Victor Amadeus was born in
Turin,
Piedmont, as the second son and child of
Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and
Catherine Micaela of Spain, daughter of King
Philip II of Spain. He spent much of his childhood in
Madrid at the court of his grandfather Philip II. He stayed there until the king's death in 1598, when Victor Amadeus was eleven. As the second son of the Duke, he was not expected to become Duke of Savoy. That changed when his brother, Filippo Emanuele, died in 1605, thus he became heir-apparent to the
Duchy of Savoy and received the homage of the court at
Racconigi on 21 January 1607. Victor Amadeus became Duke of Savoy after his father's death in 1630. Charles Emmanuel's policies had brought great instability in the relationships with both
France and Spain, and troops were needed to defend the Duchy. As money was lacking to recruit mercenaries or train indigenous soldiers, Victor Amadeus signed a peace treaty with Spain. With the
Treaty of Cherasco, Savoy was forced to give
Pinerolo to France. This gave France a strategic route into the heart of Savoy territory and on into the rest of Italy. The rulers of Savoy from that point resented this loss and worked for decades with the goal of regaining that loss. Subsequently, under the direction of
Cardinal Richelieu, Victor Amadeus attempted to create an anti-Spanish league in
Italy. He achieved two victories against the Spanish: In 1636 in the
Battle of Tornavento and on 8 September 1637 in the Battle of Mombaldone. ==Death==