The list of deputies of Savoy in the Sardinian Parliament includes all representatives of the former Duchy of Savoy in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which sat in Turin between 1848 and 1860.
With the promulgation of the Albertine Statute on 4 March 1848, the Kingdom of Sardinia underwent significant political, legal, and administrative reforms, marking a shift toward a constitutional system based on public liberties, electoral representation, and the development of political life.
Within this new framework, the Duchy of Savoy was replaced by the of Chambéry and Annecy, each administered by a general intendant.
The reform also established a bicameral parliament composed of a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. Savoy was represented by 22 deputies from the First to the Sixth legislatures (1848âÂÂ1860), a number reduced to 18 during the Seventh legislature in 1860. This latter arrangement applied only to the final legislative election preceding the annexation of Savoy to France in March 1860.
The Albertine Statute refers to Savoyard particularism only indirectly, notably in Article 64, which acknowledges the use of French in regions where it was customary. While Italian was established as the official language of the parliamentary chambers, the use of French was permitted for representatives from French-speaking territories and in responses addressed to them. In parallel, the definitively lost its remaining judicial functions under the new institutional framework, following the earlier loss of its political authority in 1837, with these powers transferred in particular to the Courts of Appeal.
From 1848 to 1865, the Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Sardinia was housed in the Palazzo Carignano in Turin, the kingdomâÂÂs capital.
Elections were conducted under a two-round, single-member majority system. Eligible voters were men aged 25 or older who were literate, held civil rights, and met a minimum tax requirement of 20 lire, with adjustments in certain cases based on social circumstances. Each electoral district elected one deputy for a term of five years (Article 42).
In 1848, the Duchy of Savoy, with a population of 583,812, was represented by 22 deputies. This number was reduced to 18 following the 1859 electoral reform. Over the period, Savoy sent a total of 79 deputies to Turin. Candidates were required to be at least 30 years old (Article 40), and Article 50 specified that the offices of Senator or Deputy did not provide remuneration or allowances.
Savoy was overrepresented in the Chamber of Deputies relative to its population. In 1848, the duchy was represented by 22 of 204 deputies (approximately 11%). Savoyard voters were subject to a tax qualification of more than 20 francs (law of 17 March 1848, Article 1), whereas the requirement was set at 40 francs in other parts of the kingdom. Similar arrangements applied to the County of Nice, Liguria, and Sicily.
Savoyard deputies, although divided between conservative and liberal currents, generally formed a bloc in opposition to the Piedmontese governments. They sought to assert the distinctiveness of the duchy within a state increasingly oriented toward Italian unification, particularly during the Risorgimento and given the relative delay in the development of the province. Differences emerged on specific issues, notably regarding SavoyâÂÂs future in 1859 and its annexation in 1860, which divided deputies between pro-French and anti-annexation positions loyal to the House of Savoy.
From 1848 to 1859, elections to the Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Sardinia were conducted under Royal Edict on Electoral Law No. 680 of 17 March 1848. The law was revised by the electoral reform of 1859.
During this period, the Chamber of Deputies was renewed across seven legislatures.
The decree of 17 March 1848 convened the electoral colleges for the on 27 April 1848. The legislature lasted from 8 May to 30 December 1848.
A total of 14,013 registered voters, representing 2.48% of the population, were eligible to participate in the elections, the first held in the duchy since the period of the First Empire. The turnout rate was 75%, although abstention was considered relatively high for the period, reaching 17% in Chambéry.
In the first legislature, 15 of SavoyâÂÂs 22 seats were won by conservative candidates. Ten deputies were drawn from the judiciary or legal profession, while five came from the nobility. As a minority in Parliament, Savoyard deputies generally sought to promote the particular interests of the duchy, including the use of French during debates. Conservatives were associated with clerical positions, while the remaining seven deputies were aligned with constitutional liberalism. Leadership of the Savoyard delegation was generally attributed to Senator Costa de Beauregard of Chambéry, representing the conservatives, while the liberals followed of Maurienne.
The legislature was marked by a military defeat and debates concerning religious congregations. The historian characterized its short duration as âÂÂexceptionally turbulent and rich in events more sad than happy.âÂÂ
Elections for the were held on 22 January 1849. The legislature was short-lived, sitting from 1 February to 30 March 1849. The new prime minister, Vincenzo Gioberti, faced a Chamber that was described as âÂÂungovernable.âÂÂ
Savoy re-elected ten incumbent deputies: Costa de Beauregard, de , , , , , , , , and .
Voter turnout was 63.3%. Some deputies elected in one district chose to represent another and were not replaced.
Voter turnout was 62.3%.
King Charles Albert of Sardinia died on 28 July 1849.
Voter turnout was 71.6%.
Voter turnout was 65.3%.
Voter turnout was 61.3%.
Following the electoral reform of 1859, the Duchy of Savoy was represented by 18 deputies. Voter turnout was 35.8%, reflecting reduced participation, as the process of union with France had already begun with the signing of the Treaty of Turin on 24 March 1860. Many Savoyards no longer considered themselves subjects of King Victor Emmanuel II. At the opening of the Chamber in Turin on 15 May 1860, fifteen deputies who had openly supported union with France sent a letter to the President of the Chamber indicating that they would not attend. These deputies were de Boigne, de Martinel, Girod, Blanc, Greyfié, Replat, Ginet, Pissard, Chapperon, Grange, Pelloux, de la Fléchère, Baurain, Favrat, and Louaraz. The first eight were members of the delegation led by Count that met the French Emperor on 21 March 1860. On 21 March 1860, the divisional councils of the duchy convened and decided to send a delegation of forty-one Savoyards, composed of nobles, bourgeois, and ministerial officers, in favor of union with France. The delegation led by Count Amédée Greyfié de Bellecombe for the province of Chambéry included deputy of Aix; provincial councillors Louis Bérard, Maurice Blanc, and ; barons and ; as well as representatives Charles Bertier, Alexis Falcoz, Pierre-Louis Besson, lawyer Antoine Bourbon, Doctor Dardel, Jacques Prosper Degaillon, Charles François, Félix Gruat, Pierre Viviand, Savey-Guerraz, and Major Vuagnat of the National Guard. The Annecy delegation included deputies , (Rumilly), (Saint-Julien), and (Annecy), accompanied by former deputy (Saint-Julien), Dufour, barons (Annecy) and Jules Blanc (Faverges), François Bétrix (director of the Bank of Savoy), Doctor Descotes, Magnin, Masset, and Alexis Rollier. In contrast, the Chablais region, which was more inclined toward a rapprochement with Switzerland, sent only ÃÂdouard Dessaix, Félix Jordan, François Ramel, and Gustave Folliet.
The Kingdom of Sardinia was organized into 204 electoral colleges, 22 of which were allocated to the Duchy of Savoy. At the time, the duchy comprised 639 communes and had a population of 584,812. Each electoral college included, on average, 29 communes and 26,582 inhabitants, resulting in constituencies of between 20,000 and 25,000 inhabitants. In 1848, during the election for the first legislature, Savoy had 17,960 registered voters, corresponding to approximately 31 voters per 1,000 inhabitants.
The duchy was divided into two provinces, Chambéry and Annecy, and contained 22 electoral colleges:
The electoral reform of 1859 reorganized the Kingdom of Sardinia into 260 electoral districts. In the Duchy of Savoy, four districts were eliminated, and three new districts were created: Saint-Jeoire, Yennes, and Aiguebelle. The districts of Annemasse, Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Duingt, La Chambre, La Motte, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, and Saint-Pierre-dâÂÂAlbigny were discontinued.
According to the work of François Miquet and the summary table published in Savoie de la Révolution française ànos jours (1986):
<small>Note: Deputies who have an article appear in blue; those followed by an asterisk have a description in the following section:</small>
In March 1860, three new districts appeared: Saint-Jeoire, with the election of Count ; Yenne with Baron ; and Aiguebelle with François Grange.
Below is a presentation, in alphabetical order, of the deputies who do not have a specific article in the encyclopedia: