View source for Charles III, Duke of Savoy

{{Short description|Duke of Savoy from 1504 to 1553}}
{{Refimprove|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Charles III
| image        = CharlesIIIofSaboy-byJeanClouet.jpg
| caption      = Portrait attributed to [[Jean Clouet]], {{circa}} 1500–1510
| succession   = [[Duke of Savoy]]
| reign        = 10 September 1504 &ndash; {{nowrap|17 August 1553}}
| predecessor  = [[Philibert II, Duke of Savoy|Philibert II]]
| successor    = [[Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy|Emmanuel Philibert]]
| birth_date   = {{birth_date|1486|10|10|df=yes}}
| birth_place  = [[Chazey-sur-Ain]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1553|8|17|1486|10|10|df=yes}}
| death_place  = [[Vercelli]]
| spouse       = [[Beatrice of Portugal (1504–1538)|Beatrice of Portugal]]
| issue        = [[Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy]]
| issue-link   = #Issue
| issue-pipe   = see details...
| house        = [[House of Savoy|Savoy]]
| father       = [[Philip II of Savoy|Philip ΙΙ the Landless]]
| mother       = [[Claudine de Brosse]]
| religion     = [[Catholic]]
}}

'''Charles III of Savoy''' (10 October 1486 – 17 August 1553), often called '''Charles the Good''', was [[Duke of Savoy]] from 1504 to 1553, although most of his lands were ruled by the French between 1536 and his death. Ruling for nearly 49 years, he is the third longest reigning Savoyard monarch, behind [[Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy|Charles Emmanuel I]] and [[Victor Amadeus II]].

== Biography ==
[[File:Coat of arms of the Duchy of Savoy (XV-XVI century).svg|125px|left|thumb|Coat of Arms of the Dukes of Savoy]]
He was a younger son of [[Philip II of Savoy|Philip (Filippo) the Landless]], an aged younger son of the ducal family, and his second wife [[Claudine de Brosse]] of the family that unsuccessfully claimed the [[Duchy of Brittany]]. His grandparents were Duke [[Louis of Savoy]] and [[Anne of Cyprus]]. As a child, there were next to no expectations for him to succeed to any monarchy. He was christened as a namesake of the then-reigning Duke, [[Charles I of Savoy]], the Warrior, his first cousin.
However, when he was ten years old, his father unexpectedly succeeded his grandnephew [[Charles II of Savoy]] as duke and head of the [[House of Savoy|Savoy dynasty]], which had now also received the titles of the kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Cyprus|Cyprus]], [[Kingdom of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]] and [[Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia|Armenia]]. However, Charles's father was not the heir general of the deceased duke, only the male heir. Jerusalem, Cyprus and certain other claims and possessions could go to a different heir, and they did, in principle, going to Charles II's sister [[Yolande Louise of Savoy|Yolande Louise]]. Charles's father was not ready to relinquish those, and he took such titles to his own titulary, staking a claim. He also had Yolande marry his son, [[Philibert II, Duke of Savoy|Philibert the Handsome]], in 1496, to ensure the male line of succession.

In 1497, Charles's half-brother Philibert succeeded their father as Duke of Savoy, etc. Philibert however died childless in 1504, surprisingly, and now Charles succeeded, at age eighteen.

Charles faced down challenges to his authority, including from [[Philibert Berthelier (Geneva patriot)|Philibert Berthelier]].<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica">[http://www.britannica.com/biography/Philibert-Berthelier#ref204690''Philibert Berthelier''].</ref>

After Yolande's death in 1499, the ''de jure'' rights of Jerusalem and Cyprus were lost to the Savoy family. Charles however, as some sort of heir-male, took those titles, which his successors also used. In 1713, Charles's great-great-great-grandson [[Victor Amadeus II of Savoy]] received confirmation to that title from the Kings of [[Philip V of Spain|Spain]] and [[Louis XIV of France|France]], who also claimed it. The rights, according to succession of heirs general, i.e. not excluding female lines, had gone, until Charles's death, to the [[House of La Trémoille]], the French lords of La Tremoille, Princes of Talmond and Taranto.

In response to the [[Genevan Reformation|riots]] between Catholic and Protestants within Geneva, Charles launched a surprise attack in July 1534, but his army was beaten back.<ref name="Paas67">John Roger Paas, ''The German Political Broadsheet, 1600–1700: 1600–1615'', (Otto Harrassowitz, 1985), 67.</ref> A second siege in October 1535 was attempted, and again Charles's army was defeated when forces from [[Canton of Berne|Berne]] arrived to assist Geneva.<ref name="Paas67" /> Charles was allied with the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] camp in Western European politics, where [[Francis I of France]] and [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Charles V]] battled for ascendancy.  France invaded [[Duchy of Savoy|Savoy]] in 1536, and held almost all of Charles's possessions.<ref>Michael Mallett and Christine Shaw, ''The Italian Wars, 1494–1559'', (Pearson Educational Limited, 2012), 230-231.</ref> He spent the rest of his life practically in exile, at the mercy of relatives. He died in 1553 and was succeeded by his only surviving child, [[Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy|Emanuele Filiberto]].

He was the duke who imprisoned [[François Bonivard]], the "prisoner of Chillon" in 1530.

== Issue ==
[[File:Portuguese Carracks off a Rocky Coast.jpg|thumb|336x336px|The famed [[carrack]] ''[[Santa Catarina do Monte Sinai]]'', and other Portuguese ships, carrying the marriage party of [[Beatrice of Portugal, Duchess of Savoy|Beatrice of Portugal]] to Savoy, 1521]]
Charles married the rich, beautiful and ambitious Infanta [[Beatrice of Portugal (1504–1538)|Beatrice of Portugal]] (1504–1538), daughter of the richest monarch in Europe at the time, [[Manuel I of Portugal]], and [[Maria of Aragon, Queen of Portugal|Maria of Aragon]]. Beatrice was both first cousin and sister-in-law of [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Charles V]]. They had nine children, but only one child, [[Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy|Emmanuel Philibert]], would reach adulthood:

* Adriano Giordano Amadeo, Prince of Piedmont (19 November 1522 – 10 January 1523)
* Ludovico, Prince of Piedmont (4 December 1523 – 25 November 1536)
* [[Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy]] (8 July 1528 – 30 August 1580), married [[Marguerite, Duchess of Berry]], sister of [[Henry II of France|Henri II, King of France]]
* Caterina (25 November 1529 – May 1536)
* Maria (12 June 1530 – 1531)
* Isabella (May 1532 – 24 September 1533)
* Emanuele (May 1533; died young)
* Emanuele (May 1534; died young)
* Gianmaria (3 December 1537 – 8 January 1538)

==Ancestors==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
| 1 = 1. '''Charles III, Duke of Savoy'''
| 2 = 2. [[Philip II, Duke of Savoy]]
| 3 = 3. [[Claudine de Brosse]]
| 4 = 4. [[Louis, Duke of Savoy]]
| 5 = 5. [[Anne of Cyprus]]
| 6 = 6. [[Jean II de Brosse|Jean II, Lord of Boussac]]
| 7 = 7. [[Nicole, Countess of Penthièvre]]
| 8 = 8. [[Antipope Felix V]]
| 9 = 9. [[Mary of Burgundy, Duchess of Savoy|Mary of Burgundy]]
|10 =10. [[Janus of Cyprus]]
|11 =11. [[Charlotte of Bourbon, Queen of Cyprus|Charlotte of Bourbon]]
|12 =12. [[Jean de Brosse|Jean I, Lord of Boussac]]
|13 =13. Jeanne de Naillac
|14 =14. Charles, Lord of Avaugour
|15 =15. Isabeau de Vivonne
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Savoy]]|10 October|1486|17 August|1553}}
{{S-reg}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Philibert II, Duke of Savoy|Philibert II]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Duke of Savoy]]|years=1504&ndash;1553}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy|Emmanuel Philibert]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Dukes of Savoy}}
{{Princes of Savoy}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles 03 of Savoy, Duke}}
[[Category:1486 births]]
[[Category:1553 deaths]]
[[Category:16th-century dukes of Savoy]]
[[Category:Italian people of Cypriot descent]]
[[Category:Princes of Savoy]]
[[Category:Counts of Geneva]]
[[Category:Claimant kings of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Burials at Vercelli Cathedral]]