Editing Peter II, Count of Savoy

{{Short description|European noble}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Peter II
| image        = Peter of savoy.jpg
| caption      = Peter's funerary monument<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kerrich|first=T.|date=1817|title=XVII. Observations upon some Sepulchral Monuments in Italy and France |journal=Archaeologia|language=en|volume=18|pages=186–196|doi=10.1017/S0261340900026126|issn=2051-3186|url=https://zenodo.org/record/2193939}}</ref>
| image_size   = 150px
| succession   = [[Count of Savoy]]
| reign        = 1263–1268
| predecessor  = [[Boniface, Count of Savoy|Boniface]]
| successor    = [[Philip I of Savoy|Philip I]]
| house        = [[House of Savoy|Savoy]]
| father       = [[Thomas I, Count of Savoy]]
| mother       = [[Margaret of Geneva]]
| spouse       = [[Agnes of Faucigny]]
| issue        = [[Beatrice of Savoy, Dame of Faucigny]]
| birth_date   = c. 1203
| birth_place  = possibly [[Susa, Piedmont]]
| death_date   = 15 May 1268
| death_place  = Château de Pierre-Châtel, [[Bugey]]
| burial_place = [[Hautecombe Abbey]]
}}
'''Peter II''' (c. 1203{{snd}}15 May 1268), called '''the Little Charlemagne''',<ref>Jean d’Orville dit Cabaret. 1995. La Chronique de Savoie. Montmélian: La Fontaine de Siloé. 92.</ref> was [[Count of Savoy]] from 1263 until his death in 1268. He was also holder of the [[Honour of Richmond]], [[Yorkshire]] in [[Kingdom of England|England]], and the English lands of the Honour of the Eagle also known as the Honour of Pevensey and the Honour of Eu also known as the Honour of Hastings. His significant land holdings in the English County of [[Sussex]] were also marked by his holding of the wardship of [[John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey]] which brought with it lands centred upon [[Lewes Castle|Lewes castle]]. Briefly, from 1241 until 1242, [[castellan]] of [[Dover Castle]] and Keeper of the Coast (later called [[Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports]]). In 1243 he was granted land by the [[River Thames]] on [[Strand, London|the Strand]] near the [[City of London]], where he built the [[Savoy Palace]].<ref name="Marshall, John 2023">Marshall, John (2023). Peter of Savoy: The Little Charlemagne. Pen and Sword.</ref>

==Biography==
===Early career in Savoy===
Peter was born around 1203, possibly at [[Susa, Piedmont]].<ref name=HDS>{{HDS|17867|Peter II of Savoy|author=Bernard Andenmatten}}</ref> He was likely the seventh child of [[Thomas I, Count of Savoy]] and [[Margaret of Geneva]].{{sfn|Shacklock|2021|p=24}} It was through his sister [[Beatrice of Savoy]] and her daughters: [[Margaret of Provence]], [[Queen of France]], [[Eleanor of Provence]], [[Queen of England]], [[Sanchia of Provence]], [[Queen of the Romans]] and [[Beatrice of Provence]], Queen of Sicily and Naples, that the House of Savoy and Peter in particular would derive much of their career and influence.<ref name="Marshall, John 2023"/>

As a younger son of a noble house, Peter started his career in the church, obtaining appointments in dioceses under the influence of his family.<ref name=HDS/> From 1226 to 1233 he was a [[Canon (clergy)|canon]] at [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg|Lausanne]], where he was briefly acting bishop before a new permanent bishop was named in 1231.{{sfn|Cox|1974|p=16}} Peter also held the offices of canon at [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lyon|Lyon]] and of [[Provost (religion)|provost]] at [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Aosta|Aosta]] and [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Geneva|Geneva]], before retiring from church life in 1234.<ref name=HDS/> Upon the death of his father, Peter demanded substantial portions of the county from his eldest brother [[Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy|Amadeus]]. The brothers met at Chillon in 1234, where they negotiated a settlement which recognized Amadeus as the head of the house. From this, Peter received control of the key castles of the Château de Cornillon at [[Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey]] and the Château d'Angeville at what is now [[Hauteville-Lompnes]] also in Bugey. both of which helped him threaten Geneva.<ref name="Marshall, John 2023"/> His brother [[William of Savoy|William]] negotiated a marriage for him with [[Agnes of Faucigny]], which also helped provide territory of his own, so he caused less trouble for his elder brothers.{{sfn|Cox|1974|pp=40–43}} The marriage also allowed him to influence Burgundian affairs as Agnes was related to the Joinville family. This relationship brought [[Geoffrey de Geneville, 1st Baron Geneville]], Agnes's half-brother, to England. The younger Simon de Joinville, another of Agnes's half-brothers, would provide the conduit by which Burgundian knights would serve England both in Gascony and Wales.<ref name="Marshall, John 2023"/>

His desire to further extend his territory led him into conflict with his uncle, [[William II of Geneva]]. Around 1236, Peter was ambushed and captured by his cousin [[Rudolf of Geneva|Rudolf]]. When the resulting conflict was concluded in 1237, Amadeus forced William to sign a treaty which required Geneva to pay 20,000 marks and the castle of Arlod.{{sfn|Cox|1974|pp=83–86}} In 1240, when Peter's brother [[Philip I, Count of Savoy|Philip]] was in a contested election for the [[Bishop of Lausanne]] against Jean de Cossonay, a Geneva supported candidate, Peter brought 6000 troops, though the battle did not get resolved decisively.{{sfn|Cox|1974|p=91}}

He continued using both money and force to take further control of lands surrounding Savoy. In May 1244 Rudolph III, Count of Gruyère, surrendered [[Gruyères Castle]] to Peter, who then gave it to William, the second son of Rudolph, with the agreement that William and his heirs would serve Peter and his family.{{sfn|Wurstemberger|1858|loc= vol.IV nos. 152, 174}} On 29 May 1244, Cossonay similarly surrendered significant territories to Peter and Amadeus, retaining them only under the overlordship of Savoy. He continued to gain control of key towns and trade routes throughout the Pays de Vaud, often by enfeofing them to the younger sons of the previous rulers.{{sfn|Cox|1974|pp=165–167}} He was responsible for the significant renovations of the [[Château de Chillon]], and by 1253 he was the protector of [[Bern]].{{sfn|Cox|1967|p=20}} One scholar suggests that French is the language of western [[Switzerland]] due partly to Peter's extensive conquests in the region.{{sfn|Cox|1974|p=82}}

===English career===
In January 1236, [[Eleanor of Provence]], Peter's niece, married King Henry III and Peter came with a [[Savoy faction|number of other Savoyards]]. On 20 April 1240, Peter was given the [[Honour of Richmond]] by Henry III who invited him to England about the end of the year, and knighted him on 5 January 1241 when he became known popularly as Earl of Richmond although he never assumed the title, nor was it ever given to him in official documents.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Complete Peerage, Vol. 10|last=Cokayne|first=George Edward|publisher=The St. Catherine Press|year=1945|pages=806}}</ref> On 25 September 1241 he was granted the Honour of the Eagle and wardship of [[John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey]] bringing much land in Sussex and the south coast of England.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Peter of Savoy:The Little Charlemagne |first=John |last=Marshall |publisher=Pen and Sword |year=2023 |page=47}}</ref> His position on the south coast was further strengthened in 1249 by the Honour of Eu, also known as the Honour of Hastings.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Peter of Savoy:The Little Charlemagne |first=John |last=Marshall | publisher=Pen and Sword |year=2023 |page=83}}</ref> In February 1246 he was granted land between [[Strand, London|the Strand]] and the [[Thames]], where Peter built the [[Savoy Palace]] in 1263,{{sfn|Arnold-Baker|2015|p=1116}} on the site of the present [[Savoy Hotel]]. It was destroyed during the [[Peasants' Revolt]] of 1381. By his will, the [[Honour of Richmond]] was left to his niece Queen Eleanor,{{sfn|Raban|2003|p=52}} who transferred it to the crown.{{sfn|Howell|2001|p=242-244}}

In 1241, Henry sent Peter to gather support for a pending invasion of [[Poitou]]. He travelled to [[Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy]]; [[Theobald I of Navarre]]; his brother [[Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy]]; and his brother-in-law [[Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence]]. In February 1242, Peter was sent into Poitou to see what support existed there for [[Henry III of England|Henry]]. He was nearly captured there, but managed to escape. He then travelled to [[Provence]] to negotiate the marriage of his niece [[Sanchia of Provence]] to Henry's brother [[Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall|Richard]].{{sfn|Cox|1974|pp=112–115}}

In 1246, Peter went back to Savoy, in part to seal a marriage deal with [[Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy|Amadeus]]. In February 1247, he returned to England with Alice of Saluzzo, Amadeus's granddaughter by [[Beatrice of Savoy, Marchioness of Saluzzo|Beatrice]]. She was married to [[Edmund de Lacy, Baron of Pontefract]] that May.{{sfn|Cox|1974|pp=168–169}}

[[Boston, Lincolnshire|Boston]] (a borough by 1279), on the [[River Witham]], had over many years become an important port for [[Lincoln, Lincolnshire|Lincoln]]. The town was held by the [[Dukes of Brittany]] until about 1200. In 1241, Peter obtained the manor of Boston at the same time as he had Richmond. It was restored to [[John I, Duke of Brittany]], on Peter's death. [[Donington, Lincolnshire|Donington]] manor is also thought to have been passed from John de la Rye to Peter of Savoy about 1255, when a charter was granted for a market to be held at the manor on Saturdays. In the same year, a similar grant was made for the holding of a fair on 15 August, also to be held at the manor. A separate charter was granted to Peter on 8 April 1255 by the king to hold a market on Mondays.
[[File:Pevensey Castle inner bailey exterior.jpg|thumb|The walls of the inner ward at [[Pevensey Castle]] are typically attributed to Peter of Savoy's tenure]]
In 1246, the king granted Peter the [[Pevensey Castle|castle of Pevensey]]. Peter originally, in 1258, sided with [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]], [[Earl of Leicester]], in the [[Second Barons' War]]; but sided with [[Eleanor of Provence]], his niece and his son-in-law [[King Henry III of England]] from 1261 against Montfort.<ref name="Marshall, John 2023"/>

===English Reform and Second Baronial War===
Peter of Savoy played an important role in the events which led to the [[Provisions of Oxford]] in England in 1258 which would lead to the [[Second Barons' War]]. Prior to the formal demands made in Westminster of [[Henry III of England|King Henry III]] on 30 April 1258, a number of barons had made a solemn oath on 12 April 1258 to assist each other in supporting the reform of the realm. These oath takers would form the core of the baronial movement supporting reform, and were “[[Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester]]; [[Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk]]; [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester]]; Peter of Savoy; Hugh Bigod; John fitz Geoffrey; and Peter of Montfort.” Peter of Savoy sided with the reforming barons in order to reduce the political influence of the [[House of Lusignan#In England|Lusignan]] half brothers of [[Henry III of England|King Henry III]] who were in the view of Peter and his niece, the Queen [[Eleanor of Provence]] exerting undue influence at court.{{sfn|Howell|2001|p=226}} However, Peter broke with the reformers in 1260 when Montfort had him removed from the ruling council.{{sfn|Jobson|2012|p=48}} Thereafter Peter of Savoy spent an increasing time in [[Savoy]] until becoming [[Count of Savoy]] in 1263.

Following the [[Battle of Evesham]] in 1265 [[Pevensey Castle]] and [[Richmond Castle]] were besieged by the Monfortian government. Both castles were held by Peter’s constables and stewards. [[Pevensey Castle]] in particular received a resupply of men and material from Peter in Flanders. Peter and [[Eleanor of Provence]] had gathered an army in Flanders to invade England to restore [[Henry III of England|King Henry III]] to his throne. The escape of Lord Edward and subsequent [[Battle of Evesham]] rendered the invasion unnecessary.<ref name="Marshall, John 2023"/>

===Count of Savoy===
[[File:The nineteenth century cenotaph to Peter of Savoy at Hautecombe Abbey.jpg|thumb|The nineteenth century cenotaph to Peter of Savoy at Hautecombe Abbey]]
When Peter's nephew [[Boniface, Count of Savoy]], died without heirs in 1263, the question of the succession to Savoy lay unanswered. Besides Peter, there was another possible claimant, the fifteen-year-old [[Thomas III of Piedmont]] (1248–82), the eldest son of Peter's elder brother [[Thomas, Count of Flanders]]. Peter returned to Savoy and was recognised as count over his nephew. This led to a dispute between Savoy and Piedmont that was to outlast Peter and Thomas.<ref name="Marshall, John 2023"/>

Peter brought many ideas back from his travels around Europe to improve Savoy. He started building castles with a more round form, rather than the square which had existed to that point in Savoy. He divided the county into [[Bailiwick|bailis]] and divided those into [[Castellany|castellanies]]. He also established an office of accounts at [[Chambéry]] to more completely manage financial matters. He was the first count of Savoy to issue laws to cover the whole county.{{sfn|Cox|1967|pp=20–21}} These statutes included the provision that his judges not delay justice which is attributable to the [[Magna Carta]] in England<ref name="Marshall, John 2023"/>

Peter came into conflict with [[Rudolf I of Germany|Rudolf of Habsburg]], and Henri of [[Raron]], [[List of bishops of Sion|Bishop of Sion]].

Peter died without a male heir in 1268, at the castle of Pierre-Châtel, now in [[Virignin]], and was buried in [[Hautecombe Abbey]].<ref name=HDS/> His will left his English lands to Eleanor of Provence, the Queen of England, his niece, modified by a codicil which left his Sussex lands to his nephews, Amadeus and Louis. These bequests were the subject of modification by King Henry III of England who had given the [[Honour of Richmond]] to his son-in-law, [[John of Brittany, Earl of Richmond]] and the Sussex lands to the Lord Edward. But as per his will, he was succeeded as Count of Savoy by his remaining brother, [[Philip I, Count of Savoy|Philip]], former procurator and [[Archbishop of Lyon|archbishop-elect of Lyon]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Chevalier|first=Jules |title=Quarante années de l'histoire des évêques de Valence au Moyen Age: Guillaume et Philippe de Savoie 1226-1267|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hrJmyo2jT-gC&pg=PA101|year=1889|publisher=Picard|location=Paris|language=fr|pages=101-102}}</ref><ref name="Marshall, John 2023"/>

==Marriage and issue==
Peter's marriage was to [[Agnes of Faucigny]] in 1236.{{sfn|Pollock|2015|p=208}}Agnes was the daughter of Aymon II de Faucigny and Béatrice d'Auxonne. The marriage brought the House of Savoy increasing influence in [[Faucigny]] which lay south east of [[Geneva]] and had hitherto been within the sphere of influence of the [[Count of Geneva]]. It also brought influence within the [[Free County of Burgundy]] through his mother-in-law Béatrice. The subsequent marriage of Béatrice d'Auxonne to [[Simon de Joinville]] extended Peter's influence further to include their children [[Geoffrey de Geneville, 1st Baron Geneville]], whom Peter introduced to the English court, and Simon de Joinville, the Seigneur de [[Gex, Ain|Gex]].<ref name="Marshall, John 2023"/>

They had one daughter, [[Beatrice of Savoy, Dame of Faucigny|Beatrice]],{{efn|Beatrice would marry firstly Count [[Guigues VII of Viennois]] and secondly [[Viscount]] [[Gaston VII of Béarn]].}} who inherited Faucigny from her mother. The marriage alliance with the County of Albon, also known as the Dauphiné, whilst advantageous at the time, created long term problems for the County of Savoy when Albon became a part of [[France]]. This created a French claim to [[Faucigny]] whose territory lay in the middle of Savoy.{{sfn|Cox|1967|p=21}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |title=The Companion to British History |first=Charles |last=Arnold-Baker |editor-first=Henry |editor-last=von Blumenthal |publisher=Routledge |year=2015 }}
*{{cite book | title=The Eagles of Savoy | last= Cox|first= Eugene L.| year=1974 | publisher= Princeton University Press | location=Princeton |isbn= 0691052166}}
*{{ cite book | last=Cox | first=Eugene L. | title=The Green Count of Savoy | url=https://archive.org/details/greencountofsavo0000coxe | url-access=registration | location=Princeton, New Jersey | publisher=Princeton University Press | year=1967 | lccn=67-11030 }}
*{{cite book |title=Eleanor of Provence |first=Margaret |last=Howell |publisher=Blackwell Publishers |year=2001 }}
*{{cite book |title=Le Comté de Savoie du XIe au XVe Siècle |first=Bernard |last=Demotz |publisher=Editions Slatkine |year=2000 |location=Geneva}}
*{{cite book |title=The First English Revolution: Simon de Montfort, Henry III and the Barons' War |first=Adrian |last=Jobson |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=2012 }}
*{{cite book |title=Peter of Savoy: The Little Charlemagne|first=John |last=Marshall |publisher=Pen and Sword |year=2023 }}
*{{cite book |title=Scotland, England and France After the Loss of Normandy, 1204–1296 |first=M. A. |last=Pollock |publisher=The Boydell Press |year=2015 }}
*{{cite book |chapter=Edward I's Other Inquires |first=Sandra |last=Raban |title=Thirteenth Century England IX: Proceedings of the Durham Conference 2001 |editor-first1=Michael |editor-last1=Prestwich |editor-first2=R. H. |editor-last2=Britnell |editor-first3=Robin |editor-last3=Frame |publisher=The Boydell Press |year=2003 }}
*{{cite book |chapter=Henry III and the Native Saints |first=Antonia |last=Shacklock |title=Thirteenth Century England XVII: Proceedings of the Cambridge Conference, 2017 |editor-first1=Andrew |editor-last1=Spencer |editor-first2=Carl |editor-last2=Watkins |publisher=The Boydell Press |year=2021 |pages=23–40 }}
*{{cite book | title=Peter der Zweite | last=Wurstemberger|first= L. | year=1858 | location=Bern}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.british-history.ac.uk/inquis-post-mortem/vol2/pp209-223#highlight-first Inquisition Post Mortem] #381, dated 1279, and mentions no heirs.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Savoy]]||1203|15 May|1268|name=Peter II}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Boniface, Count of Savoy|Boniface]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Count of Savoy]] |years=1263–1268}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Philip I of Savoy|Philip I]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[The Lord de Segrove]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports]] |years=1241–1255}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Reginald de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham|The Lord Cobham]]}}
{{s-vac|last= [[Peter Mauclerc]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Earl of Richmond]]|years=1241–1268}}
{{s-aft| after=[[John the Red]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Counts of Savoy}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peter 2, Count Of Savoy}}
[[Category:1200s births]]
[[Category:1268 deaths]]
[[Category:13th-century counts of Savoy]]
[[Category:Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports|Richmond, Peter of Savoy, Earl of]]
[[Category:Earls of Richmond|3]]
[[Category:Burials at Hautecombe Abbey]]
[[Category:Savoyard emigrants to England]]