Louis, Duke of Savoy


Louis I was Duke of Savoy from 1440 until his death in 1465.

Life

Louis was born in Geneva, the son of Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy and Mary of Burgundy. He was the first to hold the title of Prince of Piedmont.
On 1 November 1433, at Chambéry, he married Princess Anne of Cyprus, an heiress of the Kingdom of Cyprus and the defunct Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The family resided at Allaman Castle, in the region of Vaud. As Count of Vaud, Louis attempted to conquer the Duchy of Milan, then ruled by the short-lived Ambrosian Republic, but the campaign was unsuccessful.
In 1452, Louis received the Shroud of Turin from Margaret de Charny. The relic remained in the possession of the House of Savoy until 1946, when the Kingdom of Italy came to an end. It was later bequeathed to the Holy See in 1983.
Louis died in Lyon in 1465 while returning from a visit to France.

Issue

Louis and Anne had:
  1. Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy.
  2. Marie, died in childhood.
  3. Louis, Count of Geneva, King of Cyprus.
  4. Philip II, Duke of Savoy.
  5. Marguerite, married firstly in December 1458 Giovanni IV Paleologo, Marquis of Montferrat, and secondly Pierre II de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, Brienne, Ligny, Marle, and Soissons.
  6. Pierre, Archbishop of Tarentaise.
  7. Janus, Count of Faucigny and Geneva; married Hélène of Luxembourg, daughter of Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol and Jeanne de Bar, Countess of Marle and Soissons.
  8. Charlotte, married King Louis XI of France.
  9. Aimon, died in childhood.
  10. Jacques, died in childhood.
  11. Agnes, married François d'Orléans, Count of Dunois. Their son was Louis I d'Orléans, Duke of Longueville.
  12. Jean Louis, Bishop of Geneva.
  13. Maria, married Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, Constable of France.
  14. Bonne, married Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan.
  15. Jacques (Giacomo), Count of Romont, Lord of Vaud.
  16. Anne, died in childhood.
  17. François, Archbishop of Auch and Bishop of Geneva.
  18. Jeanne.
  19. François, died in childhood.