Count Philip of Savoy I

  General Notes:

He was the count of Savoy from 1268 to 1285. Before this, he was the bishop of Valence (1241\endash 1267), dean of Vienne (1241\endash 1267) and archbishop of Lyon (1245\endash 1267).

Philip was the eighth son of Thomas I of Savoy and Marguerite of Geneva. As such, his parents prepared him for a clerical career. In 1240, he was a candidate for bishop of Lausanne, but had to resign. Instead, he became bishop of Valence in 1241. In 1244, Pope Innocent IV fled from Rome, and Philip convinced his brother, Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy, to let the pope pass through Savoy. Pope Innocent ensured Philip's election as archbishop of Lyon in 1245.

When, against expectations, Philip became the next heir for the County of Savoy, he gave his church offices up and married Adelaide, Countess Palatine of Burgundy, on 12 June 1267. He became count of Savoy in 1268, and in 1272 he also acquired the County of Bresse. While he was at first successful in extending the power of Savoy, in 1282 he was opposed by a coalition of King Rudolph I, Charles of Anjou (who was also count of Provence), the dauphin, and the counts of Geneva.

He appointed his nephew, Amadeus, as his successor, and died childless in Roussillon in 1285.