Everything about the Principality Of Achaea totally explained
The
Principality of Achaea or
of the Morea was one of the three
vassal states of the
Latin Empire which replaced the
Byzantine Empire after the capture of
Constantinople during the
Fourth Crusade. It became a vassal of the
Kingdom of Thessalonica, along with the
Duchy of Athens, until
Thessalonica was captured by Theodore, the
despot of Epirus, in 1224. After this, Achaea became for a while the dominant power in
Greece, and in the mid-
13th century the court at
Andravida was considered to be the best representation of
chivalry by western
Europeans.
Foundation
]Achaea was founded in 1205 by
William of Champlitte and
Geoffrey I of Villehardouin, who undertook to conquer the Peloponnese on behalf of
Boniface of Montferrat,
King of Thessalonica. With a force of no more than 100 knights and 500 foot soldiers, they took
Achaea and
Elis, and after defeating the local Greeks in the
Battle of the Olive Grove of Koundouros, became masters of the Morea. Only the fort of
Monemvasia, and the castles of
Argos,
Nauplia and
Corinth under
Leo Sgouros held out until his suicide in 1208. By 1212, these too had been conquered, and organized as the lordship of
Argos and Nauplia, and only Monemvasia continued to hold out until 1248. William of Champlitte ruled Achaea until he departed for France to assume an inheritance, but died on the way there in 1209. He was succeeded by Geoffrey I of Villehardouin, who ruled until his own death in 1219.
Organization of the Principality
Territorial organization
Achaea was rather small, consisting of the
Peloponnese peninsula (then known as the
Morea). It was bordered on the north by
Epirus and the
Duchy of Athens and surrounded by
Venetian-held territories in the
Aegean Sea, including the forts of
Modon and
Coron on the Peloponnese, but it was fairly wealthy, exporting wine, raisins, wax, honey, oil and silk. The capital of the principality was originally at
Andravida.
Geoffrey I divided the territory of his new domain among his followers. The Principality was divided into 12 baronies, each of them consisting of several smaller fiefs, which were both territorial and financial units, each corresponding to an income of 1000
hyperpyra. These were: the barony of Akova and Neopatras with 24 fiefs, of Skorta (in
Karytaina) with 22 fiefs, of Nikli and Geraki with 6 fiefs, of
Kalavryta with 12 fiefs, of
Vostitza with 8 fiefs, of Veligosti, Gritsena, Passava (in
Laconia) and Chalandritsa with 4 fiefs, while the barony of
Kalamata was retained as a personal fief by the Villehardouins. There were also seven clerical baronies, headed by the
bishop of Patras. Extensive estates were also granted to the
military orders of the
Templars, the
Hospitallers and the
Teutonic Knights.
Government and administration
The most important secular and ecclesiastical lords participated in the council of the "Grand Court", which was presided over by the Prince. The council had great authority, and its decisions were binding for the Prince. The Principality's higher officials were the
chancellor, the Prince's chief minister, the
marshal, the
constable, the treasurer, the protovestiarius, in charge of the Prince's personal treasury, and the
pourveur des chastiaux, who was responsible for the replenishment of the castles.
The Principality also produced a unique set of laws, the "Assizes of Romania", which combined aspects of Byzantine and French law, and became the basis for the laws of the other Crusader States. Several
Byzantine titles such as
logothetes and
protovestarios continued in use, although these titles were adapted to fit the conceptions of Western
feudalism. The Byzantine
pronoia system was also adapted to fit Western feudalism; peasants (
paroikoi) technically owned their land, but military duties and taxes that they hadn't been subject to under the pronoia system were imposed on them by their new French lords.
The Frankish barons were subjected to heavy military obligations. They had to serve four months each year with the Principality's army and further four months of guard duty on various castles. They couldn't leave the Principality, except with the Prince's permission, and even then had to return within two years and two days or have their property confiscated.
The Principality in the 13th century
Geoffrey I was succeeded by his son
Geoffrey II, who ruled until his death in 1245. By confiscating the ecclesiastical taxes, in the years 1221-1223 he built himself a powerful castle at
Chlemoutsi, near modern
Kyllini, which he used as his main residence. Because of this, he came into conflict with the Catholic Church, and was briefly excommunicated by the Pope. When
John III of Nicaea besieged Constantinople in 1236, Geoffrey II came to the aid of the
Latin Empire with 100 knights, 800 archers and 6 vessels.
Under his son and successor, Prince
William II Villehardouin, the Principality reached its zenith. William was a
poet and
troubadour, and his court had its own
mint at
Glarenza, and a flourishing literary culture, using a distinct form of spoken
French. In 1249, William II moved the capital of Achaea to the newly-built fortress of
Mistra, near ancient
Sparta. In 1255 he became embroiled in the War of the
Terciers of Euboea, and in 1259 he allied with Michael II, despot of Epirus, against
Michael VIII Palaeologus of Nicaea. However, Michael II then deserted to join the Nicaean side, and William was taken prisoner at the
Battle of Pelagonia. After Michael recaptured Constantinople in 1261, William was released in 1262 in return for Mistra and the rest of Laconia, which became a Byzantine
despotate.
After William, the Principality passed to
Charles of Anjou. In 1267 Charles was given Achaea by the exiled
Baldwin II of Constantinople, who hoped Charles could help him restore the Latin Empire. Charles and his descendants didn't rule in Achaea personally, but they sent money and soldiers to help the principality defend against the Byzantines.
The feudal conflict of Morea (1307-1383)
For this period the principality was under a violent succession dispute, which originated from the dispossessed
Latin Emperor Baldwin II's gift of the overlordship of Achaea to
Charles I of Sicily in return for support in his attempt to reconquer the throne in
Constantinople, an action which ignored the rights of the
Villehardouin Princes of Achaea. The
Angevin kings of Naples subsequently gave Achaea as their fief to a series of their own relatives and creatures, who fought against Princess
Margaret of Villehardouin and her heirs.
Charles II of Naples had at first granted the fiefdom of Morea or Achaea to Princess
Isabella of Villehardouin (from the Villehardouin dynasty), but he deposed her in 1307 and granted it to his brother
Philip I of Taranto, who in 1313 transferred it to Matilda (or Mafalda, or Maud) of Hainaut, heiress of Isabella of Villehardouin, who was married to
Louis of Burgundy, titular King of Thessalonica. But Margaret, younger daughter of
William II Villehardouin, claimed her rights from 1307. In 1313 she claimed them again without success and then transferred her rights to her daughter
Isabelle of Sabran, wife of
Ferdinand of Majorca. The son of Ferdinand and Isabelle, known as
James the Unfortunate, was proclaimed prince of Morea in 1315 under the regency of his father, who conquered the principality between 1315 and 1316 but was defeated and executed by Louis of Burgundy and Matilda in 1316. In 1316 Louis of Burgundy died and King
Robert of Naples deposed Matilda and gave the principality to his brother
John of Durazzo, to whom Matilda was briefly married under duress before being imprisoned.
From 1331 the feudal lords began to recognize the rights of James, and in 1333 the recognition was total. Then John transferred his rights to his sister-in-law,
Catherine of Valois, titular Empress of Constantinople, wife of Philip I of Taranto, whose stepson Robert claimed her rights until 1346 when she died. Then the claim was issued by the son of Philip and Catherine,
Philip II of Taranto. In 1349 James was succeeded by his son
James IV (II of Morea). In 1364 Robert of Taranto, stepson of Catherine and eldest surviving son of Philip I of Taranto, died. In 1373 Philip II transferred his rights to his cousin, overlord and former sister-in-law Queen
Joan I of Naples, whose third husband James IV of Majorca, when he died in 1375, left her his own claim to the principality, at which point she became more or less uncontested Princess of Achaea. However, when Joan was imprisoned in Naples in 1381, another, much younger, James,
James of Baux, grandson of Catherine and nephew of Philip II, who in 1374 had become titular Emperor of Constantinople, used the opportunity and seized Achaea. In 1383, Achaea was annexed by
Charles III of Naples, successor and murderer of Queen Joan of Naples, who was the grandson of John of Durazzo, and James of Baux was driven away. In 1383 the Vicary government began, lasting until 1396, under the Durazzo kings of Naples.
In 1404,
Ladislaus,
King of Naples, installed
Centurione II Zaccaria, the lord of
Arcadia, as prince. Centurione continued to hold the post until 1430, when invasions by
Thomas Palaeologus,
Despot of Morea, forced him to retreat to his ancestral Arcadian castle. He subsequently married off his daughter and heiress,
Catherine, to Thomas, and so on his death in 1432, the principality was united with the despotate. In about 1450, his illegitimate son,
John Asen, was the focus of rebellions against the despot
Constantine Dragases. The Byzantine reconquest proved short-lived, however, as in 1460, the
Ottomans conquered the Despotate.
Princes of Achaea
House of Champlitte
William died abroad and Hugh relinquished Achaea to
Geoffrey I of Villehardouin when his suzerain, king
Demetrius of Thessalonica, granted it to him.
1209–1228 : Geoffrey I of Villehardouin, nephew of Geoffrey of Villehardouin
1228–1246 : Geoffrey II of Villehardouin
1246–1278 : William II of Villehardouin
William II, by treaty, ceded Achaea to his overlord, the King of Naples, Charles I, on his death.
1278–1285 : Charles I
1285–1289 : Charles II
Charles II, who had no interest in Greece, appointed the heiress of William II as princess of Achaea, along with her husband as prince, in 1289.
1289–1312 : Isabella of Villehardouin
Charles II deprived Isabella of the principality, though she never recognised this, in 1306 and bestowed it on his own son Philip I of Taranto. Philip I of Piedmont gave up his claim in 1307, though both his son James of Piedmont and grandson Amadeus of Piedmont kept the title and the latter was even recognised as prince by the Achaean baronage, though he never succeeded in coming to Greece to take back the fief.
1306–1313 : Philip I of Taranto
The principality was disputed after the death of Isabella in 1312. In 1313, Philip I of Taranto gave Achaea as a fief to her daughter Matilda of Hainaut. However, Ferdinand of Majorca claimed Achaea in right of Isabella of Sabran, daughter of Margaret of Villehardouin, second daughter of William II.
Period of two claimants
| Angevin claimants
1313–1318 : Matilda of Hainaut
With the death of Louis, the principality passed by treaty into the hands of his nephew Eudes IV, Duke of Burgundy. In 1320, Eudes sold his rights to Achaea to Louis, Count of Clermont, who sold them in 1321 back to Philip I of Taranto.
1316–1320 : Eudes IV, Duke of Burgundy
1320–1321 : Louis, Count of Clermont
In 1318, Matilda was forced to remarry to John of Gravina, younger brother of Philip I of Taranto, who was Philip's vassal.
1318–1333 John of Gravina
In 1333, John exchanged Achaea with his nephew Robert of Taranto.
1333–1364 : Robert of Taranto
1364–1373 : Philip II of Taranto
Philip II resigned his rights to sister-in-law, the queen of Naples.
1373– 1381 : Joan I of Naples
|
Aragonese claimants
1312–???? : Isabella of Sabran
1316–1349 : James III of Majorca
1349–1375 : James IV of Majorca
James IV willed his rights to Achaea to Joan I of Naples and thus united the divergent claims.
|
Period of one claimant
1381–1383 : James of Baux
1383–1386 : Charles III of Naples
Period of five claimants
From 1383 until 1396 there was an interregnum. The principality was sought by five pretenders, of whom none can be considered to have reigned, though the Navarrese Company had great influence and its leader, Peter of Saint Superan, proclaimed himself prince in 1396.
Period of one claimant
1396–1402 : Peter of Saint Superan
1402–1404 : Maria II Zaccaria
1404–1432 : Centurione II Zaccaria
Conquest by the despotate of Morea
1432-1465 : Thomas Palaiologos, married Catharine Zaccaria, daughter of
1465-1503 : Andreas Palaiologos, son of
Andreas Palaiologos willed all of his titles to Ferdinand II of Aragon.
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