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Amédée IV de Savoie
10th Comte de Savoie
(1197–1253)

Biographical

10th Comte de Savoie 1233–53†
Marchese di Susa 1233–53†
Marchese in Italia 1233–53†
Duc de Chablais 1238–53† (HRE)
Duca d'Aosta 1238–53† (HRE)
Comte de Chablais 1233–53†
Comte de Maurienne 1233–53†
Seigneur de Tarentaise 1233–53†
Seigneur de Bugey 1233–53†

Imperial Vicar of Lombardy
Imperial Vicar of Piemonte

Amédée followed his father's policy by keeping faithful to the emperor in his wars against the Lombard cities, and Frederick in return gave him the title of duke of Chablais, which province included also the Lower Valais as far as the river Morge, near Sion, where the ancestors of Amédée had already important possessions. But Amédée was merely the nominal lord of this extensive tract. His younger brother, Aymon, who in his father's lifetime had the 'utile dominium' of various castles and estates in the Chablais, assumed after his death an authority independent of the count his brother, and even bestowed the solemn investiture of the regalia, or sovereignty, upon the Lord Bishop of Sion, which had previously been given by the counts of Savoy. Aymon was supported by his brother Peter, who, on his part, made claims upon the Val d'Aosta. The two brothers, Peter and Aymon, actually invaded the valley of Aosta, but Amédée marched towards them with troops, and, after some fighting, peace was concluded at Chillon between the brothers in July, 1234, by which the Count of Savoy retained the Val d'Aosta, and Aymon kept the Chablais with both the fiefs and the allodial possessions in it, acknowledging however his brother the count as his lord. The various chatelains were made to take an oath of returning, after Aymon's death, to the allegiance of the count and his heirs. Peter obtained for his share two castles as fiefs from his brother. In 1242 Aymon died, and Chablais reverted to Amédée, but his brother Peter remained in actual possession of it. Before this, however, Amédée, by a solemn act made in the castle of Susa in 1235, gave in fief to Thomas, another of his brothers, who had remained attached to him in the war with the other two, all his rights and domains in Piedmont. He afterwards appointed him also his lieutenant-general over all his other dominions. In 1235 peace was concluded at Turin between the Count of Savoy on one side and the community and bishop of Turin and the community and abbot of Pinerolo on the other. The communities renewed their oath of allegiance to the count in the customary form, and the count surrendered his claims on Collegno, which he gave in fief to Turin, and the bishop in the same manner gave up Avigliana and Lanzo to the Count of Savoy. Amédée, and Thomas his brother, renounced all claims on Rivoli, and upon any other appurtenances of the church and town of Turin. The differences with Pinerolo were referred to umpires appointed by both parties. The count also promised to assist the Turinese with armed men at their request, and Turin and Pinerolo engaged to assist the count in any war on the Italian side of the mountains, except against Milan, Vercelli, Asti, and Alessandria. In 1238 Frederick II came to North Italy to carry on his war against Milan and the other Lombard cities. Turin, Vercelli, and other towns west of the Ticino paid allegiance to him, and Amédée sent his contingent to join the imperial army. Frederick, in return, gave him the investiture of the town and castle of Rivoli and other places. At the end of 1250, Amédée and his brother Thomas made their peace with Pope Innocent IV, who released them from the ecclesiastical censures which they had incurred by following an emperor who was excommunicated. Amédée's final will was dated 24 May 1253 naming his son, Boniface, his heir, with his brother Thomas as regent, and his daughter Beatrice, should Boniface have had no male issue. After his first wife's death, Amédée possibly married Marguerite de Viennois as his second wife, and then Cécile des Baux in 1244, although there is no strong evidence for this.

Place of birth: Montmélian
Place of death: Montmélian
Place of burial: Abbey of Hautecombe, Savoy

Son of Thomas I de Savoie and Béatrice de Géneve. He was married firstly to Marguerite of Burgundy, before 1221, with issue, and secondly to Cécile des Baux in 1244, with issue.

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