He was born in
Turin to
Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy, and
Christine of France. His maternal grandparents were
Henry IV of France and his second wife
Marie de' Medici. In 1638 at the death of his older brother
Francis Hyacinth, Duke of Savoy, Charles Emmanuel succeeded to the duchy of Savoy at the age of 4. His mother governed in his place, and even after reaching adulthood in 1648, he invited her to continue to rule. Charles Emmanuel continued a life of pleasure, far away from the affairs of state. He became notorious for his persecution of the Vaudois (
Waldensians) culminating in the massacre of 1655, known as
Piedmontese Easter. The massacre was so brutal that it prompted the English poet
John Milton to write the
sonnet On the Late Massacre in Piedmont.
Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector, called for a general fast in England and proposed to send the British Navy if the massacre was not stopped while gathering funds for helping the
Waldensians. Sir
Samuel Morland was commissioned with that task. He later wrote
The History of the Evangelical Churches of the Valleys of Piemont (1658). The 1655 massacre was only the beginning of a series of conflicts, the
Savoyard–Waldensian wars (1655–1690), that saw Waldensian rebels use guerrilla warfare tactics against ducal military campaigns to enforce Roman Catholicism upon the entire population. Only after the death of his mother in 1663, did he really assume power. He was not successful in gaining a passage to the sea at the expense of
Genoa (
Second Genoese–Savoyard War, 1672–1673), and had difficulties in retaining the influence of his powerful neighbour France. But he greatly improved commerce and wealth in the Duchy, developing the port of
Nice and building a road through the
Alps towards France. He also reformed the army, which until then was mostly composed of mercenaries: he formed instead five Piedmontese regiments and recreated cavalry, as well as introducing uniforms. He also restored fortifications. He constructed many beautiful buildings in
Turin, for instance, the
Palazzo Reale. He died on 12 June 1675, leaving his second wife as regent for his son. He is buried at
Turin Cathedral. In 1672, the duke had allowed Hortense Mancini to take refuge in Chambéry. She was fleeing from an unhappy marriage to Armand Charles de La Porte, 2nd Duke of La Meilleraye and needed protection. As a young man the duke had unsuccessfully sought her hand in marriage and it is possible that an affair began at this time. Goldsmith notes, "Charles-Emmanuel's delight in hosting the runaway Duchess Mazarin quickly developed into an obsessive fascination once he became more closely acquainted with her.” However, her presence at court led to tension with supporters of the duchess Marie Jeanne Baptiste de Savoie. Goldsmith notes, "Members of the court who favored the Savoyard duchess, who found herself eclipsed in her husband’s attentions by the exotic Hortense, were quick to pick quarrels with Hortense and her circle." When the duke died, his wife became regent and made it clear that Hortense was not welcome in the kingdom any longer. She left Savoy in October 1675." ==Marriages and issue==