Savoyard state

Savoyard state
*Sabaudia* (Latin)
*Stati di Savoia* (Italian)
*États de Savoie* (French)
Savoyard state Sabaudia (Latin); Stati di Savoia (Italian); États de Savoie (French)
1003–1861
	Flag Coat of arms of Kings of Sardinia
	Motto: FERT
	The Savoyard state in 1839
Status	Plurinational independent state; Constituent territories of the Holy Roman Empire
Capital	Montmélian; (1006–1295); Chambéry; (1295–1562); Turin; (1562–1792; 1815–1861); Cagliari; (1792–1815)
Common languages	French, Italian, Piedmontese, Arpitan, Occitan, Latin
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Government	Composite monarchy
Count; Duke; King
• 1003–1048	Humbert I White Hands (first)
• 1849–1861	Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia (last)
Historical era	Middle Ages; Early Modern Period
• Humbert I became Count of Savoy	1003
• Savoy elevated to a duchy	1416
• Treaty of The Hague	1720
• Kingdom of Sardinia became Kingdom of Italy	1861
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Kingdom of Burgundy
Kingdom of Italy
Today part of	France; Italy

The Savoyard state comprised the states ruled by the House of Savoy from the Middle Ages to the formation of the Kingdom of Italy. An example of composite monarchy, it is a term applied to the polity by historians and was not in contemporary use. At the end of the 17th century, its population was about 1.4 million.

History

The cradle of the Savoyard state was the feudal County and later Duchy of Savoy, originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy along with the broader Savoy cultural-historical region. The gradual expansion of the Savoyard state led to the incorporation of territories such as Nice and Sardinia.

From the Middle Ages, the state comprised the Duchy of Savoy, the Principality of Piedmont, the Duchy of Aosta, and the County of Nice, all of which were formally part of the Holy Roman Empire; however, the Savoyards were independent diplomatic actors and often acted against the wishes of the Holy Roman Emperor, repeatedly siding with the French during the Franco-Habsburg Wars. The capital of the counts and dukes of Savoy was first Chambéry and later Turin.

The Prince-Bishopric of Geneva, today in Switzerland, was also part of the Savoyard state but eventually broke away and achieved independence as the Republic of Geneva.

From 1708, the Savoyard state included the Duchy of Montferrat, then the Kingdom of Sicily from 1713 until 1720, the Kingdom of Sardinia from 1720, and the Duchy of Genoa from 1815.

The Final Act of the Congress of Vienna of 1815 refers to the "States of His Majesty the King of Sardinia". Among contemporaries, "Kingdom of Sardinia" and "Sardinia" were used as common short forms, even though they were confounded with the island. "Piedmont", "Savoy-Piedmont", and "Piedmont-Sardinia" are also sometimes used to emphasise that the economic and political centre of the Savoyard state was Piedmont since the late Middle Ages. Each state had independent institutions and laws.

These territories formed a composite monarchy under the House of Savoy until the Perfect Fusion in 1847. The Jews of the state were granted emancipation the next year. In 1860, Turin was made the official capital.

By 1861, this unified state had acquired most of the other lands on the Italian Peninsula and formed the Kingdom of Italy. However, the historical cradle of the state, Savoy itself (comprising the present-day Savoie and Haute-Savoie French départements), was handed over to France along with the County of Nice in return for French military assistance against the Austrians, most prominently at the Battle of Solferino.

Terminology

Scholarship has debated and used several different terms to reference the often disjointed possessions under control of the House of Savoy. Robert Oresko introduced the term "Sabaudian" in 1997.

Territory

Savoy during the Carolingian Empire
County of Savoy during the 12th
Duchy of Savoy in the 15th
Italian peninsula in 1843
Proper Savoy today
Today's administrative Piedmont in Italy

Flags

The first counts used the Holy Roman Empire banner as proof of their loyalty to the Emperor
Flag of the County of Savoy and Duchy of Savoy (1023–1783)
Flag of the Kingdom of Sardinia used in the late 18th century (1783–1802)
Flag of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1832–1848), obtained by merging the flags of Savoy, Sardinia and Genoa
Flag of Kingdom of Sardinia (1848–1861)

References

↑ Storrs, Christopher (January 13, 2000). War, Diplomacy and the Rise of Savoy, 1690–1720. Cambridge University Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-139-42519-3. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
1 2 Vester, Matthew (March 25, 2013). Sabaudian Studies: Political Culture, Dynasty, and Territory (1400–1700). Penn State Press. p. 261. ISBN 978-0-271-09100-6. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
↑ Geoffrey Symcox. "Victor Amadaeus II: Absolutism in the Savoyard State, 1675-1730." Archived November 6, 2023, at the Wayback Machine Page 245.
↑ Gregory Hanlon. "The Hero of Italy: Odoardo Farnese, Duke of Parma, his Soldiers, and his Subjects in the Thirty Years' War." Routledge: May 2014. Page 87. Piedmont's population is given at 700,000, and Savoy's at 400,000 in 1630; Aosta and the County of Nice are not listed.
↑ Sabaudian Studies: Political Culture, Dynasty, and Territory (1400–1700). Vol. 12. Penn State University Press. 2013. doi:10.5325/j.ctv1c9hnc2.7. ISBN 978-1-61248-094-7. JSTOR 10.5325/j.ctv1c9hnc2. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
↑ The Romance of the House of Savoy (Vol.1). Weil, Alethea. Putnam, New York (1898), Intro. p.1
↑ Krinsky, Carol Herselle (January 1, 1996). Synagogues of Europe: Architecture, History, Meaning. Courier Corporation. p. 374. ISBN 978-0-486-29078-2.
↑ Sabaudian Studies: Political Culture, Dynasty, and Territory (1400–1700). Vol. 12. Penn State University Press. 2013. doi:10.5325/j.ctv1c9hnc2.7. ISBN 978-1-61248-094-7. JSTOR 10.5325/j.ctv1c9hnc2. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2024.

[1] Storrs, Christopher (January 13, 2000). War, Diplomacy and the Rise of Savoy, 1690–1720. Cambridge University Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-139-42519-3. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2024.

[:0-2] 1 2 Vester, Matthew (March 25, 2013). Sabaudian Studies: Political Culture, Dynasty, and Territory (1400–1700). Penn State Press. p. 261. ISBN 978-0-271-09100-6. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2024.

[3] Geoffrey Symcox. "Victor Amadaeus II: Absolutism in the Savoyard State, 1675-1730." Archived November 6, 2023, at the Wayback Machine Page 245.

[4] Gregory Hanlon. "The Hero of Italy: Odoardo Farnese, Duke of Parma, his Soldiers, and his Subjects in the Thirty Years' War." Routledge: May 2014. Page 87. Piedmont's population is given at 700,000, and Savoy's at 400,000 in 1630; Aosta and the County of Nice are not listed.

[5] Sabaudian Studies: Political Culture, Dynasty, and Territory (1400–1700). Vol. 12. Penn State University Press. 2013. doi:10.5325/j.ctv1c9hnc2.7. ISBN 978-1-61248-094-7. JSTOR 10.5325/j.ctv1c9hnc2. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2024.

[6] The Romance of the House of Savoy (Vol.1). Weil, Alethea. Putnam, New York (1898), Intro. p.1

[7] Krinsky, Carol Herselle (January 1, 1996). Synagogues of Europe: Architecture, History, Meaning. Courier Corporation. p. 374. ISBN 978-0-486-29078-2.

[8] Sabaudian Studies: Political Culture, Dynasty, and Territory (1400–1700). Vol. 12. Penn State University Press. 2013. doi:10.5325/j.ctv1c9hnc2.7. ISBN 978-1-61248-094-7. JSTOR 10.5325/j.ctv1c9hnc2. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2024.