John of Saint Omer (Jean de Saint-Omer) was baron of a third of Akova and marshal of the

Principality of Achaea The Principality of Achaea () or Principality of 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 ...

Life

He was a younger son of

Bela of Saint Omer Bela of Saint Omer was a French knight, descended from a Fauquembergues family who were castellans of the eponymous castle of Saint-Omer.Lognon (1969), p. 244 His father, Nicholas I of Saint Omer, received lands in Boeotia in the aftermath of ...

and Bonne de la Roche, sister of the Lord of Athens and Thebes,

Guy I de la Roche Guy I de la Roche (1205–1263) was the Duke of Athens (from 1225/34), the son and successor of the first duke Othon. After the conquest of Thebes, Othon gave half the city in lordship to Guy. Life Guy's early life is obscure. Since the 18th cen ...

. Upon their marriage, in 1240, Guy gave Bela the lordship over half of Thebes.PLP 24701 John participated, along with his brothers Nicholas II and

Otho Marcus Otho (; born Marcus Salvius Otho; 28 April 32 – 16 April 69) was the seventh Roman emperor, ruling for three months from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors. A member of a noble Etr ...

, in the

War of the Euboeote Succession War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

in the ranks of the coalition of most of the princes of

Frankish Greece The ''Frankokratia'' ( el, Φραγκοκρατία, la, Francocratia, sometimes anglicized as Francocracy, "rule of the Franks"), also known as ''Latinokratia'' ( el, Λατινοκρατία, la, Latinocratia, "rule of the Latins") and ...

, who opposed the expansionist policies of the

Prince of Achaea 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 s ...

William II of Villehardouin William of Villehardouin (french: Guillaume de Villehardouin; Kalamata, 1211 – 1 May 1278) was the fourth prince of Achaea in Frankish Greece, from 1246 to 1278. The younger son of Prince Geoffrey I, he held the Barony of Kalamat ...

. John married

Margaret of Passavant Margaret of Nully (french: Marguerite de Nully) also known as Margaret of Passavant, was the hereditary Lady of Passavant, Akova and Mitopoli in the Principality of Achaea, in Frankish Greece. Life Margaret, born some time before 1240, was a d ...

in 1276, but was unsuccessful in securing her inheritance of the

Barony of Akova The Barony of Akova was a medieval Frankish fiefdom of the Principality of Achaea, located in the mountains of eastern Elis in the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, centred on the fortress of Akova or Mattegrifon (situated near Vyziki in the Tr ...

in the

, which had been appropriated by the Prince after the death of baron Walter of Rosières. Despite the support of his brother Nicholas, he managed to receive only a third of the barony (eight fiefs), as well as the post of hereditary marshal of the Principality. From his marriage he had one son,

Nicholas III of Saint Omer Nicholas III of Saint Omer (died 30 January 1314) was one of the most powerful and influential lords of Frankish Greece. He was hereditary Marshal of the Principality of Achaea, lord of one third of Akova and of one half of Thebes. He also serv ...

.Bon (1969), pp. 167, 706

References

Sources

* * * {{Prosopographisches Lexikon der Palaiologenzeit , title=24701. {{lang, grc, Σαῖντ ̓Ομέρ, Ντζὰν ντὲ , volume=10 13th-century births Marshals of the Principality of Achaea Year of birth unknown 13th-century deaths Barons of the Principality of Achaea Saint-Omer family