On 9 August 1431 a marriage contract was signed between 12-year-old Anne and Prince Amadeus of Piedmont, eldest surviving son and heir of Duke Amadeus VIII of Savoy (who later became
Antipope Felix V); however, the prince died only twenty days later, on 29 August.[3]
Five months later, on 1 January 1432, was signed a second marriage contract for 13-year-old Anne, this time with Louis of Savoy, Amadeus' younger brother and new heir of the Duchy of Savoy. The wedding took place two years later, on 12 February 1434.[4] in
Chambéry. A few months later, on 7 November, Duke Amadeus VIII resigned, leaving the government in the hands of his son Louis, although he officially abdicated in his favor only when he was elected as antipope, in 1440.
Anne's husband, who was more interested in poetry than his duchy, but very much in love with his wife, gradually left her to manage affairs of state. She, due to nostalgia for her own country, organized many receptions on behalf of the most powerful Cypriot lords. To impress the visitors, she decorated the castles, organized festivals, and offered gifts to the guests, the expense of which caused much protest from the peasants and nobles of the county of
Vaud.
To relieve some of her debts, Anne organized a match for one of her daughters, which was an advantageous alliance for the house of Savoy. In 1451, at the age of ten years, her daughter Charlotte married the dauphin of France, the future King
Louis XI. He later would claim default of the promised dowry, new strongholds, and seized several castles in
Bresse and several chief towns of Vaud.
In 1452, Anne bought the
Shroud of Turin from
Jeanne de Charny in exchange for the castle of Varambon. Years later
Pope Paul II authorised
Yolande of France to deposit the relic of the Holy Shroud in the vault of the castle of Chambéry from which she raised a tower above the sacristy, as a religious symbol.
Death
Anne died on 11 November 1462 in Geneva, Switzerland at the age of 44.