He was destined for a career in the Church and entered at the age of 12 in the Order of the Knights Hospitaller, but later he pursued a military career. In 1603 he and his elder brothers, Philip Emmanuel and Victor Amadeus, traveled to Madrid, to complete their education. In that same year, Tomás Fernández de Medrano took care of their affairs from that date forward as their Secretary of State and War.[1] After the death of Philip Emmanuel, they returned to Savoy in 1606, where the second brother Victor Amadeus became hereditary prince.
In 1610, Emmanuel Philibert returned to Madrid, and entered in the service of King Philip III of Spain, who made him Grand Admiral of Spain. Under the next King Philip IV of Spain, Emmanuel Philibert was appointed in 1622 viceroy of Sicily. His reign came to an end when he died at the age of 36 in the Plague epidemic of 1624. He was buried in the crypt of the lower church of the palatine chapel of the Norman Palace in Palermo.
