Charles I, Duke of Savoy

Who was Charles I, Duke of Savoy?

Charles I, surnamed the Warrior, was the Duke of Savoy from 1482 to 1490 and titular king of Cyprus, Jerusalem, and Armenia from 1485 to 1490.

Charles was related in two ways to the childless Queen Charlotte of Cyprus, titular Queen of Armenia and Jerusalem. Not only was she his father Amadeus' first cousin, in such a way that her rights would naturally descend to this line, but also she was the widow of Charles's paternal uncle Louis of Savoy, Count of Geneva. Charlotte however was without a kingdom, having been exiled in the 1460s from her own legitimate kingdom of Cyprus by her illegitimate half-brother.

This double relationship would serve Charles well, as in 1485, when he was 17, she surrendered her rights in Cyprus, Armenia, and Jerusalem to young Charles, her next legitimate heir in line from King Janus of Cyprus and Armenia. The kingdom itself was held by the republic of Venice, but the Savoy dynasty continued to claim it.