Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy

Amadeus VII (24 February 1360 – 1 November 1391), known as the Red Count, was Count of Savoy from 1383 to 1391.^[1]

Amadeus VII
18th century portrait of Amadeus VII, artist unknown
Count of Savoy
Reign	1383 – 1391
Predecessor	Amadeus VI
Successor	Amadeus VIII
Born	24 February 1360 Chambéry
Died	1 November 1391(1391-11-01) (aged 31) Thonon
Burial	Hautecombe Abbey
Spouse	Bonne of Berry
Issue	Amadeus VIII Bonne Joan
House	Savoy
Father	Amadeus VI of Savoy
Mother	Bonne of Bourbon

Biography

Amadeus was born in Chambéry on 24 February 1360, the son of Count Amadeus VI of Savoy and Bonne of Bourbon.^[1] After his father's death in 1383, his mother and grandmother fought over the regency.^[2] In 1384, in order to suppress a revolt against his relative Edward of Savoy, Bishop of Sion, Amadeus led an army that attacked and pillaged Sion.^[3] In 1388, he acquired territories in eastern Provence and the port city of Nice, thus giving the County of Savoy access to the Mediterranean Sea.^[4]

On 1 November 1391, Amadeus died from tetanus,^[5] as a result of a hunting accident.^[4] Upon his death, controversy arose because of his will. Amadeus left the important role of guardian of his son and heir, Amadeus VIII, to his own mother, a sister of the powerful Duke de Bourbon, instead of following the tradition of appointing the child's mother, who was a daughter of the equally powerful Duke de Berry.^[6] Due to the dispute between his mother and his wife, rumours that Amadeus had been poisoned emerged soon after his death.^[4] It took three months of negotiations to restore peace in the family.^[6]

Amadeus was known for his hospitality, for he would entertain people of all stations and never turned a person from his table without a meal.^[7]

Marriage and children

Amadeus married Bonne of Berry, daughter of John, Duke of Berry, who was the younger brother of King Charles V of France.^[8] They had:

• Amadeus VIII, later known as Antipope Felix V, married Mary of Burgundy (1380–1422), daughter of Philip the Bold.^[8]
• Bonne (d. 1432), married Louis of Piedmont, the final of the Savoy-Achaea Branch.
• Joan (d. 1460), married John Jacob, Marquis of Montferrat

References

1. Cox 1967, p. 378.
2. Pfeffer 2022, p. 84.
3. Cox 1967, p. 95-96.
4. Bernard Andenmatten: Amadeus VII of Savoy in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, 8 June 2022.
5. European Cases of the Reincarnation Type By Ian Stevenson, M.D., p. 19.
6. Tuchman 1978, p. 503.
7. Tuchman 1978, p. 426.
8. Vaughan 2002, p. 53.

Sources

• Cox, Eugene L. (1967). The Green Count of Savoy. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. LCCN 67-11030.
• Pfeffer, Wendy, ed. (2022). Blandin de Cornoalha, A Comic Occitan Romance: A New critical Edition and Translation. Translated by Burrell, Margaret; Pfeffer, Wendy. Medieval Institute Publications.
• Tuchman, Barbara Wertheim (1978). A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century. New York: Knopf.
• Vaughan, Richard (2002). Philip the Bold: The Formation of the Burgundian State. Boydell Press.

Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy House of Savoy Born: 1360 Died: 1 November 1391
Regnal titles
Preceded by Amadeus VI	Count of Savoy 1383–1391	Succeeded by Amadeus VIII