This is the flag of Savoy
Flag of Savoy atop the Castle of the Dukes, Chambery. Photo GLK
This is the flag of Savoy, not to be confused with the flag of neighboring Switzerland, which presents a white cross on a red banner.
Savoy (Savoie in French) rubs shoulders with Switzerland and Italy, south of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman in French) east of the Rhone River and north of Grenoble. Its main valley towns are Annecy, at the top of Lake Annecy, Aix-les-Bains, on the side of Lake Bourget, and Chambéry. Up in the mountains there’s Chamonix (and Mont Blanc), Megève,Tignes, Val d’Isère, Méribel, Courchevel, Les Arcs, and other ski resorts.
The photo above was taken from the top of the Castle of the Dukes of Savoy in Chambéry, the seat of power of Savoy from the 13th to 16th centuries.
Savoy was a county in the 11th century, and Chambéry became its capital beginning in the 13th century. The counts’ wealth and power grew through the region, thanks in part to their ability to assert control over the mountain passes between what are now France and Italy.
In the 15th century, Savoy was raised in status to that of a duchy given that it beginning in 1416 the region was ruled by Duke Amédée VII, who then annexed Piedmont on the Italian side of the Alps. Over the next 100+ years Chambéry developed in sophistication and beauty as the capital of a vast region embracing both sides of the Alps.
The French kings, however, coveted that position and wealth, and incursions by the French army led the dukes to transfer their capital to Turin, where various alliances eventually created the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. From dukes then the House of Savoy bred kings. A fascinating cross-Savoy exploration can be made by visiting both Chambéry and Turin, now 2-½ hours apart by high-speed train.
The French influence (language, culture, commerce, army) on the western side of Savoy had long been felt, so in the 19th century, as the nations of Europe agglomerated their various regions and relatives into centralized states better suited to fight each other, French Savoy naturally and willingly became a part of France. That was 1860, when Piedmont’s transalpine possession, Savoy and Nice, were ceded to France in exchange for French assistance in solidification of power of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, which required kicking the Austrians out of central and northern Italy. That move that soon led to the unification of Italy under King Victor Emmanuel… of the House of Savoy.
The traditional burial place of the House of Savoy since 1139 has been the Abbey of Hautecombe, on the edge of Lake Bourget, opposite the town of Aix-les-Bains. That explains why Umberto II (1904-1983), the last king of Italy (1944-1946), is buried in France along with many of his ancestors.
Abbey of Hautecombe, burial place of the House of Savoy, as seen from Bourget Lake. Photo GLK.
Savoy is now split between the department of Savoie in its southern portion, with Chambéry as capital, and the department of Haute-Savoie in its northern portion, with Annecy as its capital. Both departments are within the Rhones-Alpes region.
Here are several official tourist information websites for Savoy
Savoy, both Savoie and Haute-Savoie: www.savoie-mont-blanc.com
Chambéry: www.chambery-tourisme.com
Aix-les-Bains: www.aixlesbains.com/english/index.html
Annecy: www.lac-annecy/gb/index.html
Also see Turin (Italy): www.turismotorino.org/index.aspx