The Eagles of Savoy : :The House of Savoy in Thirteenth-Century Europe

This book is the history of a very remarkable family, that of Count Thomas of Savoy, whose seven sons and two daughters rose from relative obscurity to fame, fortune, and involvement in almost every major international conflict in western Europe during the fifty years following their father's death in 1233. By tracing the careers of the Savoyards, Eugene L. Cox emerges with a pan-European view of the thirteenth century. Professor Cox describes the ways in which the members of the Savoyard family gained access to the most powerful courts in Europe, an advantage that they skillfully employed in turning their scattered Alpine dominions into a territorial state, and in making their family a powerful force in the world of high diplomacy. From Scotland and Flanders to Sicily and Rome, the author traces the influence of the Savoyard family in dealings between states, in conflicts with the papacy, and in the struggles for power within the emerging national states. Based on extensive research in both published and unpublished sources, the book pieces together widely scattered data in order to reconstruct a picture of a real-life medieval family saga. Set as it is in the era of the formation of national states and the breakdown of the Holy Roman Empire, the story is a fascinating background account of this tumultuous period in history. Originally published in 1974. The **Princeton Legacy Library** uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. Cover Contents Acknowledgments Illustrations and Maps Abbreviations Prologue 1 • The Eagle's Brood 2 • The Uncles from the Alps (1233-1239) I. Guillaume De Savoie, the Succession, and the Royal Marriages (1225-1236) II. Thomas De Savoie, the Savoyards in Flanders and England, and the Death of Aymon (1234-1237) III. The House of Savoy, Frederick II, and the Papacy · The Death of Guillaume (1238-1239) 3 • Eagles on the Wing (1239-1244) I .The Pays De Vaud and the Battle of Lausanne (1234-1240) II. Thomas in Flanders, and Piedmont (1238-1243) III. The House of Savoy in England and Gascony · The Marriage of Sanchia De Provence (1240-ι244) IV. Philippe at Valence · The Savoyards and the Papacy (1240-1244) 4 • The Eagles and the Dragon (1244-1250) I. Boniface in England and Philippe at Lyon (1244-1245) II. The House of Savoy, the Kingdom of Arles, and the Provençal Succession (1245-1248) III. Pierre, Thomas, and Boniface in England and Savoy (1242-1250) IV. The House of Savoy and the Empire-Papacy Conflict 5 • Reaping the Whirlwind (1248-1255) I. Philippe, Boniface, and Pierre in the Alps (1248-1255) II. Amadeus and Thomas in the Piedmont (1248-1252) III. The Reign of Amadeus IV in Savoy (1240-1253) IV. The House of Savoy and Henry III (1250-1254) V. The House of Savoy and the Anglo-French Entente (1254) 6 • Savoyards and Plantagenets (1255-1263) I. Thomas and the War with Asti (1255-1257) II. The House of Savoy and the Sicilian Business · The Death of Thomas De Savoie (1255-1259) III. Count Boniface and the Countesses of Savoy (1256-1262) IV. Pierre and Philippe in the Alps (1255-1262) V. The Death of Count Boniface and the Accession of Pierre II 7 • The Eagles and the Alps (1263-1268) I. The House of Savoy and England (1259-1265) II. The Reforms of Pierre II in Savoy (1260-1268) III. The Gatekeepers of the Alps IV. The Ecclesiastical Career of Philippe De Savoie (1250-1267) V. The Wars in Western Helvetia and the Death of Pierre (1263-1268) 8 • Savoy and Burgundy (1268-1279) I. Philippe, the Dauphine, and Burgundy (1268-1279) II. The Career and Death of Archbishop Boniface (1258-1270) III. The Government of Philippe I in Savoy (1268-1285) IV. Savoy, the Angevins, and the Habsburgs (1268-1276) V. The Anti-Angevin Coalitions · The Death of Alix of Merano (1276-1279) 9 • The Last of the Eagles (1279-1285) I. The Great Anti-Angevin Coalition (1279-1282) II. The Wars with the Habsburgs and the Dauphins (1279-1286) III. The Succession and the Death of Philippe I (1281-1285) IV. Conclusion Genealogy Bibliography Index This book is the history of a very remarkable family, that of Count Thomas of Savoy, whose seven sons and two daughters rose from relative obscurity to fame, fortune, and involvement in almost every major international conflict in western Europe during the fifty years following their father's death in 1233. By tracing the careers of the Savoyards, Eugene L. Cox emerges with a pan-European view of the thirteenth century. Professor Cox describes the ways in which the members of the Savoyard family gained access to the most powerful courts in Europe, an advantage that they skillfully employed in turning their scattered Alpine dominions into a territorial state, and in making their family a powerful force in the world of high diplomacy. From Scotland and Flanders to Sicily and Rome, the author traces the influence of the Savoyard family in dealings between states, in conflicts with the papacy, and in the struggles for power within the emerging national states. Based on extensive research in both published and unpublished sources, the book pieces together widely scattered data in order to reconstruct a picture of a real-life medieval family saga. Set as it is in the era of the formation of national states and the breakdown of the Holy Roman Empire, the story is a fascinating background account of this tumultuous period in history. Originally published in 1974. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905