page_title: Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia
section_title: Internal reforms
hierarchical_section_title: Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia / Duke of Savoy / Internal reforms
caption_attribution_description: English: Portrait of Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia (1666-1732)
context_page_description: Victor Amadeus II was Duke of Savoy from 1675 to 1730. He also held the titles of marquis of Saluzzo, duke of Montferrat, prince of Piedmont and count of Aosta, Moriana and Nice.
  Louis XIV organised his marriage in order to maintain French influence in the Duchy, but Victor Amadeus soon broke away from the influence of France. At his father's death in 1675, his mother, Marie Jeanne Baptiste of Nemours, was regent in the name of her nine-year-old son and would remain in de facto power until 1684 when Victor Amadeus banished her further involvement in the state.
  Having fought in the War of the Spanish Succession, he became king of Sicily in 1713, but he was forced to exchange this title and instead became king of Sardinia.
  Victor Amadeus left a considerable cultural influence in Turin, remodeling the Royal Palace of Turin, Palace of Venaria, Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi, as well as building the Basilica of Superga where he rests.
context_section_description: Victor Amadeus II undertook sweeping administrative reforms within Savoy. In 1696 he established a system of intendants, based on the French model, responsible for collecting taxes and law enforcement. In 1697 he began a land survey which was largely completed by 1711, the Perequazione, to examine the land holdings and privileges of the Church and nobility. In 1717 he reformed the secretariat system in Turin establishing individual secretaries for war, internal affairs and foreign affairs. From the 1670s he also had a new administrative zone built in Turin, around the ducal palace. This zone included a military academy, the ministry of war, a mint, and a customs house. This work was still ongoing upon his death.
  Victor Amadeus also undertook a number of military reforms.  Often when one of his key fortresses was under attack, he would replace its commanding officer with one of his most reliable and trusted leaders.  In 1690 he established a select militia within his territories, and he later overhauled the militia system in 1714 and strictly codified it.  This included an obligation for each region under his rule to provide a number of men for the militia based on population.  From 1713 he also began to establish his own navy based on the limited Sicilian naval forces he had been granted.
  Victor Amadeus was able to use the experienced armies he developed in foreign wars to establish more firm control within his own territories.  Faced with rebellion by Mondovì at the end of the century, he brought a force of veterans from the Nine Years War there and re-established his authority.  He employed a similar strategy against an anti-tax riot in Cigliano in 1724.
caption: Victor Amadeus II before 1732.
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