Richard Orsini ( it, Riccardo Orsini) was the
Count Palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos
The County Palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos existed from 1185 to 1479 as part of the Kingdom of Sicily. The title and the right to rule the Ionian islands of Cephalonia and Zakynthos was originally given to Margaritus of Brindisi for his serv ...
from before 1260 to his death in 1303/4, and also Captain-General of
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
in 1286–90,
Count of Gravina in 1284–91. He also served 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 ...
''
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 ...
'' in 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 ...
from 1297 to 1300.
Biography
Richard is generally thought to be the son of
Matthew Orsini
Matthew Orsini ( it, Matteo Orsini; died after January 1238) or Maio Orsini was a Count palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos.
Life
Matthew's origin is obscure. He is generally considered the scion of the noble Roman Orsini family, and according ...
,
Count palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos
The County Palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos existed from 1185 to 1479 as part of the Kingdom of Sicily. The title and the right to rule the Ionian islands of Cephalonia and Zakynthos was originally given to Margaritus of Brindisi for his serv ...
, and a daughter of the ''
sebastokrator
''Sebastokrator'' ( grc-byz, Σεβαστοκράτωρ, Sevastokrátor, August Ruler, ; bg, севастократор, sevastokrator; sh, sebastokrator), was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers wh ...
''
John Komnenos Doukas
John Komnenos Doukas ( el, Ιωάννης Κομνηνός Δούκας, ''Iōannēs Komnēnos Doúkas''), Latinized as Comnenus Ducas, was ruler of Thessalonica from 1237 until his death in 1244.
John was the eldest son of Theodore Komnenos Do ...
. However, given the long period between the beginning of Matthew's reign in the first years of the 13th century and the attested date of Richard's death, it is possible that another character is to be intercalated between Matthew and Richard, perhaps the "count Theodore" referred to in a document from 1264 (possibly Matthew's son and Richard's father).
It is unclear when exactly Richard became Count palatine; he is not specifically recorded by name in a document until 1264. However, according to the testimony of the later chronicler
Marino Sanudo Torcello, he was still a minor around 1262, when
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 Kalamata ...
assumed the regency for the county after his return from Byzantine captivity. Some authors date his accession as early as 1238, the date of the last document referring to Matthew Orsini, often assumed as the date of his death. If so, Richard was then perhaps the "Count of Cephalonia" referred to in a
Venetian attempt to form an alliance of the
Frankish rulers of Greece in aid of the beleaguered
Latin Empire of Constantinople
The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzanti ...
.
Already since his father's time, the county palatine was a vassal 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 ...
, and through it, after the
Treaty of Viterbo
The Treaty of Viterbo (or the Treaties of Viterbo) was a pair of agreements made by Charles I of Sicily with Baldwin II of Constantinople and William II Villehardouin, Prince of Achaea, on 24 and 27 May 1267, which transferred much of the rights to ...
, of the
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
. In this capacity he also held the post of
Captain-General
Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title.
History
The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...
of
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
and
Butrint
Butrint ( el, Βουθρωτόν and Βουθρωτός, ''Bouthrōtón'', la, Buthrōtum) was an ancient Greek and later Roman city and bishopric in Epirus. "Speakers of these various Greek dialects settled different parts of Greece at differen ...
on the
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
n shore in 1286–90. In 1291/92, he participated with 100 knights in a campaign to aid the ruler of
Epirus
sq, Epiri rup, Epiru
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = Historical region
, image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinrich ...
,
Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas
Nikephoros I Komnenos Doukas, Latinized as Nicephorus I Comnenus Ducas ( el, Νικηφόρος Κομνηνός Δούκας, Nikēphoros Komnēnos Doukas; – ) was ruler of Epirus from 1267/8 to his death in 1296/98.
Life
Born around 1240 ...
, against the Byzantines who were besieging
Ioannina
Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...
, along with 400–500 cavalry from Achaea under
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 exchange, Nikephoros sent his daughter, Maria, as a hostage to Cephalonia. After the Byzantines were repelled, she was wed to Richard's son and heir,
John I Orsini
John I Orsini ( it, Giovanni 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, a ...
. This aroused the indignation of Nikephoros, who had not been consulted, and who was not mollified until 1295, when the young couple came to live at his court.
Following the death of the Prince of Achaea,
Florent of Hainaut
Florent of Hainaut (also ''Floris'' or ''Florence''; Hainaut, also spelled "Hainault") (c. 1255 – 23 January 1297) was Prince of Achaea from 1289 to his death, in right of his wife, Isabella of Villehardouin. He was the son of John I of Avesnes ...
, his
widow
A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died.
Terminology
The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...
, Princess
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 ...
appointed Richard to rule in her stead as ''
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 ...
'' and withdrew to the castle 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 ...
. His tenure appears to have been peaceful as regards the conflict with the
Byzantine Greeks
The Byzantine Greeks were the Greek-speaking Eastern Romans of Orthodox Christianity throughout Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. They were the main inhabitants of the lands of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire), of Constantinople ...
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, ne ...
, but the issue of the succession remained open as Isabella had but one daughter,
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 ...
(born 1293). On the suggestion of Richard Orsini, the young heiress of Achaea was engaged to the young
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 ...
,
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 ...
. Their marriage took place in 1305. Richard kept his post until 1300, when he was replaced by Nicholas III of Saint Omer, at the advice of chancellor
Benjamin of Kalamata Benjamin of Kalamata was the longtime chancellor of the Principality of Achaea in Frankish Greece from 1297 until at least 1324.
Benjamin first appears in 1297, when, following the death of the Prince of Achaea, Florent of Hainaut, his widow, Prin ...
. This began a period of rivalry between Richard and Benjamin; in 1303, Richard's friends at court persuaded Prince
Philip of Savoy to detain Benjamin, who was released after paying 20,000 ''
hyperpyra
The ''hyperpyron'' ( ''nómisma hypérpyron'') was a Byzantine coin in use during the late Middle Ages, replacing the ''solidus'' as the Byzantine Empire's gold coinage.
History
The traditional gold currency of the Byzantine Empire had been the '' ...
'' as ransom. In turn, Benjamin gained the ear of the Prince, and forced Richard to give up the same sum in exchange for possession of half a village, which returned to the princely domain following Richard's death.
Richard was killed in 1303 or 1304 by one of his own knights, a man named Lion.
Family
Richard married twice: his first wife is unknown, and his second, in 1299, was
Margaret of Villehardouin Margaret of Villehardouin (Greek: Μαργαρίτα Βιλλεαρδουίνου; 1266 – February/March 1315) was the daughter of William II of Villehardouin, Prince of Achaea, and his third wife Anna Komnene Doukaina.
Biography
In ca. 1276, ...
, sister of Princess Isabella. From the first marriage, he had four children: a son, John I Orsini, and three daughters. His three daughters all married into the high nobility of Achaea: one, Guillerme, married the Grand Constable
John Chauderon, who died in 1294, and after that Nicholas III of Saint Omer; the second married
John of Durnay,
Baron of Gritzena; and the third married
Engilbert of Liederkerque, a nephew of the Prince
Florent of Hainaut
Florent of Hainaut (also ''Floris'' or ''Florence''; Hainaut, also spelled "Hainault") (c. 1255 – 23 January 1297) was Prince of Achaea from 1289 to his death, in right of his wife, Isabella of Villehardouin. He was the son of John I of Avesnes ...
, who succeeded Chauderon as Constable. From the second marriage, Richard had a daughter, but she died as an infant.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Orsini, Richard
13th-century births
13th-century rulers in Europe
14th-century rulers in Europe
1300s deaths
Baillis of the Principality of Achaea
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
Counts of Gravina
History of Corfu
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
13th-century people of the Principality of Achaea