Amadeus IX of Savoy
| Amadeus IX | |
|---|---|
Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy
|
|
| Duke of Savoy | |
| Reign | 29 January 1465 – 30 March 1472 |
| Predecessor | Louis, Duke of Savoy |
| Successor | Philibert I, Duke of Savoy |
| Born |
1 February 1435 Thonon-les-Bains |
| Died | 30 March 1472 (aged 37) |
| Spouse | Yolande of Valois |
| Issue |
Anne Maria Blessed Louise Filiberto Carlo |
| House | House of Savoy |
| Father | Louis, Duke of Savoy |
| Mother | Anne de Lusignan |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
The Blessed Amadeus IX (1 February 1435 – 30 March 1472), nicknamed the Happy, was the Duke of Savoy from 1465 to 1472. The Catholic Church venerates him with a liturgical feast on March 30.
He was born at Thonon-les-Bains, the son of Louis, Duke of Savoy, and Anne de Lusignan, daughter of Janus of Cyprus, King of Cyprus. In 1452, his mother arranged a political marriage to Yolande of Valois (1434–1478), sister of Louis XI of France and daughter of Charles VII of France. Because of his epilepsy and retirement, she was left in control of the state. France and the Holy Roman Empire competed to gain control of Savoy’s strategically important Alpine passes and trade routes. French influence increased in Savoy and involved the country in the wars between France and the emperors. The Castle of Moncalleri in Piedmont, Italy was initially built around 1100 as a fortress on a hill, to command the main southern access to Turin. In the mid-15th century Yolanda turned it into a Renaissance Royal Palace.
Amadeus was a particular protector of Franciscan friars and endowed other religious houses as well as homes for the care of the poor and suffering. He made a pilgrimage to Saint-Claude in 1471. Amadeus died in 1472.
Amadeus IX had 10 children with Yolande of Valois:
His daughter, Louise, became a nun of the Franciscan Second Order after being widowed at a young age. She was also beatified.
A painting of Amadeus, made in 1474 was housed in the Dominican church in Turin and acquired a miraculous reputation. In 1612 a brief text was published in the same city, by Girolamo Cordieri, canon of the cathedral chapter of Mondovi, extolling the holy Amadeus. Cordieri was later appointed theologian to Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy. Also that year, a canon from Vercelli published a compendium of miracles attributed to the intercession of Amadeus IX. The cultus of Amadeus was actively promoted by Charles Emanuel's son, Prince Maurice of Savoy, Cardinal of Vercelli.
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Wikipedia