Savoy's Expansion into Piedmont (1470s)

Timeline

1. 1471–1472Turin · PiedmontDuke Amadeus IX of Savoy was in frail health and by the early 1470s could hardly govern personally; his wife Yolande of France helped manage ducal affairs. The duchy maintained control over the Savoy homeland and Piedmont's core cities while keeping a delicate balancing diplomacy between the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France.
2. 1472–1478Savoy and Piedmont · PiedmontAfter Amadeus IX's death, his young son Philibert I succeeded, and Yolande, sister of King Louis XI of France, served as regent, strengthening central control over the feudal nobility. During the regency she reformed the judiciary, consolidated border fortresses, and with French royal support suppressed domestic opponents; ducal administration became more centralized.
3. 1475–1480Saluzzo · PiedmontIn 1475 Savoy purchased territory and suzerainty from the Marquisate of Saluzzo, enlarging its holdings in southwestern Piedmont and controlling the coastal route to Liguria. This alarmed neighbors such as Milan, but with French support Savoy completed the annexation, moving from a small Alpine inland state toward a regional power in northwestern Italy.