Catherine I, also Catherine of Courtenay (25 November 1274 – 11 October 1307), was the recognised
Latin Empress of Constantinople
The following is a list of the Latin empresses consort of Constantinople. Yolanda of Flanders and Marie of Brienne were not only empresses consort but also empresses regent. Catherine I and Catherine II were empresses regnant, not empresses con ...
from 1283 to 1307, although she lived in exile and only held authority over
Crusader States in Greece. In 1301, she became the second wife of
Charles of Valois
Charles of Valois (12 March 1270 – 16 December 1325), the fourth son of King Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon, was a member of the House of Capet and founder of the House of Valois, whose rule over France would start in 1 ...
, by whom she had one son and three daughters; the eldest of these,
Catherine II of Valois, Princess of Achaea succeeded her as titular empress.
Life
She was born on 25 November 1274, the only daughter and heir of the titular
Emperor of Constantinople Philip I of Courtenay by
Beatrice of Sicily.
Upon her father's death on 15 December 1283, Catherine inherited his claims to the Latin throne of Constantinople and was recognized as empress by the Latin states in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
, despite the city having been re-taken by the
Empire of Nicaea in 1261.
Catherine was betrothed three times before her marriage:
—Firstly, in 1288, with
Michael IX Palaiologos
, image = 154 - Michael IX Palaiologos (Mutinensis - color).png
, caption = 15th-century portrait of Michael IX (from a 15th-century codex containing a copy of the ''Extracts of History'' by Joannes Zonaras)
, succession ...
, co-Byzantine Emperor; this union was proposed by the intended groom's father Emperor
Andronikos II Palaiologos in the hope of reducing the threat of restoring the power of the Latins in the Byzantine Empire and reconciling with both the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
and the European monarchs, who frightened Constantinople with a new
Crusade; however, after several years of fruitless negotiations and the decisive objection from the French king, the purposed union was abandoned by 1295, when Michael IX was already married.
—Secondly, in June 1295, with Infante
Frederick of Aragon, son of King
Peter III. As a condition of this betrothal, the intended groom promised to renounce his rights to the
Kingdom of Sicily and give help to reconquer the Latin Empire of Constantinople, but this proposal was opposed by the French king and the betrothal was terminated.
—Thirdly, on 24 January 1299 to Infante
James of Majorca, son of King
James II. Since the couple were too closely related, the condition for the marriage was dispensation from
Pope Boniface VIII, which was never granted. Instead, James decided to remove himself from the line of succession of the
Kingdom of Majorca and take the habit.
Finally, on 28 February 1301 at the Priory of St. Cloud near Paris, Catherine became in the second wife of Count
Charles of Valois
Charles of Valois (12 March 1270 – 16 December 1325), the fourth son of King Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon, was a member of the House of Capet and founder of the House of Valois, whose rule over France would start in 1 ...
, son of King
Philip III of France
Philip III (1 May 1245 – 5 October 1285), called the Bold (french: le Hardi), was King of France from 1270 until his death in 1285. His father, Louis IX, died in Tunis during the Eighth Crusade. Philip, who was accompanying him, returned ...
. On 23 April 1301, Charles became titular Latin Emperor with Catherine until her death in Paris on 11 October 1307 at the age of 32. She was buried at the
abbey of Maubuisson the following day, 12 October.
Jacques de Molay
Jacques de Molay (; c. 1240–1250 – 11 or 18 March 1314), also spelled "Molai",Demurger, pp. 1-4. "So no conclusive decision can be reached, and we must stay in the realm of approximations, confining ourselves to placing Molay's date of birth ...
,
Grand Master of the
Knights Templar served as one of her pallbearers.
Issue
By Charles of Valois, Catherine I had four children:
* John, Count of Chartres (1302–1308).
*
Catherine II of Valois, Princess of Achaea, titular Empress of Constantinople (before 15 April 1303 – October 1346). She married
Philip I of Anjou, Prince of Taranto and had issue.
*
Joan of Valois (1304 – 9 July 1363), married Count
Robert III of Artois
Robert III of Artois (1287 – between 6 October & 20 November 1342) was Lord of Conches-en-Ouche, of Domfront, and of Mehun-sur-Yèvre, and in 1309 he received as appanage the county of Beaumont-le-Roger in restitution for the County of Arto ...
* Isabella of Valois (1305 – 11 November 1349), Abbess of
Fontevrault
The Royal Abbey of Our Lady of Fontevraud or Fontevrault (in French: ''abbaye de Fontevraud'') was a monastery in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in the former French duchy of Anjou. It was founded in 1101 by the itinerant preache ...
.
See also
*
Jacques de Molay
Jacques de Molay (; c. 1240–1250 – 11 or 18 March 1314), also spelled "Molai",Demurger, pp. 1-4. "So no conclusive decision can be reached, and we must stay in the realm of approximations, confining ourselves to placing Molay's date of birth ...
was arrested by King
Philip IV the day after attending her funeral on 12 October 1307 in Paris.
References
Sources
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*
*
Ancestry
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Catherine I Of Courtenay
1274 births
1307 deaths
13th-century Latin Emperors of Constantinople
14th-century Latin Emperors of Constantinople
Capetian House of Courtenay
Latin Empresses of Constantinople
Women of the Crusader states
13th-century women rulers
14th-century women rulers
13th-century French people
13th-century French women
14th-century French people
14th-century French women
Daughters of emperors
Countesses of Chartres