Bernardino
di Savoia
Conte di Racconigi
(c. 1540–1605)
Other names: 'Il Monsignore di Racconigi'
Biographical
Conte di Racconigi 1582–1605†
Conte di Pancalieri 1582–1605†
Marchese di Tegerone jointly 1583–85,
solely 1585–99
Signore di Motturone 1599
Signore di Barge 1591
Signore di Cavour 1583
Signore di Villafranca 1583
Signore di Tegerone jointly 1582–85, sole 1585–99
Signore di Migliabruna 1582
Knight of the Order of the Holy Annunciation 1569 [Italy]
Captain of the Archers in the Ducal Guard 1564
In 1559, Bernardino was at Paris with his father and uncle, Claudio, for
the wedding of Emmanuel-Philibert of Savoy with Marguerite of Valois.
Afterwards, he was given a military command at Nice until 1560. Later
that year, he was at Rome and was received cordially by Cardinal Carlo
Borromeo who had been critical of his father's policy towards the Waldensians
(which Bernardino himself supported). After returning home in 1564, Bernardino
was appointed Captain of the Archers and commanded the palace guard. In
1566, he was sent to Hungary by the Duke of Savoy to lead the Savoyard
expeditionary force against the Ottomans, but some months later, he was
incapacitated due to an illness and was unable to participate. He remained
at Vienna until November 1566, and was then back at Turin in March 1567.
He was given the command of the Savoy contingent in 1571 sent to the siege
of Tunis, and by 1574, he had returned. He took a leading role at the
court of Prince Carlo Emanuele (future Duke Carlo Emanuele I) of which
he and other members of the Savoy Racconigi family soon had almost absolute
control. Bernardino's aunt, Maria de' Gondi, had been entrusted as governor
to the Prince, and after her death in 1580, Bernardino's wife, Isabelle
de Grillet, took over the role. When Prince Carlo Emanuele acted as regent
for his father, Bernardino, his father, Filippo, and his uncle, Claudio,
were all members of the Council assisting the Prince. After Prince Carlo
Emanuele succeeded his father, Bernardino and his wife continued to be
the favourites of the new duke, acting as his advisors and influencing
him. As a result, the French faction at court gradually became more prominent
than the Spanish one.
In 1582, Bernardino was invested with Racconigi and Migliabruna, as heir
of his father, and in 1583 was invested with Pancalieri and Cavour. That
year he was also invested with Tegerone jointly with his brother, Giovanni Battista,
by Charles Emmanuel, Duke of Savoy, and he was to become the sole fief
holder in 1585 (invested 1598) when his brother, Giovanni Battista, died.
Bernardino persuaded the duke to marry Princess Christina of Lorraine,
in an attempt to strengthen ties with France, but before accepting, the
duke requested support from France for various claims, particularly that
concerning Geneva, which he wished to possess. On his behalf, Bernardino
tried to take the city. With little support from France, the venture failed,
and Bernardino's position at the court was weakened, and soon collapsed.
In 1583, he left the court, and the Spanish party once again regained
power. Between 1584 and 1587, Bernardino lived in retirement at Racconigi.
He did not accompany the duke to Spain for his wedding to the Infanta
Catalina, unlike his two brothers, who contracted smallpox there and died.
He did make a few appearances at court for special events, but was mostly
absent. The death of the Infanta in 1597 changed Bernardino's position,
and he returned to court as part of the Regency Council, and governed
the country during the absence of the duke. He again enjoyed the trust
of the duke and received various positions and honours. In the duke's
will, Bernardino was appointed a member of the Regency Council for the
duke's son, Vittorio Amedeo, when he would assume the throne, but Bernardino
died before this took place.
Bernardino had ceded Tegerone to his niece, Paule Challant, in 1599. He
was the last male of this branch of the family, and after his death, Racconigi
passed to Thomas of Savoy.
Son of Filippo di Savoia and Paula Costa. He married Isabel Grillet in
1577.
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