1553-80. Emmanuel Phibbert, son of Duke Charles, had acquired great military reputation in the armies of Charles V., and he continued in the service of Philip IL, for whom he won the great battle of St, Qoentin from the French in 1557, and in the following year he gained the battle of ()revenues. By the peace of Cambreshr, it was stipu lated that the hereditary dominions of the house of Savoy should be restored to Emmanuel Philibert, who married Margaret of France, sister of Henri Ii. The duke, baring thus recovered Savoy and Piedmont, which had been estranged from his house for nearly half a century, fixed his residence at Turin, and applied himself to restore order in every branch of the administration. He purchased the county of Tends and the principality of Oneglia, and created a small naval force for the protection of the coasts. But Geneva had established its independence, and the Pays-de-Vaud bad been occu pied by the Bermes., so that the Lake of Geneva became the northern boundary of the dominions of Savoy. Emmanuel Philibert died at Turin in 1580.
1580-1630. Charles Emmanuel I., son of Emmanuel Philibert, married Catherine of Austria, daughter of Philip II. He wrested the marqnluite of Sasso from the French, and made the Alps the bound ary between France and Piedmont When Henri IV. was acknowledged king of France, he claimed the marquisato of Saluxso, and the claim being refused, he invaded Savoy in 1600. By the peace of Lyon in the following year, Saluxxo was definitively given to the house of Savoy, in exchange for Broome. Bogey, and the county of Gez, which were ceded to France. In December 1602 Charles Emmanuel unsuccessfully attempted to seize Geneva. In the following year he formally ackrrow lodged the independence of that city and its territory. He waa after wards engaged in wars for the poosesaion of the marquisate of Moutferrato. He joined Spain and the emperor against France. The French invaded Savo) and overran Piedmont, and in the midst of this the duke died at Saviglisno in July 1630.
1630-37. Victor Amadeus I.. son of Charles Emmanuel, obtained possession of the greater part of Xontferrato by the pesos of Cherasec in 1631. He died in October 1637, in the midst of the war between the Spaniards and the French in Italy, leaving two infant sous, the first of whom, Francesco Olacinto, reigned nominally only for one year, a, he died in 1638.
1639-75. Charles Emmanuel II., second son of Victor Amadeus was proclaimed duke under the regency of his mother Christina of France. French troops, in their quality of allies, were In possessiot if the greater part of the country. In the meantime Thomas of iavoy, prince of Carignauo, and Cardinal Maurice of Savoy, uncles of he infant duke, being supported by Spain, demanded for themselves he regency and guardianship of their nephew, in order to free the erritories of their house from the baneful influence of France. A
Spanish army from the Milanese entered Piedmont, led by the two winces, and most of the towns opened their gates to them. In 1640 Curio, being iu possession of Prince Thomas and the Spaniards, was esieged by a French army, which had possession of the citadel, and he French were in their turn surrounded in their entrenchments by t Spanish army commanded by Count Leganee. At last Turin capi tulated and Leganes withdrew. Piedmont was freed of foreign troops and Charles Emmanuel, being of age, assumed the government The peace of the Pyrenees in 1659 terminated the Italian wars betweeu France and Spain, which had lasted with little interruption for nearly eighty years. Duke Charles Emmanuel enjoyed peace during the remainder of his reign. He applied himself to the improvement of his do:tab:limns He died in 1675.
1675.1730. Victor Amadeus II. succeeded his father Charles EmmanueL He found himself harassed between Louie XIV. of France on one aide and the house of Austria on the other. Louis ordered him, among other imperious commands, to give up to him the citadel of Turin. Victor Amadeus summoned round him the nobles of Piedmont and declared war against France. Being joined by an Austrian force, he'disputed every inch of grouud against the French. The war lasted till 1695. The peace of Ryowyck restored peace to Italy, and the French evacuated all the territories of the duke, including Pignerolo, which they had possessed for about a century. In the war of the Spanish succession Victor Amadeus sided first with the French, but afterwards with the emperor. French armies again overran and devastated Piedmont, and In 1706 besieged Turin, which made a noble defence. Victor Amadeus, being joined by the Austrian army under his relative Prince Eugene of Savoy, defeated the French besieging army on the 7th September 1706, and delivered Turin. By the peace of Utrecht (1713) he obtained the Valeesia, the territory of Lomelnua, the remainder of Montferrato, and other districts, and above all the island of Sicily with the title of king, and he was crowned at Palermo in December 1713. By the subsequent treaty of London, Victor Amadeus gave up Sicily to the emperor, and received in exchange the island of Sardinia with the title of a kingdom. Thus through his gallantry and perseverance the house of Savoy became numbered among the royal houses of Europe. Victor Amadeus employed the peaceful period which followed to improve the administration and to encourage agriculture and industry. Through his care the cultivation of the mulberry.tree and the rearing of silkworms latticed iu Pied mont that perfection which they still maintain. He abdicated in 1730 in favour of his son Charles Emmanuel. and retired to the villa of Monadieri, where be died in 1732. He was tho first king of his dynasty.