Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy
A dynamic medieval ruler known as the Green Count, who financed his own crusade to fight Turks and turned Savoy into a major European power.
1334–1383 (age 49)·Count of Savoy from 1343 to 1383·Birthday: January 4
Biography
Amadeus VI of Savoy was a ruler who loved the color green—it adorned his clothes, his knights' livery, and even the festivities of his court, earning him his lasting nickname. But there was nothing frivolous about his rule. Taking power as a teenager after a regency, he proved a shrewd and ambitious statesman. He consolidated his Alpine domains through war and law, pacifying rebellious nobles and securing key territories. His most audacious move was entirely self-funded: the Savoyard Crusade of 1366. Sailing east with a fleet paid from his own coffers, he fought not in the Holy Land but in the Balkans, aiding the Byzantine Emperor against the Ottoman Turks and winning a string of victories. This expedition, blending chivalric zeal with hard-nosed diplomacy, broadcast Savoy's power across Europe and set the stage for the dynasty's future rise to ducal and eventually royal status.
#1 When Amadeus Was Born
The biggest hits of 1334
Amadeus's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1334Born
1339Started school
1347Became a teenager
1350Could drive
1352Could vote
1355Turned 21
1364Turned 30
1374Turned 40
1383Died at 49
Key Achievements
- Personally led and financed the Savoyard Crusade (1366-67), winning key battles against the Ottomans at Gallipoli and aiding the Byzantine Empire.
- Expanded and solidified the County of Savoy through military campaigns, acquiring key territories like the city of Cuneo.
- Established a more centralized administration and a standing army, strengthening the state's foundations.
- Successfully mediated the peace between Milan and Montferrat, enhancing Savoy's diplomatic prestige.
- Founded the Carthusian monastery of Pierre-Châtel, a significant religious and cultural foundation.
Did You Know?
He earned the nickname "the Green Count" for his preference for green clothing and for hosting lavish "Festivals of the Green Count."
He was the grandfather of Amadeus VIII, who became the first Duke of Savoy and later an anti-pope.
He introduced a form of compulsory military service for his subjects to maintain his standing army.
During his crusade, he paid a substantial ransom to free his cousin, the Byzantine Emperor John V Palaiologos, from Bulgarian captivity.
“The Green Count's justice is swift, his word his bond.”
