Stephen of Durazzo (born Stefano di Durazzo, later known as Estêvão de Nápoles in Portugal) (c.1320-1380) was an Italian
nobleman
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...
and
warrior
A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste.
History
Warriors seem to have been p ...
, the claimed youngest son of
John, Duke of Durazzo
John of Gravina (1294 – 5 April 1336), 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 (although he never used a royal title). He was t ...
, ruler of the
Kingdom of Albania Kingdom of Albania may refer to:
*Kingdom of Albania (medieval) — from the Capetian House of Anjou
*Albanian Kingdom (1928–1939) — from the House of Zogu
*Albanian Kingdom (1939–1943) — from the House of Savoy during the Italian occupati ...
, by his wife Agnés de Périgord and a grandson of king
Charles II of Naples
Charles II, also known as Charles the Lame (french: Charles le Boiteux; it, Carlo lo Zoppo; 1254 – 5 May 1309), was King of Naples, Count of Provence and Forcalquier (1285–1309), Prince of Achaea (1285–1289), and Count of Anjou and Maine ( ...
. But this is a posterior fabrication, as the origin of the surname de Nápoles, for there is no notice of any such legitimate or bastard son of a Prince of Naples. He moved to
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
as a
crusader, having fought the
Moors
The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a distinct or ...
alongside "his cousin" king
Afonso IV of Portugal
Afonso IVEnglish: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin). (; 8 February 129128 May 1357), called the Brave ( pt, o Bravo, links=no), was King ...
at the
battle of Salado, as mentioned in Duarte Nunes de Leão's ''Chronicles of the Kings of Portugal''. Known in Portugal as Estêvão de Nápoles (''Stephen of Naples''), he gave origin to the Portuguese family
Nápoles
Nápoles (Portuguese for ''Naples'') is the name of a Portuguese family whose roots lie in the Kingdom of Naples. A claimed secondary branch of the royal Capetian House of Anjou, of the kings of Naples, the Nápoles descend from Stephen of Durazz ...
, a false branch of the royal
Capetian House of Anjou-Naples.
Marriage and children
Stephen of Durazzo is known to have married in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, but his wife's name is not known. His only (known) son was
Leonardo Estêvão de Nápoles, although an unnamed daughter is sometimes referred.
See also
*
Nápoles
Nápoles (Portuguese for ''Naples'') is the name of a Portuguese family whose roots lie in the Kingdom of Naples. A claimed secondary branch of the royal Capetian House of Anjou, of the kings of Naples, the Nápoles descend from Stephen of Durazz ...
*
Duchy of Durazzo (Angevin)
The Kingdom of Albania (, lat, Regnum Albaniae) was established by Charles of Anjou in the Albanian territories he conquered from the Byzantine Empire in 1271, with the help of the local Albanian nobility. The Kingdom of Albania was declared in ...
*
Capetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou or House of Anjou-Sicily, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct French House of Capet, part of the Capetian dynasty. It is one of three separate royal houses referred to as ''Angevin'', meaning "from Anjou" ...
References
*Pereira Marques, António Augusto. ''Os Senhores das Honras de Molelos e o Asilo da Folhadosa''. Guarda, 1953; pp. 6-8.
*Nunes de Leão, Duarte. ''Crónicas dos Reis de Portugal''. Edited by M. Lopes de Almeida, Porto,
Lello & Irmão, 1975. p. 265
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durazzo, Stephen Of
Stephen
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...