This article is about the specific polity Duchy of Savoy and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
Was a county, and later a duchy, of the Holy Roman Empire which emerged from the collapse of the Burgundian Kingdom in the 11th century. It was ruled by the House of Savoy.
Establishment
January 1417: County of Savoy raised to a duchy.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Expansion during the rule of Amadeus VIII in the County of Savoy.
January 1418: On the death of Louis II of Provence in 1417, Barcelonnette reverted to Savoy.
January 1419: The Duchy of Savoy conquers Fossano.
January 1437: The March of Monferrato reconquers Acqui.
Were a series of conflicts between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan and their respective allies, fought in four campaigns in a struggle for hegemony in Northern Italy.
2.1.Second Lombard War
Was the second of a series of conflicts between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan over the hegemony in Northern Italy.
January 1428: Visconti managed to be reconciled with Amadeus by ceding him Vercelli and marrying his daughter, Marie of Savoy.
2.2.Third Lombard War
Was the third of a series of conflicts between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan over the hegemony in Northern Italy.
June 1433: The Peace of Ferrara was signed in May 1433. The Marquisate of Monferrato, it became a satellite state of the Duchy of Savoy.
Was a conflict between the Burgundian State and the Old Swiss Confederacy and its allies.
May 1474: Following the Savoy defeat at the battle on the Planta, the bishop's army marched west conquering the Lower Valais as far as Saint-Maurice and capturing a total of 17 Savoyard castles.
June 1474: In the spring of 1475, Freiburg acquired the County of Illens an der Saane.
December 1474: At the end of October 1474, Bern occupied the dominion of Erlach on Lake Biel.
April 1476: In March 1476, after the victory of Grandson, the forces of Valais advanced and captured St Maurice, Évian, Thonon and Monthey.
July 1476: On July 25, 1476, the Peace of Freiburg ended the feud of Bern, Fribourg and Valais with the Duchy of Savoy. Duchess Jolanda, regent of Savoy for the underage Duke Philibert I, had to cede the lordships of Aigle and Erlach, and Illen's lordship in Freiburg. Murten, Grandson, Échallens and Orbe went to Freiburg and Bern as common dominions. The parts of Vaud occupied by Bern and Friborg also remained a pledge of the two cities until the payment of 50,000 guilders. The bishop of Sitten, Walter Supersaxo, who was allied with Bern, further annexed the governorate of St. Maurice in the Lower Valais, which was occupied by the Valais in 1475.
January 1477: Bern returned Vaud to the duchy of Savoy against a ransom of 50,000 guilders already in 1476.
January 1536: In the wake of the Swiss Reformation, Bern occupied Vaud and the city of Geneva in 1535.
Were a series of conflicts covering the period between 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The primary belligerents were the Valois kings of France, and their Habsburg opponents in the Holy Roman Empire and Spain.
4.1.Italian War of 1536-1538
Was one of the so-called Italian Wars. It was a conflict between King Francis I of France and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. The objective was to achieve control over territories in Northern Italy, in particular the Duchy of Milan.
April 1536: Philippe de Chabot, a French general, led his army into Piedmont in March 1536, and proceeded to capture Turin the following month.
September 1536: In 1536, the French troops, led by King Francis I, marched onto Southern Piedmont, capturing towns such as Turin and Pinerolo. This military occupation was part of the Italian War of 1536-1538, a conflict between France and the Holy Roman Empire for control over Italian territories.
4.1.1.Peace of Nice
Was the treaty that ended the Italian War of 1536-1538.
June 1538: The German Empire, under the rule of Emperor Charles V, becomes master of all of Milan and two-thirds of the Duchy of Savoy.
June 1538: The treaty of 1538, negotiated with the strong involvement of Pope Paul III, allowed France to keep its conquests of Bresse, Bugey, and a significant portion of Piedmont. This territory was ceded to the Duchy of Savoy as part of the agreement.
4.2.Italian War of 1551-1559
Was one of the so-called Italian Wars.
4.2.1.Land Campaigns (Italian War of 1551-1559)
Were the Land campaigns of the Italian War of 1551-1559.
January 1554: The Duchy of Savoy was occupied by the troops of Henry II, king of France.
4.2.2.Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis
Was the treaty that ended the Italian War of 1551-1559, the last of the Italian Wars (1494-1559).
April 1559: France gave the Duchy of Savoy-Piedmont (allied with Spain and fief of the Holy Roman Empire) back to Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy.
April 1559: In 1559, as part of the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis, France retained five fortresses in Northern Italy, including those near Turin, Saluzzo, and Pinerolo.
Was a war between the Kingdom of France and the Duchy of Savoy.
August 1600: In 1600, Marshal Charles of Gontaut-Biron, a French military leader, captured the city of Bourg-en-Bresse during the French Wars of Religion.
August 1600: In 1600, Marshal Charles of Gontaut-Biron, a French military leader, captured the city of Bourg-en-Bresse during the French Wars of Religion.
August 1600: In 1600, Marshal Lesdiguières, a French military leader, captured Montmélian from the Savoyards.
August 1600: The city of Chambéry opened its doors to King Henry IV of France in 1600.
August 1600: In 1600, Marshal Lesdiguières, a French military leader, reached Albertville during the military occupation of the territory by France.
August 1600: In 1600, Marshal Lesdiguières, a French military leader, reached Albertville during the military occupation of the territory by France.
August 1600: The siege of the castle of Conflans began in 1600, led by French military leader Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy. The garrison, commanded by Spanish military officer Don Juan de Velasco, surrendered two days later, resulting in the territory going under French military occupation.
August 1600: The defenders of the Castle of Miolans, led by the Duke of Nemours, surrendered to the French forces in 1600.
September 1600: The Bresse, the Bugey and the county of Gex fell into French hands, again by Biron; Biron subsequently occupied Poncin, Pont-d'Ain, Ambronay, Saint Denis-le-Chosson, Saint-Rambert, Belley, the Charterhouse of de Pierre-Châtel, the fort l'Écluse and Gex.
September 1600: The castle of Charbonnières fell during the French military occupation in 1600. This event marked the end of the resistance led by the local lord, François de la Châtre, against the French forces commanded by King Henry IV.
September 1600: Lesdiguières was a French military leader who led the conquest of Val Moriana in 1600. The Moriana valley was a strategic location in the French Alps.
October 1600: Henry IV of France triumphantly entered Annecy.
January 1601: In 1600, French general Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy recalled his troops from the Maira valley and retreated back across the Alps. The territory was then taken over by the Duchy of Savoy.
January 1601: The fort of Acceglio was conquered after a bloody battle led by the French military commander, Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, in 1600.
January 1601: In 1600, the territories of San Damiano Macra, Cartignano, and Dronero were occupied by France.
January 1601: In 1600, during the War of the Mantuan Succession, the French forces under the command of Marshal Lesdiguières retreated to Porte in the Savoy region.
5.1.Treaty of Lyon (1601)
Was the treaty that ended the Franco-Savoyard War of 1600-1601.
January 1601: At the end of the Franco-Savoyard War (1600-1601) France left all the territories it had occupied militarly.
January 1601: The Treaty of Lyon in 1601 ended the war between France and Spain. As a result, Centallo, Demonte, Gresin, and Roccasparviera were ceded to the Duchy of Savoy, allowing them to regain control of the territories lost during the conflict.
January 1601: Henry IV of France bought Bresse, Bugey and Valromey, areas beyond the Alps that were difficult to control by the Savoy.
Was a war of succession from 1613 to 1617 over the Duchy of Montferrat in northwestern Italy.
December 1616: The Spanish army led by Pedro Álvarez de Toledo y Colonna conquered Vercelli after 2 months of siege.
September 1617: After a treaty was signed in Paris, Spanish and Savoiard forces left the regions occupied during the War of the Montferrat Sucession.
Were a series of wars in Europe (and the overseas possessions of European countries) the 16th, 17th and early 18th that started after the Protestant Reformation. Although the immediate causes of the wars were religious, the motives were complex and also included territorial ambitions.
7.1.Thirty Years' War
Was a war that took place mainly in central Europe between 1618 and 1648. The war began as a religious conflict between Catholics and Protestant in the Holy Roman Empire but then escalated into a conflict for the hegemony in Europe between Habsburg Spain and Austria, Sweden and France.
7.1.1.Thirty Years' War Minor Scenarios
A series of conflicts related to the Thirty Years' War.
7.1.1.1.War of the Mantuan Succession
Was a war over the succession of the Duchies of Mantua and Montferrat after the death of the last male heir of the House of Gonzaga.
June 1628: In the spring of 1628 the Savoy army occupied Trino, Alba and Moncalvo, the cities of Monferrato assigned to them by the Treaty of partition.
June 1628: Charles-Emmanuel laid siege to Casale, the capital of Montferrat, in 1628. This led to tensions and conflicts over territorial control in the region.
March 1629: In March 1629, the French forces led by King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu stormed barricades blocking the Pas de Suse, allowing them to lift the siege of Casale in the Duchy of Mantova. This marked a significant victory for the French in the ongoing conflict in Italy.
March 1629: Pinerolo conquered by france.
October 1630: On October 13, 1630, with the treaty of Regensburg, Ferdinand II (now under the threat of the Swedish invasion) and the French ambassadors agreed for the recognition of the succession of Charles of Nevers, the cession of Pinerolo and Casale to Spain and the French commitment not to enter into anti-Habsburg alliances.
April 1631: Peace of Cherasco on 6 April 1631: Ferdinand II recognized Charles of Nevers as the legitimate successor of Vincent II, who however had to cede to Victor Amadeus I, new duke of Savoy who succeeded his father after the latter's death, many lands of Monferrato (in particular Trino and Alba).
7.1.1.2.Invasion of Franche Comté (Ten Years War)
Was French invasion of modern-day Franche-Comté, at the time a possession of the Habsburg, during the Thirty Years' War.
February 1639: The Château de Joux was a fortress located in the Jura mountains of France. The lieutenant who commanded it was François de Joux, who was bribed by the Swedes to surrender the fortress in 1639.
7.1.2.First Genoese-Savoyard War
Was the theatre of war in Liguria during the Thirty Years' War.
November 1625: Albenga is occupied by the Duchy of Savoy.
January 1627: In 1626, the territory of Albenga returned to the Republic of Genoa.
7.1.3.Franco-Swedish Period
Was the fourth main period of the Thirty Years' War. It started with the intervention of the Kingdom of France.
7.1.3.1.Italian Front (Swedish period of the Thirty Years' War)
Was the north Italian front during the Franco-Swedish period of the Thirty Years' War.
September 1640: The French military leader Turenne captured the city of Turin, located in the Duchy of Savoy.
January 1641: In 1640, Savoy, ruled by Duke Charles Emmanuel II, fell under French military occupation.
7.1.4.Peace of Westphalia
Were a series of treaties that ended the Thirty Years' War. Catholics and Protestants were redefined as equal in the territories of the Holy Roman Empire. There were major territorial adjustments. In particular, France, Sweden and Brandenburg had major territorial gains, and several religious territories of the Holy Roman Empire were secularized.
October 1648: France retained the Bishoprics of Metz, Toul and Verdun near Lorraine, received the cities of the Décapole in Alsace (except for Strasbourg, the Bishopric of Strasbourg, and Mulhouse) and the city of Pignerol near the Spanish Duchy of Milan.
January 1649: Borders of the Duchy of Savoy at the end of the Thirty Years' War.
7.2.Nine Years' War
Was a conflict between France and the Grand Alliance, a coalition including the Holy Roman Empire, the Dutch Republic, England, Spain, and Savoy. It is considered the first war that saw fighting globally because battles occured in Europe, America, Africa and India.
7.2.1.Italian Theatre (Nine Years' War)
Was the Italian Theatre of the the Nine Years' War.
September 1690: While to the south in Piedmont, Nicolas Catinat led 12,000 men and soundly defeated Victor Amadeus at the Battle of Staffarda on 18 August. Catinat immediately took Saluzzo, followed by Savigliano, Fossano, and Susa.
January 1691: Lacking sufficient troops, and with sickness rife within his army, Catinat was obliged to withdraw back across the Alps for the winter.
January 1691: In 1690 Saint-Ruth took most of the Victor Amadeus II's exposed Duchy of Savoy, routing the Savoyard army in the process until only the great fortress of Montmélian remained in ducal hands.
January 1691: Carmagnola is conquered by France.
April 1691: Villefranche and Niche conquered by france.
July 1691: Carmagnola fell to French forces in June 1691.
January 1692: In 1691, during the Nine Years' War, the Allies led by Victor Amadeus II of Savoy and Prince Eugene of Savoy recaptured Carmagnola from the French forces. This victory was a significant turning point in the war in northern Italy.
7.2.1.1.Treaty of Turin
Was a treaty that ended the involvement of the Duchy of Savoy in the Nine Years' War.
August 1696: With the Treaty of Turin signed on 29 August 1696, Louis XIV returned Montmélian, Nice, Villefranche, Susa, and other small towns to Savoy. The French, concluding that the defence of Pinerolo was not possible, also agreed to hand back the stronghold on condition that its fortifications were demolished.
Was a short war fought between the Duchy of Savoy and the Republic of Genoa.
January 1673: Pieve di Teco conquered by Republic of Genoa.
January 1673: The Savoyards occupied Pieve di Teco.
The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Philip of Anjou and Charles of Austria, and their respective supporters. It was a global war, with fighting taking place in Europe, Asia, and America. At the end of the war, Philip II, who was the successor chosen by Charles II as a descendant of Charles' paternal half-sister Maria Theresa, became King of Spain and of its overseas empire. The Spanish possessions in Europe were partitioned between various European Monarchies.
9.1.Italian Theatre (War of Spanish Succession)
Was the theatre of war of the War of the Spanish Succession in Italy.
April 1704: From the beginning of 1704, French Marshal René de Froulay de Tessé had taken Savoy (with the exception of Montmélian).
July 1704: French military commander Louis d'Aubusson de la Feuillade occupied Susa in June.
August 1704: The Duke of Vendôme, Louis Joseph de Bourbon, was a French military commander who led the capture of Vercelli in July 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. This military occupation by France was part of their campaign in northern Italy against the Habsburg forces.
October 1704: Ivrea conquered by france.
May 1705: Fall of Verrua in April 1705.
May 1705: In April 1705 French officer La Feuillade occupied the County of Nice, including Nice itself (although the citadel was not captured until January 1706).
9.2.Treaty of Utrecht
Were a series of treaties to end the War of the Spanish Succession.
April 1713: In the Treaty of Utrecht Duke Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy was assigned Sicily with the relative royal title, as well as Casale and all of Monferrato, part of Lomellina and Valsesia.
April 1713: The viguerie of Barcelonnette (also comprising Saint-Martin and Entraunes) was reattached to France in 1713 as part of a territorial exchange with the Duchy of Savoy during the Treaties of Utrecht.
January 1458: The March of Monferrato conquers Santa Maria di Lucedio.
January 1465: The vassalage of Montferrato to Savoy ended in 1464.
January 1472: Count René retook Barcelonette for Provence in 1471.
January 1478: Based on Gustav Droysen's Map of the Holy Roman Empire in the XV century.
January 1487: The Duchy of Savoy submits Carmagnola.
January 1492: The March of Saluzzo conquers Carmagnola.
January 1501: Barcelonnette returned to Savoyard dominance by the start of the 16th century, by which point the County of Provence had become united with the Kingdom of France.
April 1531: Charles V of Habsburg gave the County of Asti as a gift to Beatrice of Portugal, wife of Charles II of Savoy. From that moment on the County of Asti followed the destinies of the House of Savoy.
January 1532: The fragmented marquisate of Ceva was eventually acquired by the French Duke of Orleans, and ultimately Savoy in 1531.
January 1537: Gruyere was a Savoyard fiefdom until 1536.
January 1537: Monthey is conquered by Valais.
January 1537: Conquest of Vaud by Bern in 1536.
January 1551: The Duchy of Savoy conquers Romagnano.
January 1560: The Duchy of Savoy conquers Cherasco.
January 1577: The Duchy of Savoy conquers Oneglia.
January 1582: The Tenda County is acquired by the Duchy of Savoy.
October 1588: Taking advantage of the unrest within the Kingdom of France, caused by the religious wars, Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy seized the Marquisat of Saluzzo, under the pretext of wanting to prevent the spread of Protestantism in Piedmont.
January 1589: The Duchy of Savoy conquers Carmagnola.
January 1614: The Duchy of Savoy conquers Crescentino.
January 1644: The Duchy of Savoy conquers Dolceacqua.
January 1692: Carmagnola returns under the rule of Duchy of Savoia.
January 1694: The countess of Desana and marquise of Crescentino Irene of Tournon, widow of Curzio Francesco and guardian of his children, sold it to the duke of Savoy Vittorio Amedeo II.
January 1708: The Duchy of Savoy conquers Alessandria.
January 1709: The Duchy of Savoy conquers the March of Monferrato.
January 1712: The Duchy of Savoy conquers San Benigno.
January 1714: Marquisate of Finale enfeoffed to the Republic of Genoa.
Disestablishment
January 1721: The Kingdom of Sardinia - after the War of the Spanish Succession - by virtue of the Treaty of London of 1718 and the Treaty of The Hague of 1720 passed, in that last year, to Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy, who associated the hereditary states of the formed by the Principality of Piedmont with the Duchy of Savoy, the County of Nice and Asti, the duchy of Aosta, the duchy of Monferrato, the lordship of Vercelli, the marquisate of Saluzzo and a part of the duchy of Milan (to these was added then the Duchy of Genoa, following the annexation of the Republic of Genoa decided by the Congress of Vienna). The denomination began to be used progressively to indicate all of the Savoy possessions even if formally the Kingdom of Sardinia continued to be limited to the island of the same name and be institutionally distinct from the so-called mainland states of the Savoy dynasty.
Selected Sources
Droysen, G. (1886): Historischer Handatlas, Bielefeld and Leipzig (Germany), pp. 34-35
Pitts, V. J. (2009): Henri IV of France: His Reign and Age, Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 228-229
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Duchy of Savoy
