Philibert II surnamed the Handsome or the Good, was the Duke of Savoy from 1497 until his death.

Biography

Born in Pont-d'Ain

Pont-d'Ain

Pont-d'Ain is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...

, he was the son of Philip (Filippo) the Landless, who until 1496 was a younger son of the ducal family of Savoy, and his first wife Marguerite of Bourbon. In 1496, Philibert's father surprisingly succeeded as Duke, when his underaged grandnephew Duke Charles II of Savoy died, being the male heir of the line of Savoy.

The same year, the 16-year-old Philibert married the 9-year-old Yolande Louise of Savoy, his cousin and the only sister of the deceased young duke. She was daughter of Duke Charles I of Savoy

Charles I of Savoy

Charles I , surnamed the Warrior, was the Duke of Savoy from 1482 to 1490 and titular king of Cyprus, Jerusalem, and Armenia from 1485 to 1490....

, the Warrior, and Blanche of Montferrat, as well as granddaughter of Philibert's late uncle, Duke Amedeo IX of Savoy. She was the heir-general of her brother, father, grandfather, and also grandmother Yolande of France, the eldest surviving daughter of king Charles VII of France

Charles VII of France

Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...

. Her birth-right, after the death of her brother, was the succession of the kingdoms of Cyprus and Jerusalem, although Philibert's father took those titles.
Next year, Philibert's father died and he succeeded as Duke of Savoy. The young couple then at last advanced their claims, and took the titles Queen and King of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia.

In 1499, the 12-year-old first wife of Philibert died, childless. Her heir was her first cousin, Princess Charlotte of Naples

Charlotte of Naples

Charlotte of Naples , also known as Charlotte of Aragon and Princess of Taranto, was the eldest daughter and eventual heiress of Federigo IV, King of Naples...

, later Countess of Laval. Philibert continued to use the titles of Cyprus etc., despite the death of his first wife.

His next marriage tied him into the web of alliances around the Imperial Habsburgs, who ruled The Netherlands, Alsace and Franche-Comté, Tirol, Austria, etc. He married Margaret of Austria, the only daughter of Emperor Maximilian I and his late wife Mary of Burgundy

Mary of Burgundy

Mary of Burgundy ruled the Burgundian territories in Low Countries and was suo jure Duchess of Burgundy from 1477 until her death...

, heiress of Flanders, Palatine Burgundy, etc.

During Philibert's reign, his first cousin Charles VIII of France

Charles VIII of France

Charles VIII, called the Affable, , was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. Charles was a member of the House of Valois...

 died, and the next king, Louis XII of France

Louis XII of France

Louis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...

, invaded Italy, where he conquered most of the Kingdom of Naples. He also conquered Milan, which neighboured Savoy to the east, putting the Savoyards between French possessions.

However, Philibert died childless and young at the age of 24. He was succeeded by his young half-brother Charles III in 1504.

Family

Philibert married:

1. Yolande Louise of Savoy
   Yolande Louise of Savoy
   Yolande Louise of Savoy , was a Duchess Consort of Savoy; married to Philibert II, Duke of Savoy.She was daughter of Duke Charles I of Savoy, the Warrior, and Blanche of Montferrat, as well as granddaughter of Philibert's late uncle, Duke Amedeo IX of Savoy...
   
    (1487–1499), daughter of his first cousin, Charles I of Savoy
   Charles I of Savoy
   Charles I , surnamed the Warrior, was the Duke of Savoy from 1482 to 1490 and titular king of Cyprus, Jerusalem, and Armenia from 1485 to 1490....
   
   .
2. Margaret of Austria (1480-1530) who was Governor
   Governors of the Habsburg Netherlands
   The Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands ruled the Habsburg Netherlands as a representative of the Duke of Burgundy .- Habsburg Netherlands :...
   
    of the Seventeen Provinces
   Seventeen Provinces
   The Seventeen Provinces were a personal union of states in the Low Countries in the 15th century and 16th century, roughly covering the current Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, a good part of the North of France , and a small part of Western Germany.The Seventeen Provinces were originally held by...
   
    of the Netherlands (1507–1515, 1519–1530) and a daughter of Maximilian I
   Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
   Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
   
    and Mary of Burgundy
   Mary of Burgundy
   Mary of Burgundy ruled the Burgundian territories in Low Countries and was suo jure Duchess of Burgundy from 1477 until her death...
   
    and had no children from this marriage.

Ancestors

External links

• Genealogy.euweb.cz