Thomas I Count of Savoy

Thomas I (1178-1233), Count of Savoy, raised his house from Alpine gatekeeper to European power, extending Savoyard rule into the Piedmont and playing emperor against pope with inherited skill. His children made the family's real conquest; the marriage market: through his son came the counts, and his granddaughters by Beatrice's marriage included four queens at once (France, England, Germany and Sicily), a feat unmatched in the age. Our descent runs through his daughter Beatrice of Savoy.