Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia
Encyclopedia
Victor Amadeus III was King of Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...

 from 1773 until his death. Although he was politically conservative, he carried out numerous administrative reforms until declaring war on revolutionary France in 1792. He was the father of the last three mainline Kings of Sardinia.

Early life and personality

Born at the Royal Palace of Turin
Royal Palace of Turin
Royal Palace of Turin or Palazzo Reale, is a palace in Turin, northern Italy. It was the royal palace of the House of Savoy. It was modernised greatly by the French born Madama Reale Christine Marie of France in the seventeenth century. The palace was worked on by Filippo Juvarra...

, he was a son of Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia
Charles Emmanuel III was the Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia from 1730 until his death.-Biography:...

 and his second wife Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg. He was styled as the Duke of Savoy from birth till he succeeded to his fathers throne. He was the eldest son of his parents and was the heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....

 from birth which was greeted with much celebration – his father had had a son with his first wife also named Victor Amadeus, Duke of Aosta
Duke of Aosta
In the mid-13th century the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II made the County of Aosta a duchy; its arms were carried in the Savoyard coat-of-arms until the unification of Italy in 1870. The region remained part of Savoy lands, with the exception of a French occupation, 1539—1563...

 who died in 1725. His education was entrusted to Gerdil Giacinto Sigismondo
Hyacinthe Sigismond Gerdil
Hyacinthe Sigismond Gerdil was an Italian theologian and Cardinal.Gerdil was born at Samoëns in Savoie. When fifteen years old, he joined the Barnabites at Annecy, and was sent to Bologna to pursue his theological studies; there he devoted his mind to the various branches of knowledge with great...

 with a particular emphasis on military training. Throughout his life he would have a great interest in the state military which he lavished attention on. As a young prince, he surrounded himself with intellectuals and ministers many of which would come to prominence in his reign. He was a private conservative and very religious person, who, as a young boy, stayed far from public life. His father felt him to be unsuitable to hold power. Good-natured but naive, Savoy would be loved by his subjects for his generosity.

Marriage

He married Infanta Maria Antonietta of Spain
Maria Antonietta of Spain
Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain was an Infanta of Spain and the youngest daughter of Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese. She was the wife of Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia whom she married in 1750...

 (1729–1785), youngest daughter of Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...

 and Elisabeth Farnese. They were married on 31 May 1750 at Oulx
Oulx
Oulx is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km west of Turin, in the Susa Valley on the border with France.-Names:...

 and later had twelve children. He had a loving relationship with his wife who exerted little influence over her husband. The marriage had been arranged by Maria Antonietta's half brother, the ruling Ferdinand VI of Spain
Ferdinand VI of Spain
Ferdinand VI , called the Learnt, was King of Spain from 9 July 1746 until his death. He was the fourth son of the previous monarch Philip V and his first wife Maria Luisa of Savoy...

. The Spanish Infanta had been previously rejected by Louis, Dauphin of France. The union was used to strengthen relations between Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

 and Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

 having fought on opposing sides in the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession  – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...

. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle of 1748 ended the War of the Austrian Succession following a congress assembled at the Imperial Free City of Aachen—Aix-la-Chapelle in French—in the west of the Holy Roman Empire, on 24 April 1748...

 ended the war.

King of Sardinia

When Victor Amadeus came to the throne in 1773 he started working on bureaucratic and military aspects of the reign. He was suspicious of anything innovative. However, he did implement several public works as well as paying a great deal of attention to his administration and armed forces. He approved and set up two new important cultural state institutions on the advice of the bourgeoisie and aristocracy alike. He started works of improvements in the port of Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...

, and had dams in the Arce and the road of the Côte built.

At the outbreak of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

, Victor Amadeus III allowed his two sons-in-law, the Counts of Artois, Provence and the Princesses Marie Adélaïde and Victoire to stay in his kingdom under his protection. After four years of fighting, the French under Bonaparte
Bonaparte
The House of Bonaparte is an imperial and royal European dynasty founded by Napoleon I of France in 1804, a French military leader who rose to notability out of the French Revolution and transformed the French Republic into the First French Empire within five years of his coup d'état...

 had finally beaten the Piedmontese army in the Battle of Montenotte
Battle of Montenotte
The Battle of Montenotte was fought on 12 April 1796, during the French Revolutionary Wars, between the French army under General Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian corps under Count Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau. The battle was fought near the village of Cairo Montenotte, in northwestern Italy, and...

 (12 April 1796), the Battle of Millesimo
Battle of Millesimo
The Battle of Millesimo, fought on 13 and 14 April 1796, was the name that Napoleon Bonaparte gave in his correspondence to one of a series of small battles that were fought in Piedmont, Northern Italy between the armies of France and the allied armies of Austria and of the Kingdom of...

 (13–14 April 1796) and the Battle of Mondovi
Battle of Mondovi
The Battle of Mondovì was fought on 21 April 1796 between the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte and the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont led by Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi. The French victory meant that they had put the Ligurian Alps behind them, while the plains of Piedmont lay...

 (21 April 1796). On April 26 the French proclaimed the Republic of Alba
Republic of Alba
200px|thumb|The flagThe so-called Republic of Alba was a revolutionary municipality proclaimed on April 26, 1796, in Alba, northern Italy, when the town was taken by the French army....

 on the occupied territories. Two days later, with the Armistice of Cherasco, the Republic was ceded back to Victor Amadeus. He was forced to sign the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1796)
The Treaty of Paris of May 15, 1796 was a treaty between the French Republic and the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia during the War of the First Coalition....

 on May 15 abandoning the First Coalition
First Coalition
The War of the First Coalition was the first major effort of multiple European monarchies to contain Revolutionary France. France declared war on the Habsburg monarchy of Austria on 20 April 1792, and the Kingdom of Prussia joined the Austrian side a few weeks later.These powers initiated a series...

 against the French Republic. The terms of the treaty required him to cede the fortresses of Cuneo
Cuneo
Cuneo is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area...

, Ceva
Ceva
Ceva, the ancient Ceba, is a small Italian town in the province of Cuneo, region of Piedmont, 49 km east of Cuneo. It lies on the right bank of the Tanaro on a wedge of land between that river and the Cevetta stream.-History:...

, Alessandria
Alessandria
-Monuments:* The Citadel * The church of Santa Maria di Castello * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine * Palazzo Ghilini * Università del Piemonte Orientale-Museums:* The Marengo Battle Museum...

 and Tortona
Tortona
Tortona is a comune of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines.-History:...

 to France, and allow free passage of the latter's armies towards Italy. He was also compelled to cede Nice and Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....

.

He died at the Castle of Moncalieri
Castle of Moncalieri
The Castle of Moncalieri is a palace in Moncalieri , Piedmont, in northern Italy. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in 1997.-History:...

 having suffered an attack of apoplexy
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...

. He died leaving an economically damaged kingdom and two key provinces – Savoy and Nice – devastated having suffered at the hands of French revolutionary forces
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

. He was buried at the Basilica of Superga
Basilica of Superga
The Basilica of Superga is a church in the vicinity of Turin.It was built from 1717 to 1731 for Victor Amadeus II of Savoy by Filippo Juvarra, at the top of the hill of Superga, to fulfill a vow the duke had made during the Battle of Turin...

 in Turin.

Legacy

In 1786 Victor Amadeus III moved many of his ancestors and kinsmen to the Basilica of Superga
Basilica of Superga
The Basilica of Superga is a church in the vicinity of Turin.It was built from 1717 to 1731 for Victor Amadeus II of Savoy by Filippo Juvarra, at the top of the hill of Superga, to fulfill a vow the duke had made during the Battle of Turin...

 where he himself rests today. He established the Gold Medal of Military Valor
Gold Medal of Military Valor
The Gold Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia "....per bassi ufficiali e soldati che avevano fatto azioni di segnalato valore in guerra" .The face of the medal displayed the profile of the king, and on its reverse was a flag...

 21 May 1793. Like his parents, he carried out improvements to the Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi outside Turin. Victor Amadeus III also encouraged the extension of the Orto Botanico dell'Università di Torino
Orto Botanico dell'Università di Torino
The Orto Botanico dell'Università di Torino is a botanical garden and arboretum operated by the Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale of the University of Turin...

 as well as the Società Agraria di Torino
Società Agraria di Torino
The Società Agraria of Turin was founded on 24 May 1785, by edict of Victor Amadeus III, King of Sardinia,‘to promote for the public advantage the cultivation of lands mainly in His Majesty's felicitous dominions in accordance with rules both appropriate and in keeping with their varied natures’...

 which he created in 1785. His first cousin the Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg
Victor Amadeus, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg
Victor of Hesse-Rotenburg was the last Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg. Victor was also the Prince of Corvey from 1815 and Duke of Ratibor from 1821...

 was named after him.

Issue

  1. Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia
    Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia
    Charles Emmanuel IV was King of Sardinia from 1796 to 1802. He abdicated in favour of his brother Victor Emmanuel I...

     (24 May 1751 – 6 October 1819) married Princess Marie Clotilde of France in 1773, no issue.
  2. Maria Elisabetta Carlotta of Savoy (16 July 1752 – 17 April 1755) died in infancy.
  3. Maria Giuseppina of Savoy (2 September 1753 – 13 November 1810) married Louis Xavier, Count of Provence
    Louis XVIII of France
    Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...

     in 1771, no issue.
  4. Amedeus Alexander of Savoy (5 October 1754 – 29 April 1755) died in infancy.
  5. Maria Teresa of Savoy (31 January 1756 – 2 June 1805) married Charles, Count of Artois
    Charles X of France
    Charles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...

     in 1773, had issue.
  6. Maria Anna of Savoy (17 December 1757 – 11 October 1824) married Prince Benedetto of Savoy in 1775, no issue.
  7. Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia
    Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia
    Victor Emmanuel I was the Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia from 1802 to 1821, and Jacobite Pretender from 1819 until his death.-Biography:...

     (24 July 1759 – 10 January 1824) married Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este in 1789, had issue.
  8. Maria Cristina Ferdinanda of Savoy (21 November 1760 – 19 May 1768) died in infancy.
  9. Maurizio of Savoy
    Prince Maurizio, Duke of Montferrat
    Maurizio of Savoy was a prince of Savoy and styled the Duke of Montferrat.-Biography:...

     (13 December 1762 – 1 September 1799) died unmarried of malaria
    Malaria
    Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...

    .
  10. Maria Carolina of Savoy
    Princess Maria Carolina of Savoy
    Maria Carolina of Savoy was a Princess of Savoy from her birth. She was the youngest daughter of the future Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia and married in 1781 to the Electoral Prince of Saxony...

     (17 January 1764 – 28 December 1782) married Antony, Electoral Prince of Saxony in 1781, no issue.
  11. Charles Felix of Sardinia
    Charles Felix of Sardinia
    Charles Felix was the Duke of Savoy, Piedmont, Aosta and King of Sardinia from 1821 to 1831.-Early life:...

     (6 April 1765 – 27 April 1831) married Princess Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily
    Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily
    Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily was a Princess of Naples and Sicily and later Queen of Sardinia as wife of Charles Felix of Sardinia.-Princess of Naples and Sicily:...

     in 1807, no issue.
  12. Giuseppe of Savoy
    Prince Giuseppe, Count of Asti
    Giuseppe of Savoy was a prince of Savoy. He was styled the Count of Moriana from birth but was later created the Count of Asti.-Biography:...

     (5 October 1766 – 29 October 1802) died unmarried of malaria.

Ancestry



Titles and styles

  • 26 June 1726 – 20 February 1773 His Royal Highness the Duke of Savoy
  • 20 February 1773 – 16 October 1796 His Majesty the King of Sardinia

Honours

  • Grand Master of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
    Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
    The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus is an order of chivalry awarded by the House of Savoy, the heads of which were formerly Kings of Italy...

     20 February 1773 – 16 October 1796
  • Grand Master of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation
    Order of the Most Holy Annunciation
    The Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in mediæval Italy. It eventually was the pinnacle of the honours system in the Kingdom of Italy, which ceased to be a national order when the kingdom became a republic in 1946...

     20 February 1773 – 16 October 1796
  • Grand Master of the Gold Medal of Military Valor
    Gold Medal of Military Valor
    The Gold Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia "....per bassi ufficiali e soldati che avevano fatto azioni di segnalato valore in guerra" .The face of the medal displayed the profile of the king, and on its reverse was a flag...

     21 May 1793 – 16 October 1796

Arms

  • écartelé, en I contre-écartelé au 1 d'argent à la croix potencée d'or cantonné de quatre croisettes de même, en 2 burelé d'azur et d'argent de dix pièces au lion de gueules armé lampassé et couronné d'or brochant sur le tout, au 3 d'or au lion de gueules armé lampassé et couronné d'azur et au 4 d'argent au lion de gueules armé lampassé et couronné d'or en II grand-quartier parti au 1 de gueules au cheval effrayé d'argent, au 2 fascé d'or et de sable de huit pièces au cancrelin de sinople posée en bande brochant sur le tout et enté en pointe d'argent à trois bouterolles au bout d'épée faites en croissant de gueules malordonnées, en III grand-quartier parti en 1 d'argent semé de billettes de sable au lion de même brochant sur le tout et en 2 de sable au lion d'argent, en IV grand-quartier parti en 1 à cinq point d'or équipolé à quatre points d'azur au 2 d'argent au chef de gueules ; sur le tout d'argent, à la croix de gueules, cantonnée de quatre têtes de maures de sable, tortillées d'argent ; sur le tout du tout de gueules à la croix d'argent.

See also

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