The Treaty of Brussol sought a Franco-Savoyard alliance to expel Spain from Italy, but was nullified by Henry IV's assassination weeks after signing.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 10 April 1610
- Signing location
- Castle of Bruzolo, Susa Valley, near Turin
- Henry IV assassinated
- May 1610, by Ravaillac
- Treaty overturned by
- Marie de' Medici, newly crowned queen of France
- Subsequent conflict
- Charles Emmanuel seized Montferrat in 1613, sparking war until 1617
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Spain's dominant military presence in northern Italy threatened both Savoy and France. Charles Emmanuel I sought French backing to expand Savoyard control, while Henry IV of France wished to curtail Spanish power on the Italian peninsula. Their shared strategic interests created the conditions for a formal alliance.
On 10 April 1610, Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, and Henry IV of France signed the Treaty of Brussol at the Castle of Bruzolo. The accord committed both parties to joint military action against Spain in Italy, promised Victor Amadeus I marriage to a French princess, and designated Savoy as ruler of Lombardy and Montferrat upon Spanish expulsion.
Henry IV was assassinated by Ravaillac in May 1610, barely a month after signing, and Marie de' Medici swiftly overturned the treaty. The grand alliance never materialized. Nevertheless, Charles Emmanuel acted unilaterally, seizing Montferrat from Spain in 1613, triggering a war that continued until 1617.
Political Outcome
Treaty was nullified following Henry IV's assassination in May 1610; the planned Franco-Savoyard campaign against Spain in Italy never took place.
Spain held dominant control over northern Italian territories including Milan and Montferrat
Treaty voided; Spanish presence in Italy remained largely intact, though Savoy later seized Montferrat in 1613