The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-30


a. ths Fm,sror and the vIsconti. win an ere
IA TIA future. he confirmed the salio Law By
even more rigorous measures than had been
hitherto taken, and excluded all possibility OF
female succession 10 the throne OF Savoy. He
was a man welcome of the courts oil his more
powerful ~nelghbors in 1907. at the request OF
Phillp the Fair, he attended the marriage OF
that monarch's daughter. Isabella, the she
wolf Of France with Edward II. OF England
which took place OF Boulogne-sur-Mer. and.
two years later. he was present at the corona
tlon OF tho same English King at Westminster.
The reigns OF the two sons OF Amadeus W.
namely. Edward the Liberal and Aimon the
Peaceable. seem to have been spent chiefly In
warning against the Dauphins OF Guienne.
The brothers were contrasts as to character.
Edward spent every penny he possessed and.
exhausted the revenues OF the State; Aimon'
on the other hand. replenished the exchequer
and repaired as we'll rs he could the damage
wrought by his brothers extravaganza. Ac-
cordlng TO q contemporary authority. Count
Aimon was one Of the wisest princes OF HE
race. 1t Is certain that he was called upon TO
arbitrhte between England and France. and to
decide the question which had been raised as
to the homage claimed by France from England
forthe province Of Guienne. Peace between the
two countries. however. was unattainable, ana
each Of them applied to Aimon to espouse its
cause. The Count judged 1t expedient to side
with France. but died before the conclusion OF
the war. After Aimon. three Princes OF the
name Of Amadeus ruled in succession: ANA
deus VI. the Green Count; Amadeus VII. the
Red Count, and Amadeus VIII, tho Peaceful.
During their reigns the House OF Savoy was
once more unified; the two offshoots OF the
family, the Barons OF Vaud and the Princes OF
Achaia, became extinct in 1850 and In 141S.
The names Of both the Green Count and the
Red Count are SO associated with tournaments
and feats Of farms that their influence as states
men is sometimes overlooked. AS q matter OF
fact. the Green Count played an even more
important part in history than In romance
and chivalry. lie was continually appealed
to as an arbitrator in his %neighbors' quar-
rels. settling. in turn. the differences be-
tween the crown OF Milan and the house Of
Montferrat, between the Scaligeri and the
Visconti. and between Venice and Genoa. In
the last instance he put q stop to the war OF
ChiogEiR. which was wasting the lifeblood OF
the two republics. The chief event in the
reign OF his son. the Red Count. apart from the
jousts for which he made Savoy famous. was
the acquisition OF the province Of Nice in 1888.
The death of the Red Count in 1891 was fol-
lowed by the reign Of his SON. Amadeus VIII.
surnamed the Peaceful. which was one Of the
most prosperous in the annals Of Savoy. The
territory over which he ruled exceeded In ex-
tent that of any OF his predecessors. and in 1416
1t was erected by the Emperor Siglsmund into
q dukedom. Another proof of sovereignty was
obtained from ~SiGismund, namely, o patent
which forbade any OF the Dukes subjects
from appealing to the courts OF the En-
pire after sentence had been passed upon
them by the Savoyard tribunals. This
Count. who had been made q Duke. was des-
tined to become a hermit and q Pope. In 1884
he suddenly renowned his throne, and. with
six chosen companions, sought q refuge at
Ripaille. on the Lake Of Geneva. where he
founded the Order OF Hermit-K knights OF st.
Maurice. From his cell at Ripaille, Amadeus
not only directed the affairs Of his own realm.
but also acted as mediator in many European
questions. While dwelling in his hermitage
Amadeus VIII. was elected Pope on Nov.
Is. 1439. by the Council OF Basic. in OPP
position to Eugenius ~. who by the
same Council was deposed from Office.
There is something very remarkable about
this elevation Of the Savoyard Hermit
Prince to the chair Of st. Peter. He was not
nor had ever been a priest. and. although a
widower, and therefore free to adopt celibacy,
he had several children living. the fruit OF his
marriage with Mary of Burgundy. For nine
years. under the name of Felix ". he was rec
ogniZed by part of Christendom as the lawful
and only Pope. He never reigned in the Eter-
nal City. however. and on the death OF Eugenius
in 1447 the Conclave at Rome elected Nicholas
V. to succeed him. Within the next two years
Felix renounced the papal office and retired
once more to his hermitage at Ripaille.