DUCHESS OF SAVOY
On the 7th of March 1500, between seven and eight o'clock in the
evening, a brilliant procession wound its way through a covered
passage from the Archducal Palace in the old town of Ghent to the
church of Saint John. The line of route was lit by more than a
thousand torches which flashed on the gorgeous clothes and jewels of
the princes and high officers of state who had come to grace the
baptism of the infant son of the Archduke Philip and Joanna of
Castile. The baby's step-great-grandmother, Margaret of York, widow of
Charles the Bold, carried him in her arms, seated on a chair covered
with brocade, and borne on the shoulders of four men from the palace
to the church; at her right walked Margaret, Princess of Castile, the
infant's other godmother, dressed in a mourning hood and mantle. She
had come to her brother's Court two days before to stand sponsor for
her nephew, who had been born in the palace at Ghent on February the
24th. The little prince, wrapped in a cloak of rich brocade lined with
ermine, was baptized by the name of Charles, in memory of his
great-grandfather the last Duke of Burgundy, his father conferring
upon him the title of Duke of Luxembourg. After the ceremony, which
was performed by the Archbishop of Tournay, trumpets sounded, and
money was thrown broadcast about the church, whilst the heralds
cried 'Largesse, largesse!' The procession then re-formed and returned
to the palace in the order in which it came, arriving between eleven
and twelve at night. A visit was immediately paid to the Archduchess
Joanna, who was informed that her son had been duly baptized. She
received the congratulations of the assembled guests lying in her
state-bed, which was hung with green damask and covered with a
gorgeous quilt of brocade. Near at hand were displayed the beautiful
presents the infant had received. Gold and crystal cups, flagons,
goblets, and salt-cellars sparkling with precious stones and pearls,
amongst them his Aunt Margaret's gift, 'a standing cup of gold with
cover weighing four marks, set with precious stones, a great balass
ruby on top, surrounded by twenty smaller rubies and diamonds.'[16]
[16] A. R. Villa, _La Reina Doña Juana la Loca_.
[Illustration: GHENT, SHEWING THE OLD BELFRY, AND CHURCH OF ST.
JOHN, WHERE CHARLES V WAS BAPTISED]
The old town of Ghent held high festival in honour of the birth of the
heir of Austria and Burgundy. The dragon on the belfry ejected Greek
fire from mouth and tail; torches and paper lanterns swung gaily from
the tower of Saint Nicholas to the belfry, and the object of all this
rejoicing was the infant who was one day to become the Emperor Charles
V. by a long train of events which opened the way to his inheritance
of more extensive dominions than any European sovereign since
Charlemagne had possessed, each of his ancestors having acquired
kingdoms or provinces towards which their prospect of succession was
extremely remote. But his early childhood was clouded, for he hardly
knew his parents, who left the Netherlands for Spain in November 1501,
barely nine months after his birth. When his mother returned in 1504
her mind was already troubled by the gloom which settled on her in
later years. After Queen Isabella's death his parents again left for
Spain to take possession of their kingdom of Castile (April 1506), and
Charles did not see his mother until 1517. But if he never knew a
mother's care, he had an admirable substitute in the affection and
guidance of his aunt.
Margaret spent two years with her father after she left Spain, during
which time she studied the management of German affairs, and tried to
forget her sorrow in improving her mind and cultivating her many
gifts. Her high birth, beauty, and accomplishments brought her many
suitors amongst the princes of Europe; we hear of her marriage being
discussed with the Kings of Poland and Scotland, and even with the
Prince of Wales, who was not yet united to his long-betrothed bride
Katharine. Finally her choice fell upon the young Duke of Savoy, who
had previously married Louisa Jolenta, daughter of Amadeus VIII., Duke
of Savoy, but who had no children. The young Duke Philibert II.,
surnamed the Handsome, was born in the castle of Pont d'Ain on the
10th of April 1480; he was therefore about the same age as Margaret.
His youth had been spent at the Court of France, and at fourteen he
had accompanied the expedition of Charles VIII. against the kingdom of
Naples. The following year, which was that of his accession to the
dukedom, he had taken part in the war waged by the Emperor Maximilian
against the Florentines. Tall, strong, courageous, extremely
good-looking, an accomplished rider, devoted to horses, hunting,
jousting and feats of arms, he was indeed a gallant young prince, well
fitted to win the heart of a beautiful and accomplished princess.
Politically this alliance was popular in Savoy, where it was feared
that a too close connection with France might impair the independence
of the duchy.
On the 26th of September 1501 the marriage contract was signed at
Brussels. The Archduke Philip settled 300,000 golden crowns on his
sister as dowry. She also enjoyed a revenue of 20,000 as
Dowager-Princess of Spain. It was agreed that if the Duke Philibert
should predecease his wife she should receive a dowry of 12,000 golden
crowns, raised on the county of Romont and the provinces of Vaud and
Faucigny.
Margaret left Brussels towards the end of October to join her future
husband at Geneva. She travelled slowly, for the roads were bad and
the days short. Margaret of York accompanied her for half a league and
then took leave; her brother Philip going with her a short way, he
left her a company of Flemish nobles to escort her as far as Geneva at
his expense, Duke Philibert having sent two hundred and fifty knights
to meet his bride and act as her bodyguard.
The inhabitants of the towns she passed through turned out to give her
a hearty welcome and to wish her good luck. They offered her gifts of
wine and venison, wild boars, partridges, rabbits, and fatted calves.
The Bishop of Troyes gave her the keys of his cellar whilst she stayed
in the episcopal town. At Dôle the inhabitants made her a present of
'six puncheons of wine, six sheep, six calves, six dozen capons, six
wild geese, and twelve horses laden with oats.'
The duke's natural brother René, who was known as the Bastard of
Savoy, married her by proxy on Sunday, November 28th. He presented the
bride with a heart of diamonds surmounted by a very fine pearl, and a
girdle set with twenty-six diamonds, ten large carbuncles and pearls
(marguerites) without number. When the evening came, Margaret, dressed
in cloth of gold, lined with crimson satin, and wearing splendid
jewels, was laid on a state-bed, whilst René in complete armour went
through the ceremony of placing himself beside her, 'all those who had
been at the betrothal being present.' After a few moments he rose from
the bed, begging madame's pardon for having interrupted her sleep, and
asking for a kiss in payment. The kiss was graciously given, and René,
throwing himself on his knees, swore to be always her faithful
servant. Margaret made him rise, wished him a good-night, and
presented him with a valuable diamond set in a gold ring.[17]
[17] M. Le Glay.
From Dôle Margaret travelled to Romain-Motier, a small village about
two miles from Geneva, and buried in a lonely valley. The ruined
cloisters of the old abbey of black monks may still be seen where
Philibert met Margaret one winter's morning, and where the marriage
was celebrated by Louis de Gorrevod, Bishop of Maurienne, on the 4th
of December 1501.
A brilliant reception awaited the young couple at Geneva. Magnificent
fêtes, jousts, and tourneys were given in their honour, which 'cost
the town a great deal in games, dances, masquerades, and other
amusements.' Together they made a triumphal progress through the
principal towns to the duchy of Savoy during the spring and summer. At
Chambéry they received a royal welcome. At Bourg the inhabitants
greeted the bridal pair with enthusiasm, although the humble burghers
had been much perturbed as to how they should do honour to an
emperor's daughter.
They had just bought fifty thousand bricks wherewith to erect
fortifications, and this expense had emptied the municipal coffers.
After much consultation they decided to borrow seven hundred florins
from the priests of Our Lady of Bourg. These ecclesiastics lent the
sum required on receiving authority to reimburse themselves from the
revenues of the town. A deputation was sent to meet the duke and
duchess and to offer them and the Governor of Bresse four dozen Clon
cheeses, four puncheons of foreign wine, and twelve pots of preserves.
The following detailed account of their reception is to be found in
the archives of the town of Bourg:--
'At last the long-looked-for day came, and the duke and duchess
arrived at Bourg on the 5th of August 1502. From early dawn the bells
of the monasteries and churches were ringing, guns firing, and a stir
of general excitement was in the air. The picturesque wooden houses
were hung with coloured tapestries, decorated with five hundred
escutcheons bearing the arms of Savoy and Burgundy. Eight platforms
had been constructed in different parts of the town on which were to
be enacted masques and allegories. At the sound of the trumpet the
crowd collected in front of the town-hall, from whence issued the
municipal body, preceded by the syndics in red robes, one of them
bearing the town keys on a silver salver. The procession marched with
trumpets blowing to the market-place, when soon after a warlike
fanfare and the neighing of horses announced the arrival of the ducal
cortège, headed by Philibert and Margaret. The sight of the young
couple evoked shouts and cheers. Margaret, wearing the ducal crown,
was mounted on a palfrey, covered with a rich drapery, embroidered
with the arms of Burgundy, and with nodding white plumes on its head.
Through a veil of silver tissue her sweet face appeared framed in long
tresses of fair hair. A close-fitting dress of crimson velvet stitched
with gold, bordered with the embossed arms of Austria and Savoy, set
off her graceful figure. With one hand she held the reins of her
horse, with the other she saluted the crowd, whilst at her right on a
fiery charger rode the handsome Philibert, delighted with the
enthusiasm which burst forth at the progress of his lovely wife.
'The syndics, kneeling on one knee, presented the duke and duchess
with the keys of the town. John Palluat, head of the municipality,
made a lengthy speech according to the fashion of the time, full of
whimsical expressions, puns and witticisms, comparing Princess
Margaret's qualities with those of the flower that bore her name.
'Having entered the town the ducal procession alighted, and two
gentlemen--Geoffroy Guillot and Thomas Bergier--advanced towards the
princess: the former had been chosen by the council to explain the
mysteries, moralities, and allegories; the latter to hold a small
canopy over the princess's head. At the market gate on a large
platform a huge elephant was seen carrying a tower. This tower, emblem
of the town, had four turrets, in each of which was a young girl
typifying one of the four attributes of the capital of Bresse. These
attributes were goodness, obedience, reason, and justice. After
listening to verses sung in her praise by the four attributes, the
princess, still preceded by Geoffroy Guillot, arrived at the
market-place, where on another platform was represented the invocation
of Saint Margaret, virgin and martyr. The saint with a halo, treading
an enormous dragon under foot, was smiling at Margaret. She held her
right hand over her as a sign of her protection in this world, and
with her left pointed to the sky and the eternal throne that God had
prepared for her. A group of angels sang a hymn about heaven envying
earth the possession of Margaret; whilst the priests of Notre-Dame and
the preaching friars enacted the legend of Saint George and the
Archangel Michael on the platforms before their church.
'Further on, before the Maison de Challes, the exploits of gods and
heroes of mythology were shown. Two persons, one wrapped in a lion's
skin and carrying on his shoulder an enormous club of cardboard, the
other in a helmet and draped in a red tunic, were supposed to
represent the departure of Hercules and Jason to conquer the Golden
Fleece. At the other end of the theatre Medea, dressed in a silk robe,
gave vent to the fury she felt at her adventurous husband's
indifference.
'Before the fountain of the town the crowd was so dense that the guard
and Geoffroy Guillot found it difficult to force a passage for the
duchess. There the monks of Scillon had arranged a curious fountain in
the shape of a gigantic maiden from whose breasts of tinted metal two
jets of wine flowed into a large basin; her body held a puncheon of
wine which was cleverly replaced when exhausted. Finally, in front of
the entrance to the ducal palace, Margaret witnessed the conquest of
the Golden Fleece. Before carrying off this precious spoil Hercules
and Jason had to fight a multitude of monsters, dragons and buffaloes,
which were disposed of with their club and sword. The crowd having
loudly cheered this curious exhibition, the duke and duchess entered
the castle situated in the highest part of the city.
'The syndics in the name of the town then presented the gift they
had prepared for the duchess, a gold medal weighing one hundred and
fifty ducats. This medal, struck at Bourg, showed on the obverse the
effigy of the duke and duchess on a field strewn with fleurs-de-lys
and love-knots, with this inscription:--
PHILIBERTUS DUX SABAUDIAE, VIIIUS.
MARGARITA MAXI., AUG. FI. D. SAB.
On the reverse was a shield with the arms of Savoy and Austria
impaled, surmounted by a large love-knot and surrounded with this
inscription:--
GLORIA IN ALTISSIMIS DEO, ET IN TERRA PAX HOMINIBUS.
BURGUS.
Thus ended the town of Bourg's splendid reception of their young duke
and duchess.'[18]
[18] J. Baux, _L'Église de Brou_.
[Illustration: MEDAL STRUCK AT BOURG TO COMMEMORATE MARGARET OF
AUSTRIA'S MARRIAGE WITH PHILIBERT, DUKE OF SAVOY]
Philibert and Margaret continued their tour of the duchy, and returned
to Bourg in April 1503, when they took up their residence at the
castle of Pont d'Ain, where the happiest years of Margaret's short
married life were passed.
From this favourite castle of the Dukes of Savoy on the river Ain,
there is a splendid view of the undulating country, distant hills and
forests, which in the days of Philibert were well stocked with game.
It would be hard to find a more beautiful spot, and it is no wonder
that Margaret loved it and spent most of her time there.
When Philibert succeeded to the dukedom after his father's death, his
first act had been to give an appanage to his natural brother René. He
bestowed upon him the county of Villars, the castle of Apremont, and
the Seignory of Gourdans. This brother, who was known as the Bastard
of Savoy, was of an ambitious and grasping nature. Knowing that
Philibert hated business and preferred spending his time in hunting
and warlike sports, René worked on his indolence until he practically
had the management of the duchy in his own hands. He persuaded
Philibert to grant him an act of legitimacy and also to give him the
title of Lieutenant-General of the States of Savoy. When Louis XII.
wished to pass through the duchy to reach Milan he communicated with
René. The French monarch made him many promises, which were mentioned
in the treaty concluded at Château-Renard with the Cardinal d'Amboise.
Duke Philibert, in virtue of this treaty, allowed the passage of the
French troops, received Louis XII. at Turin, displayed an
extraordinary magnificence, and even accompanied the king to Milan
with two hundred men-at-arms. In return for his civility Louis granted
him an annual pension of 20,000 golden crowns from the revenues of
this duchy.
René's influence over his half-brother was put to a hard test when
Margaret became Philibert's wife. The young couple truly loved each
other, but the princess could not brook this divided authority. She
did all in her power to get rid of René, whom she heartily disliked.
The struggle was keen but decisive. Margaret made use of her father's
authority, who as the Duke of Savoy's suzerain nullified the deed of
René's legitimisation. She also had recourse to religious intervention
to accuse him of extortion. At her instigation Friar Malet, the Court
preacher, drew a picture of the people's misery and sufferings in a
sermon. Addressing Philibert, he exhorted him to 'drive out the
thieves who were in his household, who,' he said, 'were leeches
sucking the blood of his unhappy subjects.' René was not long in
perceiving that his credit at the Court of Savoy was gone. He came to
his brother and asked permission to retire to his property. 'I wish,'
Philibert answered, 'that you would not only retire from my Court, but
also from my State, and that within two days on pain of death.' René
took refuge at the Court of France, but even there Margaret's dislike
followed him, and all his goods were confiscated after a mock trial.
Philibert had only changed his Prime Minister. After René's departure
Margaret took up the reins of government and ruled Savoy and Bresse
unhindered. She obtained many privileges from her father, amongst
others the temporal jurisdiction over all the bishoprics of Savoy,
Piedmont, Bugey, and the provinces of Geneva and Vaud. This concession
extended Savoy's right of sovereignty over all lands east of the river
Saône, which is still called locally 'the side of the Empire.'
In April 1503 the Archduke Philip paid his sister a visit at Bourg on
his return from Spain, where he had been to take possession of the
crown of Castile, which through the death of Queen Isabella had
descended to his wife Joanna. A grand tournament was held on the
_Place des Lices_ in honour of his visit. Philip was then escorted by
his sister and her husband to the castle of Pont d'Ain, where fresh
festivities were prepared. The nobility of Bresse and Bugey flocked
there to welcome the royal guests, and there is even a tradition that
the 'Holy Shroud,' usually kept at Turin, and which had long been in
the possession of the House of Savoy, was there exposed for the
archduke's veneration.
During the next few years the peace of Europe was unbroken, and
Philibert was unable to satisfy his warlike inclinations. His
exuberant spirits found an outlet in hunting, jousts, and
tournaments. He loved splendid armour, gorgeous apparel, and brilliant
fêtes. A contemporary chronicler has left an account of the
entertainments given by the Court of Savoy in 1504 on the occasion of
the marriage of Laurent de Gorrevod (who later became Governor of
Bresse and Count of Pont-de-Vaux) with the daughter of Hugues de la
Pallu, Count of Varax, Marshal of Savoy. All the nobility of Piedmont
and Savoy were assembled at the castle of Carignan on the 18th of
February, Shrove Tuesday, where a tournament took place in the
presence of Philibert, 'Madam Margaret of Austria, Madame Blanche,
Dowager of Savoy, and many other young and beautiful ladies, as much
to pass the time as to please the ladies.'
A long and wearisome description of the tournament is given, in which
Philibert and his brother Charles carried off several prizes. Such
were the duke's favourite pastimes, whether at Turin, Carignan, or at
Bourg, where the lists were opened under the castle walls.
Philibert had inherited his passion for hunting from a long line of
ancestors who were all devoted to this sport. The castle of Pont
d'Ain, standing high on a hill overlooking Bresse and Bugey, with the
river Ain flowing at its feet well stocked with fish, and its plains
and vast forests abounding with game, was an ideal home for a
sportsman like Philibert. Here he and Margaret enjoyed the pleasures
of a country life. Accompanied by their nobles and friends the duke
and duchess often started at dawn of day on their hunting excursions,
returning with the last rays of the evening sun. We are told by Jean
le Maire that one day Margaret had an accident which might have proved
very serious. When she and her husband were hunting in the fields
near the town of Quier in Piedmont, the powerful horse on which she
was mounted became quite unmanageable, and kicking and plunging, threw
her violently to the ground. She fell under its feet, the iron-shod
hoofs trampling on her dress, disarranging her hair, and breaking a
thick golden chain which hung from her neck. All those who witnessed
the accident were paralysed with terror, believing the duchess could
not escape alive, and recalling a similar accident in which her
mother, Mary of Burgundy, had lost her life. But Margaret had a
miraculous escape, and got up without any harm beyond a severe
shaking.
One morning, early in September 1504, Philibert went out hunting,
leaving Margaret at Pont d'Ain, and though the weather was extremely
hot, followed a wild boar for several hours. All his followers were
left behind, and his horses having succumbed to the heat and hard
riding, he descended a narrow valley about midday on foot, and at last
arrived breathless and bathed in perspiration at Saint Vulbas'
fountain. Delighted with the freshness of the spot, he ordered his
meal to be served in a shady grove; but before long he was seized with
a sudden chill, and pressing his hand to his side in great pain,
mounted a horse which was brought to him, and with difficulty rode
back to Pont d'Ain, his nobles and huntsmen sadly following. On
arriving at the castle the duke threw himself heavily on a bed, and
Margaret was immediately summoned. She tried by all means in her power
to relieve him, sending in great haste for the doctors. When they came
she gave them her precious pearls to grind to powder, and watched them
make an elixir with these jewels which she hoped would save the duke's
life. She made many vows, and sent offerings to distant shrines,
invoking the help of heaven by her prayers. But Philibert was seized
with pleurisy; his vigorous constitution resisted the violence of the
attack for some days. The physicians bled him, but all their doctoring
was in vain, and soon they had to confess that they could do nothing
more. 'He himself feeling his end approaching got up, and wished to go
and say an eternal farewell to his very dear companion, embracing her
closely. After having asked for the last sacraments, and by many acts
of faith and devotion shown his love for the holy Christian faith,
Duke Philibert expired in Margaret's arms on the 10th of September
1504, at nine o'clock in the morning, in the twenty-fourth year of his
age, in the same room in the castle of Pont d'Ain where he had first
seen the light.' Margaret's grief was heart-rending: we are told that
her sobs and cries echoed through the castle. The whole duchy of Savoy
mourned with her for the gallant young prince, so suddenly cut off in
the flower of his age.
[Illustration: TOMB OF PHILIBERT LE BEAU, DUKE OF SAVOY, IN THE
CHURCH OF BROU]
The duke's body was embalmed, and attired in ducal robes, with the
rich insignia of his rank, laid on a state-bed in a spacious chamber,
where a crowd of his subjects came to gaze their last on their young
lord. The body was then placed in a leaden coffin on which the
deceased's titles were engraved, and his funeral carried out with much
pomp. The magistrates of Bourg had a hundred torches made bearing the
arms of the town; they were carried by burghers who went to escort the
body from the castle of Pont d'Ain to the church of Notre-Dame, though
Margaret wished her husband to be laid in the priory church of Brou,
near his mother, Margaret of Bourbon's tomb.
In 1480 Philibert's father, whilst hunting near the same spot, where
later his son contracted his fatal illness, had fallen from his horse
and broken his arm. He also was carried to Pont d'Ain, and his life
was in danger. His wife, Margaret of Bourbon, then made a vow that if
her husband's life was spared she would found a monastery of the order
of Saint Benedict at Brou. The duke recovered, but the duchess died in
1483 before she fulfilled the vow, the accomplishment of which she
bequeathed to her son Philibert, whose early death also prevented him
from carrying out his mother's wishes. Margaret now took upon herself
the duty of founding the monastery, and also of erecting for them
both, and, above all, for him whom she loved, 'a great tomb which
should be their nuptial couch,' where she herself would be laid to
rest when her time should come.
Stricken with grief, a childless widow, deprived for the second time
of the husband she loved, at the age of twenty-four she felt as though
all joy in life had ended, and 'immediately after her husband's death
she cut off her beautiful golden hair, and had the same done to her
own ladies.'[19]
[19] _Couronne Margaritique._
Margaret passed some years of her widowhood at the castle of Pont
d'Ain, where several traces of her sojourn remain. She made some
additions to the building; the principal staircase still bears her
name. Here she lived in seclusion, mourning her lot, and describing
her loneliness and sorrow in prose and in verse. In spite of the
imperfections of a free versification Margaret's poems show a certain
harmony, smoothness, and charm in the informal stanzas, of which the
following is a good specimen:--
I
'O dévots cueurs, amans d'amour fervente,
Considérez si j'ay esté dolente,
Que c'est raison! je suis la seule mère
Qui ay perdu son seul fils et son père,
Et son amy par amour excellente!
Ce n'est pas jeu d'estre si fortunée[20]
D'estre si fortunée!
Qu'est longue fault[21] de ce qu'on ayme bien!
Et je suis sceure que pas de luy ne vient,
Mais me procède de ma grant destinée!
Dites-vous donc que je suis égarée
Quant je me vois séparée de mon bien?
Ce n'est pas jeu d'estre si fortunée!
Qu'est longue fault de ce qu'on ayme bien!
Mais que de luy je ne soye oubliée!!!
II
Deuil et ennuy, soussy, regret et peine,
Ont eslongué ma plaisance mondaine,
Dont à part moy je me plains et tourmente,
Et en espoir n'ay plus un brin d'attente:
Véez là comment Fortune me pourmeine.
Ceste longheur vault pis que mort soudaine;
Je n'ay pensée que joye me rameine;
Ma fantaisie est de déplaisir pleine;
Car devant moy à toute heure se présente
Deuil et ennuy.
III
Plusieurs regrets qui sur la terre sont,
Et les douleurs que hommes et femmes ont,
N'est que plaisir envers ceulx que je porte,
Me tourmentant de la piteuse sorte
Que mes esprits ne savent plus qu'ils sont.
Cueurs désolés par toutes nations,
Deuil assemblez et lamentations;
Plus ne quérez l'harmonieuse lyre,
Lyesse, esbats et consolations;
Laissez aller plaintes, pleurs, passions,
Et m'aidez tous à croistre mon martyre,
Cueurs désolés!
IV
Aisn vous plongés en désolation,
Venez à moy!...
Le noble et bon dont on ne peult mal dire,
Le soutenant de tous sans contredire,
Est mort, hélas! quel malédiction!
Cueurs désolés!
V
Me faudra-t-il toujours ainsi languir?
Me faudra-t-il enfin ainsi morir?
Nul n'aura-t-il de mon mal coignoissance?
Trop a duré; car c'est dès mon enfance!
Je prie à Dieu qu'il me doint tempérance,
Mestier en ay: je le prens sur ma foi;
Car mon seul bien est souvent près de moy,
Mais pour les gens fault faire contenance!
Pourquoy coucher seulette et à part moy,
Qu'il me faudra user de pacience!
Las! c'est pour moi trop grande pénitence;
Certes ouy, et plus quant ne le voy!'
[20] Jouet de la fortune.
[21] Combien est long le besoin, le regret.
These verses, and many others, were written at Bourg, or at the castle
of Pont d'Ain. This castle, built towards the end of the tenth century
by the Sires de Coligny, Lords of Revermont, had passed through
marriage to the Dauphins du Viennois in 1225, and in 1285 to the Duke
of Burgundy. In 1289 this duke exchanged it, as well as the lordship
of Revermont, with Amé IV., Count of Savoy, who was Seigneur of Bresse
in right of his wife, Sybille de Baugé. The buildings having been much
damaged in the wars, Amé's son, Aimon, rebuilt them. The last warlike
episode in the history of the castle occurred in 1325 when Edward,
Count of Savoy, came to take refuge in the fortress after his defeat
near Varey. The pleasant situation of the castle at the extremity of
the chain of Revermont, its proximity to France, and equable climate
made it the favourite home of the Dukes of Savoy. Below in the valley,
which extends to the Rhone, the waters of the river Ain join those of
the Suran. To the south and east are the mountain ranges near Bas
Bugey, with wooded slopes and prosperous villages, to the north and
west the undulating plain of Bresse, crowned by forests. The
Princesses of Savoy loved this spot. Amedeo VIII. lived here for a
long time with his wife Yolande of France. Philibert and his sister
Louise (the mother of Francis I.) were born here, and here their
mother, Margaret of Bourbon, came to spend her last days. In this
peaceful spot Margaret passed the first years of her mourning,
attached to Bresse by memories of her love and sorrow.