Amadeus III of Savoy (1095, Carignano

Carignano

Carignano is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 20 km south of Turin. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 8,777 and an area of 50.2 km².-Geography:...

, Piedmont

Piedmont

Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...

 - 1148) was Count of Savoy and Maurienne

Maurienne

Maurienne is one of the provinces of Savoy, corresponding to the arrondissement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in France. It is also the original name of the capital of the province, now Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.-Location:...

 from 1103 until his death. He was also known as the Crusader. http://www.savoydelegation-usa.org/history.asp?id=385

He was the son of Humbert II of Savoy

Humbert II of Savoy

Umberto II, surnamed the Fat , was Count of Savoy from 1080 until his death in 1103. He was the son of Amadeus II of Savoy....

 and Gisela of Burgundy

Gisela of Burgundy, Countess of Savoy

Gisela of Burgundy , was a Countess consort of Savoy and a Marchioness consort of Montferrat. She was the spouse of Humbert II Count of Savoy and later of Rainier I of Montferrat whom she married in 1105...

, the daughter of William I of Burgundy

William I, Count of Burgundy

William I , called the Great , was Count of Burgundy and Mâcon from 1057 to 1087. He was a son of Renaud I and Alice of Normandy, daughter of Richard II, Duke of Normandy...

. He succeeded as count of Savoy upon the death of his father. Amadeus had a tendency to exaggerate his titles, and also claimed to be Duke of Lombardy, Duke of Burgundy

Duke of Burgundy

Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saône which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's kingdom of West Franks...

, Duke of Chablais

Chablais

Chablais was a province of the Duchy of Savoy. Its capital was Thonon-les-Bains.This region is currently divided into three territories, the Chablais savoyard, the Chablais valaisan, and the Chablais vaudois, and is now split across two countries: France and Switzerland...

, and vicar

Vicar

In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...

 of the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

, the latter of which had been given to his father by Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...

.

He helped restore the Abbey of St. Maurice of Agaune, in which the former kings of Burgundy had been crowned, and of which he himself was abbot until 1147. He also founded the Abbey of St. Sulpicius in Bugey

Bugey

The Bugey is a historical region in the département of Ain , France. It is located in a loop of the Rhône River in the southeast of the département...

, Tamié Abbey

Tamié Abbey

Tamié Abbey is a Cistercian monastery, located in the Bauges, Savoie, France. It was founded in 1132, as a daughter house of Bonnevaux Abbey, by Peter of Tarentaise, who was also the first abbot....

 in the Bauges

Bauges

The Bauges Mountains is a mountain range in eastern France, stretching from the city of Annecy to the city of Chambéry, which is part of the French Prealps.- Major peaks :The Bauges have 14 summits above :...

, and Hautecombe Abbey

Hautecombe Abbey

Hautecombe Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery, later a Benedictine monastery, in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille near Aix-les-Bains in Savoy, France. For centuries it was the burial place of the members of the House of Savoy...

 on the Lac du Bourget

Lac du Bourget

The lac du Bourget is a lake in the Savoie department of France. It is the largest and the deepest lake located entirely within France. The most important town on its shore is Aix-les-Bains. Chambéry, the capital of Savoie, lies about 10 km south of the lake. The lake is named after the town Le...

.

In 1128, Amadeus extended his realm, known as the "Old Chablais", by adding to it the region extending from the Arve

Arve

The Arve river flows for approximately 100 km through France, in the département of Haute-Savoie, and in Switzerland...

 to the Dranse d'Abondance

Dranse d'Abondance

The Dranse d'Abondance is a small river in the French department of Haute-Savoie, a sub-tributary of the Rhône via the Dranse de Morzine and the Dranse.- Geography :...

, which came to be called the "New Chablais" with its capital at St. Moritz

St. Moritz

St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...

. Despite his marriage to Mahaut, he still fought against his brother-in-law Guy, who was killed at the Battle of Montmeillan. Following this, King Louis VI of France

Louis VI of France

Louis VI , called the Fat , was King of France from 1108 until his death . Chronicles called him "roi de Saint-Denis".-Reign:...

, married to Amadeus' sister Adélaide de Maurienne

Adélaide de Maurienne

Adelaide of Savoy was the second spouse but first Queen consort of Louis VI of France.-Biography:...

, attempted to confiscate Savoy. Amadeus was saved by the intercession of Peter the Hermit

Peter the Hermit

Peter the Hermit was a priest of Amiens and a key figure during the First Crusade.-Before 1096:According to Anna Comnena, he had attempted to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem before 1096, but was prevented by the Seljuk Turks from reaching his goal and was tortured.Sources differ as to whether he...

, and by his promise to participate in Louis' planned crusade.

In 1147, he accompanied his nephew Louis VII of France

Louis VII of France

Louis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...

 and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...

 on the Second Crusade

Second Crusade

The Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusade by Baldwin of Boulogne in 1098...

. He financed his expedition with help from a loan from the Abbey of St. Maurice. In his retinue were many barons from Savoy, including the lords of Faucigny

Faucigny

Faucigny is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.Historically, Faucigny was a region in Savoy which included the area of the modern département of Haute Savoie and the municipalities of Chamonix, Argentière, and Les Houches.-Geography:In the...

, Seyssel

Seyssel, Haute-Savoie

Seyssel is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-Geography:The Fier forms most of the commune's southern border, then flows into the Rhone, which forms the commune's western border.-References:*...

, La Chambre

La Chambre

La Chambre is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-References:*...

, Miolans, Montbel

Montbel

Montbel is the name of two communes in France:* Montbel, in the Ariège department* Montbel, in the Lozère department...

, Thoire, Montmayeur, Vienne

Vienne, Isère

Vienne is a commune in south-eastern France, located south of Lyon, on the Rhône River. It is the second largest city after Grenoble in the Isère department, of which it is a subprefecture. The city's population was of 29,400 as of the 2001 census....

, Viry

Viry, Haute-Savoie

Viry, Haute-Savoie is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-References:*...

, La Palude, Blonay

Blonay

Blonay is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-History:Blonay is first mentioned in 861 as Blodennaco. In 1108 it was mentioned as Bloniaco. During the 13th Century it was known as Blonay, Blonai and Blunai.-Geography:Blonay has an area, ,...

, Chevron-Villette, Chignin

Chignin

Chignin is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The village of Chignin is located between the communes of Les Marches, Montmélian, Saint-Jeoire-Prieuré and Challes-les-Eaux, behind the Monronjoue downs in front of which the route nationale 6 runs.It...

, and Châtillon

Châtillon, Vienne

Châtillon is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.-References:*...

. Amadeus travelled south through Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 to Brindisi

Brindisi

Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...

, where he crossed over to Durazzo, and marched east along the Via Egnatia

Via Egnatia

The Via Egnatia was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. It crossed the Roman provinces of Illyricum, Macedonia, and Thrace, running through territory that is now part of modern Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Greece, and European Turkey.Starting at Dyrrachium on the...

 to meet Louis at Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 in late 1147. After crossing into Anatolia

Anatolia

Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...

, Amadeus, who was leading the vanguard, became separated from Louis near Laodicea

Denizli

Denizli is a growing industrial city in the Southwestern part of Turkey and the eastern end of the alluvial valley formed by the river Büyük Menderes, where the plain reaches an elevation of about a hundred meters. Denizli is located in southwestern Turkey, in the country's Aegean Region.The city...

, and Louis' forces were almost entirely destroyed.

Marching on to Adalia, Louis, Amadeus, and other barons decided to continue to Antioch

Antioch

Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...

 by ship. On the journey, Amadeus fell ill on Cyprus

Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

, and died at Nicosia

Nicosia

Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...

 in April of 1148. He was buried in the Church of St. Croix in Nicosia. In Savoy, his son Humbert III succeeded him, under the regency of bishop Amadeus of Lausanne.

Family and children

He had no children with his first wife Adelaide. In 1123 he married Mahaut (or Mafalda, or Matilda) of Albon

Mahaut of Albon

Mahaut of Albon , was a Countess Consort of Savoy; married in 1134 to Amadeus III, Count of Savoy.Issue:...

, the sister of Guy IV of Dauphinois, with whom he had ten children:

1. Elisa of Savoy (1120-?) married Humberto of Beaujeu
2. Mafalda
   Maud of Savoy
   Maud of Savoy was the first Queen of Portugal. She was Queen consort through her marriage, in 1146, to King Afonso I, the first ruler of Portugal as an independent kingdom....
   
    (Mahaut), (1125-1158), married Alfonso I of Portugal
3. Agnes of Savoy (1125-1172), married William I, Count of Geneva
4. Humbert III
   Humbert III of Savoy
   Umberto III , surnamed the Blessed, was Count of Savoy from 1148 to 1189. His parents were Amadeus III of Savoy and Mahaut of Albon, the sister of Guy IV of Dauphinois. His memorial day is March 4.According to CopeHis first wife died young; his second marriage ended in divorce...
   
    (1136-1188)
5. John of Savoy
6. Peter of Savoy
7. William of Savoy
8. Margaret of Savoy (died 1157)
9. Isabella of Savoy
10. Juliana of Savoy (died 1194), abbess of St. André-le-Haut

Ancestry

External links

• FMG on Amadeus III of Savoy