Nicholas le Maure (french: Nicolas le Maure; ) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

knight 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 o ...

, lord of Saint-Sauveur, who served as the Principality's ''

bailli A bailiff (french: bailli, ) was the king's administrative representative during the ''ancien régime'' in northern France, where the bailiff was responsible for the application of justice and control of the administration and local finances in h ...

'' on behalf of the Angevins of Naples between 1314 and 1315/6.

Life

Nicholas was the lord of the castle of Saint-Sauveur, an unidentified site, perhaps identical to the monastery of the same name, located some 15 km east of medieval Arcadia (modern

Kyparissia Kyparissia ( el, Κυπαρισσία) is a town and a former municipality in northwestern Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Trifylia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. ...

) in

Messenia Messenia or Messinia ( ; el, Μεσσηνία ) is a regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a ...

. He appears for the first time in 1297 as one of the witnesses to a deed of transfer of various fiefs by

Isabella of Villehardouin Isabella of Villehardouin (1260/1263 – 23 January 1312) was reigning Princess of Achaea from 1289 to 1307. She was the elder daughter of Prince William II of Achaea William of Villehardouin (french: Guillaume de Villehardouin; Kalamata, 1211 ...

Princess of Achaea This is a list of the princess consorts of Achaea, the consorts of the Princes of Achaea. The Principality of Achaea had three princesses by their own rights: Isabella, Matilda, and Joan. Their husbands were not consorts. Maria II Zaccaria was pri ...

, to her sister

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...

. By 1302, he served as captain of the region of

Skorta Skorta ( el, τὰ Σκορτὰ, french: Escorta) was a name used in the 13th and 14th centuries, during the period of Frankish rule in the Peloponnese, to designate the mountainous western half of the region of Arcadia, which separated the coast ...

and warden of the

Barony of Kalamata Kalamáta ( el, Καλαμάτα ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula, after Patras, in southern Greece and the largest city of the homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia reg ...

for

Matilda of Hainaut Matilda of Hainaut ( French: ''Mathilde de Hainaut''; November 1293 – 1331), 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 Achae ...

, who was absent as she had been wed to

Guy II de la Roche Guy II de la Roche, also known as Guyot or Guidotto (1280 – 5 October 1308), was the Duke of Athens from 1287, the last duke of his family.''The Latins in Greece and the Aegean from the Fourth Crusade to the End of the Middle Ages'', K. M. Se ...

Duke of Athens The Duchy of Athens (Greek: Δουκᾶτον Ἀθηνῶν, ''Doukaton Athinon''; Catalan: ''Ducat d'Atenes'') was one of the Crusader states set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade as part of th ...

. In 1302/3 he played a leading role in the suppression of the rebellion of the Greeks of the

area, who were aided by the Byzantines of

Mystras Mystras or Mistras ( el, Μυστρᾶς/Μιστρᾶς), also known in the ''Chronicle of the Morea'' as Myzithras (Μυζηθρᾶς), is a fortified town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Situated on Mt. Taygetus, nea ...

. After the Byzantines were repulsed, Nicholas installed himself with a strong garrison at Vervena to safeguard Frankish control. On 2 April 1309, Nicholas was one of the nobles who witnessed the betrothal of Matilda of Hainaut to

Charles of Taranto Charles of Taranto (1296 – 29 August 1315) was the eldest son of Philip I, Prince of Taranto and titular Latin Emperor of Constantinople, and his wife, Thamar Angelina Komnene, daughter of the Despot of Epirus, Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas. Bio ...

, and after the death of

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 ...

in early 1314, succeeded him as the

Angevin Angevin or House of Anjou may refer to: *County of Anjou or Duchy of Anjou, a historical county, and later Duchy, in France ** Angevin (language), the traditional langue d'oïl spoken in Anjou **Counts and Dukes of Anjou *House of Ingelger, a Frank ...

governor and royal representative (''

'') in the Principality. It was in this capacity that he arrested Margaret of Villehardouin, who maintained her rival claims on the Principality against the Angevins, on her arrival at

Port-de-Jonc Pylos (, ; el, Πύλος), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is th ...

in early summer 1314. Nicholas imprisoned her at the castle of

Chlemoutsi Chlemoutsi ( el, Χλεμούτσι or Χλουμούτσι ''Chloumoútsi''), also known as Clermont, is a medieval castle in the northwest of the Elis regional unit in the Peloponnese peninsula of southern Greece, in the Kastro-Kyllini municip ...

, where she died in March 1315. This helped provoke the invasion of Achaea by Margaret's son-in-law

Ferdinand of Majorca Ferdinand of Majorca ( ca, Ferran de Mallorca; 1278 – 5 July 1316) was an ''infant'' of the Kingdom of Majorca; he was born at Perpignan, the third son of King James II. He was Viscount of Aumelas and Lord of Frontignan from 1311 and c ...

, who laid claim on her inheritance. Ferdinand arrived with his army in late June 1315, and although a first attempt to land at

Glarentza Glarentza ( el, Γλαρέντζα), also known as or Clarenia, Clarence, or Chiarenza, was a medieval town located near the site of modern Kyllini in Elis, at the westernmost point of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. Founded in th ...

was beaten off by Nicholas and the troops of Achaea, a second succeeded, and the Achaean barons withdrew to Chlemoutsi. Over the next few months, various barons went over to Ferdinand, while Nicholas retired south to

. When the Angevin-backed Princess

arrived in late 1315 at Port-de-Jonc, he went there to meet her and express his loyalty. Matilda's first effort to defeat Ferdinand was defeated in the

Battle of Picotin 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 t ...

but finally, after the arrival of her husband,

Louis of Burgundy Louis of Burgundy (1297 – August 2, 1316) was a member of the Capetian House of Burgundy who ruled the Principality of Achaea and claimed the defunct Kingdom of Thessalonica. Louis was a younger son of Duke Robert II of Burgundy and Agnes of F ...

, in the

Battle of Manolada 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 ...

in July 1316, Ferdinand was defeated and killed. Nothing is known of Nicholas after late 1315. His son,

Stephen le Maure Stephen or Steven is a common English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Ac ...

, succeeded him, and was also lord of the castle of Aetos and

Baron of Arcadia The Barony of Arcadia was a medieval Frankish fiefdom of the Principality of Achaea, located on the western coast of the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, and centred on the town of Arcadia ( el, Ὰρκαδία; french: l'Arcadie; it, Arc dia), ...

through his marriage in 1324 to Agnes of Aulnay, heiress of the barony.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maure, Nicholas de 13th-century births 1310s deaths Baillis of the Principality of Achaea Barons of the Principality of Achaea Medieval Messenia 14th-century people from the Principality of Achaea