With Amadeus III, the Savoy family was recognized de jure by the Holy Roman Emperor, Heinrich V at that time, as hereditary counts of the whole area of Savoy, not just Maurienne, Chablais and the territories of Tarentaise, as was the traditional center of power of the family from cca. 1000. In the 1120s we know of him as a pilgrim in the Holy Land (in 1122 he was perhaps part of an envoy of Pope Calixtus II). Then, returned to his realm, he extended his dominion in Italy, and in 1131 he was recognized as Sire of Turin and throughout the 1130s he styled himself Marquis of Italy. At the same time during the 1130s, he had a series of conflicts with his brother-in-law King Louis VI of France, who at at least one point, tried to invade and annex parts of the county to his domain but died before managing to do so in 1137. In 1140, Guy d'Albon, Dauphin de Vienne, invaded Savoy along the Isere, but was met in battle by Amadeus at Montmelian, where Guy was defeated and succumbed to the wounds received in combat. Despite these conflicts on the Frankish side, King Louis VII, nephew of Amadeus, sought to squash all previous bad blood and even after the death of Guy, he reached out to Amadeus and made peace, also tightening his relations with Savoy and his uncle. By 1147 Amadeus was ready to join Louis in the Second Crusade. His retinue involved knights from both Frankish territories (including Dauphine Viennois) and Piemontese and Italian knights and barons as well. In the autumn of 1147 the forces of Savoy met the army and entourage of Louis at Constantinople, where Amadeus received the command of the vanguard. In 1148, while in Asia Minor, the Crusader expeditionary force decided to continue towards Antioch, where Raymond of Poitiers, uncle of Alienor d'Aquitaine (who was still wife of Louis at that time) ruled as Prince, by sea. In April 1148 the campaign reached Cyprus, where Amadeus became incapacitated by an unknown illness and died soon after. The news of his death only reached the territories of Savoy a year later, when his son was instated as Count Humbert III. He would pursue an ambivalent policy towards the ambitions of Frederic Barbarossa in Italy. The baronial mint of Susa was even destroyed by Frederic in 1174, in punishment for Savoy's rebellion against Imperial authority. The coinage of Amadeus III of Savoy consists of a single type of denier and obole, in the traditional style of the denarii secusini: These were probably minted at Susa since the early 1110s, but they were certainly regular coinage in the realms of Savoy and around by 1130-1140, being of good title and widely accepted by the local markets. A long minting and acceptance of this type is quite likely considering that, although scarce today, they seem to be very well spread out in Europe and the Mediterranean and that many of the specimens known are well worn from circulation. To finance his army and retinue during the Crusade, Amadeus contracted a loan from Saint Maurice Abbey in 1147, from which it is very likely that a large number of coins were minted. It is very possible that along with the good quality billon, what made the deniers of Susa popular during the rule of Amadeus was the rather easily recognizable design, with the obverse reading AMEDEVS o with cross and pellets and the reverse reading o SECVSIA with three pellets in the middle field. With the recognition of the Savoy family by Emperor Heinrich V as rulers of an Imperial countship begins the history of one of the most important European families.
That's is a very nice coin @seth77 and an interesting write-up. What was the relationship of Amadeus III and the County of Savoy to the Kingdom of Arles? That is a great coin of Louis VII @Orfew with a wonderful portrait.
I always enjoy your write ups @seth77 ! Excuse my ignorance, but why was the Savoy family one of the most important in Europe? Also, did you get back into collecting?
Hi, By the 12th century the Kingdom of Arles was pretty much just a symbolic artefact of the past, similar to the Kingdom of Burgundy. The County of Savoy which established itself as a political reality around 1000 was an actual functioning and recognized entity. The Savoy family, with its cadet branches, ruled parts of Europe (the County/Duchy of Savoy, Morea, Cyprus, Sicily, Sardinia, Italy, Spain, Albania, Croatia, etc) up until after WW2.
Very nice @seth77 ! Great coin, nice write-up, and is super that you are posting again! I regret that this is not a strong area for me, but you prompted my memory...
