Humbert III, Count of Savoy
Humbert III, surnamed the Blessed, was Count of Savoy from 1148 to 1189. His parents were Amadeus III of Savoy and Mahaut of Albon. He ceded rights and benefits to monasteries and played a decisive role in the organisation of Hautecombe Abbey. It is said that he would rather have been a monk than a sovereign. On the death of his third wife, he retired to Hautecombe, but then changed his mind and, by his fourth wife finally had a son, Thomas. He sided with the Guelph party of Pope Alexander III against the Ghibelline emperor Frederick Barbarossa. The result was an invasion of his states twice: in 1174 Susa was set on fire, and in 1187 Henry VI banished him from the Holy Roman Empire and wrested away most of his domains. He was left with only the valleys of Susa and Aosta. He died at Chambéry in 1189. He was the first prince buried at Hautecombe. His memorial day is 4 March.
18th-century portrait
Counts and dukes of Savoy
The titles of count of Savoy, and then duke of Savoy, are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the county was held by the House of Savoy. Several of these rulers ruled as King at one point in history or another.
Coat of arms of the House of Savoy (16th century), the ruling family of Savoy from the 11th century to the 19th century.
Image: Ritratto di Umberto il Biancamano
Image: Ritratto in Armatura del Conte Amedeo I di Savoia Google Art Project
Image: Ritratto del Conte Umberto II di Savoia
