Princess of Achaea

Last updated February 26, 2024

This is a list of the princess consorts of Achaea, the consorts of the Princes of Achaea.

Princess consort of Achaea
House of Blois, 1205–1209
House of Villehardouin, 1209–1278
Capetian House of Anjou, 1278–1289
House of Villehardouin, 1289–1307
Capetian House of Anjou, 1307–1313
House of Avesnes, 1313-1321
Capetian House of Anjou, 1321–1381
House of Baux, 1381–1383
Capetian House of Anjou, 1383–1386
House of Zaccaria, 1396-1402
See also
Sources

The Principality of Achaea had three princesses by their own rights: Isabella, Matilda, and Joan. Their husbands were not consorts. Maria II Zaccaria was princess consort and later reigning princess.

Princess consort of Achaea

House of Blois, 1205–1209

Picture	Name	Father	Birth	Marriage	Became Princess	Ceased to be Princess	Death	Spouse
	Eustachia of Courtenay	Peter I of Courtenay (Courtenay)	1162	1200	1205 husband's accession	1209 husband's death	6 April, after 1235	William of Champlitte

House of Villehardouin, 1209–1278

Name	Father	Birth	Marriage	Became Princess	Ceased to be Princess	Death	Spouse
Elisabeth of Chappes	Clarembaud IV de Chappes			1210 husband's accession	1218	after 1218	Geoffrey I of Villehardouin
Agnes of Courtenay	Peter II of Courtenay (Courtenay)	1202	1217, after April	1228 husband's accession	1246 husband's death	after 1247	Geoffrey II of Villehardouin
Carintana dalle Carceri	Rizzardo dalle Carceri, Lord of Oreos (dalle Carceri)	before 1220	1246	1246 husband's accession	1255		William II of Villehardouin
Anna Komnene Doukaina	Michael II Komnenos Doukas (Komnenodoukai)	-	1258		1 May 1278 husband's death	4 November 1286	William II of Villehardouin

Capetian House of Anjou, 1278–1289

Picture	Name	Father	Birth	Marriage	Became Princess	Ceased to be Princess	Death	Spouse
	Margaret of Burgundy	Odo, Count of Nevers (Burgundy)	1250	18 November 1268		7 January 1285 husband's death	4 September 1308	Charles I of Naples
	Maria of Hungary	Stephen V of Hungary (Árpád)	1257	May/June 1270	7 January 1285 husband's ascession	1289 Achaea granted back to Isabella of Villehardouin	25 March 1323	Charles II of Naples

House of Villehardouin, 1289–1307

None

Capetian House of Anjou, 1307–1313

Picture	Name	Father	Birth	Marriage	Became Princess	Ceased to be Princess	Death	Spouse
	Thamar Angelina Komnene	Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas (Komnenodoukai)	-	13 August 1294	5 May 1306 husband's bestowment 11 May 1307 House of Villehardouin relinquish claims	1309 repudiated	1311	Philip I of Taranto

House of Avesnes, 1313-1321

None

After 1318 the title to Matilda's right to Achaea became disputed with Odo IV, Duke of Burgundy and Louis, Count of Clermont. She was stripped of her titles and hereditary rights after she wouldn't comply with her marriage to John of Gravina. Philip I of Taranto bestowed the title on John instead, bringing the title back into the Angevin inheritance, while Matilda verbally willed her right to her cousin James II of Majorca.

Capetian House of Anjou, 1321–1381

Name	Father	Birth	Marriage	Became Princess	Ceased to be Princess	Death	Spouse
Agnes de Périgord	Helie VII, Count of Périgord (Talleyrand)	-	14 November 1321		1332 relinquish title in exchange for rights to the Kingdom of Albania	after 11 August 1343	John of Gravina
Marie de Bourbon	Louis I, Duke of Bourbon (Bourbon)	1315	9 September 1347		10 September 1364 husband's death	1387	Robert of Taranto
Maria of Calabria	Charles, Duke of Calabria (Anjou-Naples)	May 1329	April 1355	10 September 1364 husband's accession	20 May 1366		Philip II of Taranto
Elizabeth of Slavonia	Stephen, Duke of Slavonia (Anjou-Hungary)	1352	20 October 1370		1373 husband relinquish title to Joan I of Naples	before 1380	Philip II of Taranto

House of Baux, 1381–1383

Picture	Name	Father	Birth	Marriage	Became Princess	Ceased to be Princess	Death	Spouse
	Agnes of Durazzo	Charles, Duke of Durazzo (Anjou-Durazzo)	1345	1382		7 July 1383 husband's death	15 July 1388	James of Baux

Capetian House of Anjou, 1383–1386

Picture	Name	Father	Birth	Marriage	Became Princess	Ceased to be Princess	Death	Spouse
	Margaret of Durazzo	Charles, Duke of Durazzo (Anjou-Durazzo)	28 July 1347	24 January 1369/70	7 July 1383 husband's coronation	24 February 1386 husband's death	6 August 1412	Charles III of Naples

Interregnum: At Charles III's death in 1386 the principality entered an interregnum where five pretenders claimed its throne, none having a strong enough claim to be considered a ruler until Peter of Saint Superan, leader of the Navarrese Company, declared himself Prince in 1396 with the blessing of Pope Urban VI, who claimed ownership of the principality since James of Baux's heirs had forfeited their rights to the Holy See.

House of Zaccaria, 1396-1402

Picture	Name	Father	Birth	Marriage	Became Princess	Ceased to be Princess	Death	Spouse
	Maria II Zaccaria	Centurione I Zaccaria (Zaccaria)	-	-	1396 husband's accession	1402 husband's death and her own accession	1404	Pedro de San Superano

Picture	Name	Father	Birth	Marriage	Became Princess	Ceased to be Princess	Death	Spouse
	Asenina Palaiologina	Asan Palaiologos	-	-	1404 husband's accession	1429 Centurione ceases to be Prince	after 1432	Centurione II Zaccaria

Picture	Name	Father	Birth	Marriage	Became Princess	Ceased to be Princess	Death	Spouse
	Magdalene Tocco ^[1]	Leonardo II Tocco	-	-	1453 husband's accession and was confirmed as Princess of Achaea by King Alfonso of Naples ^[2]	1454 husband's exile, from then onwards she was a titular Princess	-	John Asen Zaccaria ^[3]

Achaea was united with the Despotate of the Morea after the death of Centurione II Zaccaria.

Sources

↑ Sphrantzes, Georgios (2006). Short History (in Greek). Kanakis. p. 113. ISBN 960-7420-94-2.
↑ Archivio storico per le province napoletane. 1902. p. 834. ISBN 0366670484.
↑ Haberstumpf, Walter (1995). Dinastie europee nel Mediterraneo orientale. Torino: Scriptorium. p. 240.

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The Principality of Achaea or Principality of Morea was one of the 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip I, Prince of Taranto</span> Emperor of Constantinople (1278–1331)

Philip I of Taranto, of the Angevin house, was titular Latin Emperor of Constantinople by right of his wife Catherine of Valois–Courtenay, Despot of Romania, King of Albania, Prince of Achaea and Taranto.

The Prince of Achaea was the ruler of the Principality of Achaea, one of the crusader states founded in Greece in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204). Though more or less autonomous, the principality was never a fully independent state, initially being a vassal state subservient of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, which had supplanted the Byzantine Empire, and later of the Angevin Kingdom of Naples. During the Angevin period, the princes were often absent, being represented in the Principality by their baillis, who governed in their name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James IV of Majorca</span> Titular king of Majorca and Neapolitan consort

James IV of Majorca, also known as Jaume IV, unsuccessfully claimed the thrones of the Kingdom of Majorca and the Principality of Achaea from 1349 until his death. He was also king consort of Naples, without any role in its government.

James of Baux or James of Les Baux was the Latin Emperor of Constantinople from 1374 to 1383. He was the last Latin emperor to govern any imperial territory.

Catherine II, also Catherine of Valois or Catherine of Taranto, was the recognised Latin Empress of Constantinople from 1307–1346, although she lived in exile and only had authority over Crusader States in Greece. She was Princess consort of Achaea and Taranto, and also regent of Achaea from 1332–1341, and Governor of Cephalonia from 1341–1346.

John of Gravina, also known as John of Anjou, was Count of Gravina 1315–1336, Prince of Achaea 1318–1332, Duke of Durazzo 1332–1336 and ruler of the Kingdom of Albania. He was the youngest son of King Charles II of Naples and Mary of Hungary.

Louis of Burgundy was a member of the Capetian House of Burgundy who ruled the Principality of Achaea and claimed the defunct Kingdom of Thessalonica.

The Battle of Manolada was fought on July 5, 1316, at Manolada, on the plains of Elis in the Peloponnese. The two leaders were Louis of Burgundy and the infante Ferdinand of Majorca, both of whom claimed the Principality of Achaea in right of their wives. The defeat and death of Ferdinand ensured the continued Angevin supremacy over Achaea and checked the further movement of his allies, the Catalan Company then occupying the Duchy of Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabella of Villehardouin</span>

Isabella of Villehardouin was reigning Princess of Achaea from 1289 to 1307. She was the elder daughter of Prince William II of Achaea and of his third wife, Anna Komnene Doukaina, the second daughter of Michael II Komnenos Doukas, the despot of Epiros.

Centurione II AsanesZaccaria, scion of a powerful Genoese merchant family established in the Morea since the marriage of the lord of Chios Martino Zaccaria to the baroness Jacqueline de la Roche. Centurione was installed as Prince of Achaea by Ladislaus of Naples in 1404 and was the last ruler of the once Latin Empire not under Byzantine suzerainty.

Matilda of Hainaut, also known as Maud and Mahaut, was Princess of Achaea from 1316 to 1321. She was the only child of Isabella of Villehardouin and Florent of Hainaut, co-rulers of Achaea 1289–1297. After Florent's death in 1297, Isabella continued to rule alone until she remarried to Philip of Savoy in 1300. Per arrangements made with King Charles II of Naples, Isabella was not allowed to marry without his consent and after Philip failed to adequately participate in the king's campaigns against Epirus, Charles in 1307 revoked their rights to Achaea. Matilda, just fourteen years old, tried to press her claim as their heir but was refused by the bailiff Nicholas III of Saint Omer, who instead chose to wait for orders from Naples. Shortly thereafter, Charles appointed his favorite son, Philip of Taranto as the new Prince of Achaea.

Marie of Bourbon was the sovereign baroness of Vostitsa in 1359-1370. She was the empress consort of and the Princess of Achaea of by marriage to Robert of Taranto, Prince of Achaea and titular Latin Emperor of Constantinople.

Centurione I Zaccaria was a powerful noble in the Principality of Achaea in Frankish Greece. In 1345 he succeeded his father, Martino Zaccaria, as baron of Damala and lord of one half of the Barony of Chalandritsa, and in 1359 he acquired the other half. In about 1370 he was named Grand Constable of Achaea and received also the Barony of Estamira. He also thrice held the post of bailli (viceroy) for the principality's Angevin rulers.

John I Orsini was the count palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos from 1303 or 1304 to his death in 1317. Married to an Epirote princess, John spent a decade at the Epirote court before succeeding his father, Richard Orsini, as count palatine. As a vassal of the Principality of Achaea, he was involved in its domestic affairs and especially the dynastic dispute between the infante Ferdinand of Majorca and Princess Matilda of Hainaut in 1315–16, and participated in a number of Latin campaigns against Epirus, which he aspired to rule. A year after his death, his son and heir Nicholas Orsini seized Epirus and brought it under the Orsini family's rule.

Margaret of Villehardouin was the daughter of William II of Villehardouin, Prince of Achaea, and his third wife Anna Komnene Doukaina.

Nicholas le Maure was a French knight of the Principality of Achaea, lord of Saint-Sauveur, who served as the Principality's bailli on behalf of the Angevins of Naples between 1314 and 1315/6.

The Battle of Picotin was fought on 22 February 1316 between the Catalan forces of the infante Ferdinand of Majorca, claimant to the Principality of Achaea, and the forces loyal to Princess Matilda of Hainaut, comprising native levies from the barons loyal to the Princess as well as Burgundian knights. The battle ended in a crushing victory for Ferdinand, but he was later engaged and killed by the troops of Matilda's husband, Louis of Burgundy, at the Battle of Manolada.

Erard III Le Maure was Baron of Arcadia and Marshal of the Principality of Achaea in the mid-14th century.

Catherine Le Maure was a French noblewoman of the Principality of Achaea. She was the de facto Baroness of Arcadia and Lady of Saint-Sauveur. She was the eldest daughter of the Erard III Le Maure, Baron of Arcadia. She had two sisters, Lucie and Marie and a brother that died young. At the end of the 14th century Catherine married to Andronikos Asen Zaccaria, the leader of the great Genoese Zaccaria house of Morea. Andronikos was one of the strongest men inside the Principality as Grand Constable of Morea and Baron of Chalandritsa, Estamira and Lysarea.

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[1] Sphrantzes, Georgios (2006). Short History (in Greek). Kanakis. p. 113. ISBN 960-7420-94-2.

[2] Archivio storico per le province napoletane. 1902. p. 834. ISBN 0366670484.

[3] Haberstumpf, Walter (1995). Dinastie europee nel Mediterraneo orientale. Torino: Scriptorium. p. 240.

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