Savoy

(sah-voi",) (anc. Sab and i a,) [Fr. SAVOIE,] a former sovereign duchy, and afterwards a division of the kingdom of Sardinia; now forming the two French depts. of SAVOIE and HAUTE-SAVOIE, b. N. and N.E. by Switzerland, S.E. and S. by Italy, and W.by the French depts. Isère and Ain. United area, 4,270 sq. m. These depts. are watered by the Rhône, Isère, and other rivers; are fertile, and are rich in minerals. Cap. of Savoie, Chambery; of Haute-Savoie, Annecy. Pop. 545,431.-This territory, created a duchy by A made us VIII. in 1416, was ceded to France by the king of Sardinia in 1860.HOUSE OF SAVOY. (Hist.) A dynastic race, one of the oldest and most illustrious in Europe. Its founder is said to have been one Berth old, a German count, who settled in the country between Lake Leman and Mont Blanc. In 1111 his descendants took the title of counts; in 1383 they added the co. of Nice to their po e ions; in 1416 formed a duchy of Savoy, and in 1418 annexed Piedmont to it. In 1713, along with the island of Sicily, they a umed the regal title, and after exchanging that island for Sardinia, in 1720, the chief of the House ranked among European potentates as King of Sardinia. At the peace of 1815, Genoa and Liguria were added to the po e ions of the Sard in i an dynasty, the direct male line of which expired in the person of Charles Felix, in 1831. In 1861, the head of the House of Savoy, Victor-Emmanuel II., became King of Italy. [s. 800]