a sovereign. On the death of his third wife he retired to Hautecombe, but then changed his mind and, by his fourth wife finally had son, Thomas. He sided with the Guelph party of Pope Alexander III against the Ghibelline Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. The result was an invasion of his states twice: in 1174 Susa was set on fire, and in 1187 Henry VI banished him from the empire and wrested away most of his domains, of which he was left only with the valleys of Susa and Aosta. He died at Chambéry in 1189. He was the first prince buried at Hautecombe. His memorial day is March 4.
  • Umberto II, Count of Savoy
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    Umberto II, Count of Savoy

    Umberto II, nicknamed the Fat (1065, Carignano, Piedmont – 19 October 1103,), was Count of Savoy from 1080 until his death in 1103. He was the son of Amadeus II of Savoy. He was married to Gisela of Burgundy, daughter of William I, Count of Burgundy, and had 7 children: Amadeus III of Savoy William, Bishop of Liège Adelaide, (d. 1154), married to Louis VI of France Agnes, (d. 1127), married to Archimbald VI, lord of Bourbon Umberto Reginald Guy, abbey of Namur
  • Maria Vittoria of Savoy
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    Maria Vittoria of Savoy

    Maria Vittoria of Savoy (Maria Vittoria Francesca; 9 February 1690 – 8 July 1766) was a legitimated daughter of Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia, first king of the House of Savoy. Married to the head of a cadet branch of the House of Savoy, she is an ancestor of the kings of Sardinia and of the Savoy kings of Italy.
  • Antipope Clement VII

    Robert of Geneva (French: Robert de Genève) (1342 – 16 September 1394) was elected to the papacy as Clement VII (French: Clément VII) by the French cardinals who opposed Urban VI, and was the first antipope residing in Avignon, France. His election led to the Western Schism. The son of Amadeus III, Count of Geneva, Robert became Archbishop of Cambrai and was made a cardinal in 1371. As legate, during the War of the Eight Saints, he is said to have authorized the massacre of over 2,000 civilians at Cesena in 1377. He was elected pope the following year by the French cardinals and established himself at Avignon.