Born in
1383 in
Chambéry,
Savoy.
Amadeus VIII became count of
Savoy at age 8 after the sudden death of his father in
1391. At the ripe old age of 10, he married
Mary, daughter of
Phillip the Bold, duke of
Burgundy.
As a teenager, he would expand the territories of Savoy, purchasing nearby land and laying claim to Geneva.
In 1416 the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund would elevate Savoy to a duchy, making Amadeus VIII a duke.
After the Council of Basel split with Pope Eugene IV, Amadeus would be elected an antipope in 1439. He served as Pope Felix V for 10 years before abdicating and recognizing the legitimacy of Eugene's successor, Pope Nicholas V.
The first duke of Savoy would die in Geneva in 1451.