It was on this day in 1528 that Duke Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy was born. He served in the army of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V before becoming Duke of Savoy and as most of his lands had been occupied by the French, he continued to serve in the Spanish army. During the reign of his cousin King Philip II of Spain, he led Spanish forces to one of the greatest victories of that time over the French at the battle of San Quentin in 1557. It was he who made Turin the Savoy seat of government and who changed the official court language from Latin to Italian. For a time he considered trying to become King of Portugal but bowed out in favor of his more powerful cousin the King of Spain. He died in 1580.
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