Geoffrey II of Villehardouin (french: Geoffroi II de Villehardouin) (''c.'' 1195- after May 6, 1246) was the third

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 ...

(''c.'' 1229-1246).Longnon 1969, p. 242. From his accession to the princely throne, he was a powerful and respected person, and even French

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

s came to the principality to enter his service. Geoffrey II emerged as the most powerful vassal of the

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 Byzant ...

, the person around whom the crusaders' states in modern

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 ...

gradually regrouped themselves. He came to the rescue of the imperial capital three times. As a reward of his services to the Latin Empire, he was granted suzerainty over the island of

Euboea Evia (, ; el, Εύβοια ; grc, Εὔβοια ) or Euboia (, ) is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only at its narrowest poin ...

by his brother-in-law, Emperor

Baldwin II of Constantinople Baldwin II, also known as Baldwin of Courtenay (french: Baudouin de Courtenay; late 1217 – October 1273), was the last Latin Emperor ruling from Constantinople. Biography Baldwin II was born in Constantinople (the only Latin emperor to be bo ...

(1228–1261).Fine 1994, p. 614. He was also a humane prince, benevolent and just, solicitous for the condition of the common people.Longnon 1969, p. 243.

Early years

Geoffrey was born as the eldest son of

Geoffrey of Villehardouin Geoffrey of Villehardouin (c. 1150 – c. 1213) was a French knight and historian who participated in and chronicled the Fourth Crusade. He is considered one of the most important historians of the time period,Smalley, p. 131 best known for w ...

, a French knight from

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

and his wife, Elisabeth of Chappes. His father joined the Fourth Crusade in 1199, later conquered a significant part of the Peloponnese and seized the throne of the Principality of Achaea following the death of its first prince,

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

(1205–1209). The new prince summoned his wife from Champagne during the early period of his residence in the Peloponnese. She came with their young son, Geoffrey and the family took up its residence in the castles of La Crémonie (now Sparta, Greece) and

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 regi ...

. In 1217 the young Geoffrey married Agnes, the daughter of Emperor Peter I of Constantinople (1217).

His reign

Geoffrey II succeeded his father at the age of about 35. He lived in a noble style, keeping always at his court 80 knights with golden spurs, supported on his bounty. He began his reign during a very critical period in the history of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, because the fall of the

Kingdom of Thessalonica The Kingdom of Thessalonica () was a short-lived Crusader State founded after the Fourth Crusade over conquered Byzantine lands in Macedonia and Thessaly. History Background After the fall of Constantinople to the crusaders in 1204, Bonif ...

in 1224 had interposed formidable enemies between the capital of the empire on the one hand and the crusaders' states in the Peloponnese on the other.Setton 1976, p. 56. But the defeat of Emperor

Theodore Komnenos Doukas Theodore Komnenos Doukas ( el, Θεόδωρος Κομνηνὸς Δούκας, ''Theodōros Komnēnos Doukas'', Latinized as Theodore Comnenus Ducas, died 1253) was ruler of Epirus and Thessaly from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica and most ...

of Thessalonica (''c.'' 1225-1230) by Tzar Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria (1218–1241) at Klokotnitza in April, 1230 freed them from the dangers inherent in the great concentration of power in the hand of Theodore Komnenos Doukas. Living on good terms with his

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

neighbors, Geoffrey II assured the peace and prosperity of his principality. He frequently sent investigators to the courts of the barons to inform him of their way of life and of the manner in which they treated their vassals. His resources permitted him to send financial aid to his liege lord Emperor John I of Constantinople (1231–1237). In 1236 he intervened in person to succor Constantinople, besieged by the forces of the Greek Emperor John III Vatatzes of Nicaea (1222–1254). With a fleet manned by 100 knights, 300 crossbow-men, and 500 archers, he forced the blockade and then, in conjunction with the Venetians, Pisans, and Genoese, repulsed the Greek fleet and delivered the capital. In the same year, Count Maio I Orsini of Cephalonia (1194–1238) placed himself under Geoffrey II's suzerainty. In July 1237 he gave the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...

a hospital in Andravida. In 1238, uniting his ships with those of Venice, he again came to the rescue of Constantinople, once more besieged by the

emperor of Nicaea This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...

. In the following year, Geoffrey II wished to take part in the crusade of his overlord of France, Count

Theobald IV of Champagne Theobald I (french: Thibaut, es, Teobaldo; 30 May 1201 – 8 July 1253), also called the Troubadour and the Posthumous, was Count of Champagne (as Theobald IV) from birth and King of Navarre from 1234. He initiated the Barons' Crusade, was famous ...

(1201–1253), but

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...

ordered him to turn his forces against the Greek emperor in order to ensure the safety of Constantinople. On February 9, 1240, the pope granted him an indulgence to the effect that the vow he had made of going as a crusader to the Holy Land might be fulfilled, with all benefits, by rendering continued assistance to the beleaguered Latin Empire.Setton 1976, p. 63. In 1243, upon the false rumor of the death of his brother-in-law, Emperor

(1228–1261), Geoffrey II returned to the capital of the empire in order to secure the regency during the minority of his wife's nephew, Philip. Geoffrey II died in 1246 and was buried in his capital,

Andravida Andravida ( el, Ανδραβίδα, ) is a town and a former municipality in Elis, in the northwest of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is a ...

, in the church of the monastery of St. Jacob.

Footnotes

References

* * * *

External links

Finley jr, John H.: ''Corinth in the Middle Ages.'' Speculum, Vol. 7, No. 4. 1932, pp. 477-499.Tozer, H. F.: ''The Franks in the Peloponnese.'' The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 4. (1883), pp. 165-236.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geoffrey 02 Of Villehardouin 1195 births 1246 deaths Christians of the Crusades Villehardouin family Princes of Achaea Burials at the Church and Hospice of St. James (Andravida) 13th-century people of the Principality of Achaea

Early years

His reign

Footnotes

See also

References

External links