ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

Yolande Louise of Savoy

Yolande Louise of Savoy (1487–1499) was Duchess of Savoy as the wife of Philibert II, Duke of Savoy.

She was born on July 11, 1487, in Turin and baptized at St. John the Baptist's Cathedral on July 29 of the same year. Her godparents included Ludovico Maria Sforza (Duke of Milan), María Branković (daughter of Esteban Branković, king of Serbia, and Marquesa of Montferrato for his marriage to Boniface III), as well as Urbano Bonivard (Bishop of Vercelli) Juan de Compety (Bishop of Tarentaise), Antonio Champion (Chancellor of Savoy, Bishop of Mondov), the abbess of Caseneuve and future Blessed Paula Gambara Costa.

Yolande was the daughter of Duke Charles I of Savoy, nicknamed the Warrior, and Bianca of Montferrat, granddaughter of Philibert's late uncle, Duke Amedaeus IX of Savoy. She was the heiress of her brother, father, grandfather, and grandmother Yolanda of France, the eldest surviving daughter of King Charles VII of France. By right of birth, after the death of her brother, she was to inherit the kingdoms of Cyprus and Jerusalem; however, Philibert's father assumed these titles.

In 1496, her brother Duke Charles II of Savoy died at the age of six, leaving Yolande as the regent for their two-year-old nephew. The boy died in 1496, and the Duke became their Uncle Philip II of Savoy. For political and dynastic reasons that same year, nine-year-old Yolanda was married to her 16-year-old first cousin, Philibert II of Savoy, son of Duke Philip II of Savoy and Earl of Bres.

The couple subsequently claimed and took the titles of Queen and King of Cyprus, Jerusalem, and Armenia. However, it is worth noting that these claims were not universally recognized due to the complex web of alliances and rivalries within European royal families during this period.

Yolande died on September 12, 1499, at the age of twelve in Geneva. As a member of the Savoy dynasty, she was buried in the Abbey of Otcomb.