Jean d'Eppe (c. 1240 – 12 November 1293), known in Italian as Giovanni d'Appia or Gianni d'Epa, was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

nobleman who served the Angevin dynasty of the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily (; ; ) was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula, Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in Kingdom of Africa, Northern Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was ...

and the

Papal State The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct Sovereignty, sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy fro ...

as a military commander and administrator. He was heavily involved in the conflict between

Guelphs The Guelphs and Ghibellines ( , ; ) were Political faction, factions supporting the Pope (Guelphs) and the Holy Roman Emperor (Ghibellines) in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th ...

, supporters of the Angevin claim to Sicily and of Papal claims in northern Italy, and the

Ghibellines The Guelphs and Ghibellines ( , ; ) were factions supporting the Pope (Guelphs) and the Holy Roman Emperor (Ghibellines) in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th and 13th centurie ...

, supporters of the

Staufer dynasty The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...

's claim to Sicily and of Imperial rights in northern Italy. Jean did not arrive in Sicily until the early 1270s, but he quickly acquired land and castles. Between 1274 and 1281, he served the Sicilian crown as a diplomatic and judicial agent before he was loaned out to the Papacy. Through a series of military campaigns in 1281–83, Jean helped secure Papal control over the

Romagna Romagna () is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy. Etymology The name ''Romagna'' originates from the Latin name ''Romania'', which originally ...

and Maritime Campania. In 1284, he returned to Sicily to assist the Angevins in the

War of the Sicilian Vespers The War of the Sicilian Vespers, also shortened to the War of the Vespers, was a conflict waged by several medieval European kingdoms over control of Sicily from 1282 to 1302. The war, which started with the revolt of the Sicilian Vespers, was ...

against the Aragonese, who were taking up the Staufer claim. He appears to have retired from public activities in 1285, but he returned to an active role in 1289. In 1292, he resigned abruptly and returned to France. Nothing is known of his last year, save that he died in his native village.

Move to Sicily

Jean was the second son of Guillaume, lord of the village of Eppes in northern France. His older brother, Laurent, inherited the lordship from their father. In 1270, Jean joined the

Eighth Crusade The Eighth Crusade was the second Crusade launched by Louis IX of France, this one against the Hafsid dynasty in Tunisia in 1270. It is also known as the Crusade of Louis IX Against Tunis or the Second Crusade of Louis. The Crusade did not see an ...

being organized by King

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis ...

against Hafsid Tunisia. It was probably during the crusade that Jean first met Louis IX's brother, King

Charles I of Sicily Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 and ...

. By 1274 he had settled in Charles' kingdom along with his younger brother Pierre. It is unknown when between 1270 and 1274 Jean moved to the Kingdom of Sicily, but by 1274 he had already acquired several royal

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

s. In the

Terra di Lavoro Terra di Lavoro (Liburia in Latin) is the name of a historical region of Southern Italy.Ambrisio,

Castrocielo Castrocielo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about southeast of Rome and about southeast of Frosinone. Castrocielo borders the following municipalities: Aquino, Colle San Magno, ...

Pescosolido Pescosolido (; locally ''Pesc'tësòllërë'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about east of Rome and about northeast of Frosinone. Pescosolido borders the following municipalitie ...

and

Vallecorsa Vallecorsa is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about southeast of Rome and about south of Frosinone, in the Monti Ausoni area. Economy is based on olive production. History The town ...

and the royal castle of

San Giovanni Incarico San Giovanni Incarico is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about southeast of Rome and about southeast of Frosinone. It is the site of the ancient Latin town of Fabrateria Nova. San Gio ...

. It seems that former holders of some of these fiefs did not relinquish them willingly to Jean, since on 23 August 1275 Charles I had to issue orders to the justiciar of Terra di Lavoro to investigate the illegal retention of fiefs. In the Principato, also on the mainland, Jean held the fief of

Campagna Campagna (Italian: ) is a small town and ''comune'' of the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of Southern Italy. Its population is 17,148. Its old Latin name was Civitas Campaniae (City of Campagna). Campagna is located in one of the ...

. All these fiefs earned him a total revenue of 160 ''

oncie In southern Italy, the ''oncia'' (plural ''oncie'' or ''once'') or ''onza'' (pl. ''onze'') was a unit of account during the Middle Ages and later a gold coin minted between 1732 and 1860. It was also minted in the southern Italian territories of t ...

'' per year.

Angevin agent

The first indication of Jean acting as an agent of the central government comes from August 1274. He and Raynald de Poncel conducted an investigation into the right of pasturage in the lands of

Buccino Buccino is a town and ''comune'' in Campania in Italy, in the province of Salerno, located about 700 m above sea level. Geography The municipality borders with Auletta, Colliano, Palomonte, Romagnano al Monte, Salvitelle, San Gregorio Magn ...

that was claimed by the villagers of nearby

Castel San Giorgio Castel San Giorgio (Campanian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. In 2011, it had a population of 13,411. History The town, founded in 1810 and located near the site of the ancien ...

. Buccino and its castle were at that time a fief held by Gautier de Sommereuse. In May 1279, Jean d'Eppe and Jean Toursevache were sent on a secret mission to France. Although the sources do not reveal the nature of this mission, it was probably to the court of Charles I's son and heir, Charles of Salerno, then acting as his father's vicar in the

County of Provence The County of Provence was a largely autonomous medieval state that eventually became incorporated into the Kingdom of France in 1481. For four centuries Provence was ruled by a series of counts that were vassals of the Carolingian Empire, Burg ...

. The two Jeans may have been arranging for the younger Charles to mediate in the ongoing war between France and Castile over

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

. Charles I was still holding the king of Castile's brother,

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

, a prisoner. In 1281, Charles of Salerno's son,

Charles Martel Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...

, the third in line to the Sicilian throne, married Clemence, daughter of King

Rudolf I of Germany Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany of the Habsburg dynasty from 1273 until his death. Rudolf's imperial election of 1273, election marked the end of the Interregnum (Holy Roman Empire), Great Interregnum whic ...

. Jean was a member of the escort that received Clemence in

Orvieto Orvieto () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy, situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are compl ...

on 22 March to conduct her back to Sicily. The party remained in Orvieto for some weeks, and were joined in April by the king of Sicily, the groom's grandfather. Orvieto had recently become the centre of the

Papal court The papal household or pontifical household (usually not capitalized in the media and other nonofficial use, ), called until 1968 the Papal Court (''Aula Pontificia''), consists of dignitaries who assist the pope in carrying out particular ceremon ...

, since the Romans refused to accept the election of a pro-Angevin pope. The recently elected

Martin IV Pope Martin IV (; born Simon de Brion; 1210/1220 – 28 March 1285), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1281 until his death in 1285. He was the last French pope to hold his court in Rome before ...

was widely considered an Angevin puppet. He was crowned pope in Orvieto on 23 March, with Jean d'Eppe in attendance. On 24 March, acting on the advice of the king of Sicily, Martin appointed Jean as his rector ''in temporalibus'' (i.e., secular governor) in the Papal lands of the Romagna. On 26 March, he was granted supreme military command in the Romagna as well, with the ranks of master of the army (''magister exercitus'') and captain-general and the title Count of Romagna (''comes Romandiolae'').Augusto Vasina
"Giovanni d'Appia"
'' Enciclopedia Dantesca'' (Rome: 1970).

Papal rector of the Romagna

Campaign of 1281

Jean's first task as Papal rector was to subdue the strongholds of

Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...

and

Cesena Cesena (; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy; and - with Forlì - is the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena. Served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine M ...

, which were being defended by Guido da Montefeltro. To cover his personal expenses, Charles I authorized him to impose an extraordinary tax on his vassals in the Sicilian kingdom. By 6 June 1281, Jean had assembled an army of 3,400 at

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

. This included 800 men from France. The rest were drawn from the Papal State and from the Guelph parties in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

and the

March of Ancona The March of Ancona ( or ''Anconetana'') was a frontier march centred on the city of Ancona and later Fermo then Macerata in the Middle Ages. Its name is preserved as an Italian region today, the Marche, and it corresponds to almost the entir ...

. The Guelphs of Romagna under Taddeo da Montefeltro were also represented. Entering the Romagna, he took

Faenza Faenza (, ; ; or ; ) is an Italian city and comune of 59,063 inhabitants in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated southeast of Bologna. Faenza is home to a historical manufacture of majolica-ware glazed earthenware pottery, known ...

by bribing the local commander, Tebaldello Zambrasi. He also received the support of the lords of

Modigliana Modigliana () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Forlì-Cesena in the Italy, Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southwest of Forlì. The toponym derives from (Castrum) ''Mutilum'', meaning � ...

and Castrocaro. Following these quick successes, Jean sent messages to the city of Forlì, ordering them to throw out Guido and his supporters, and to Guido, offering to let him go if he would promise to leave the Romagna. These messages were ignored and Jean marched on Forlì. He camped at Villanova just outside the city and plundered the countryside from 22 until 27 June. He made several attempts to take the city by force, but all failed and he suffered such severe losses that he brought the entire army back to Faenza. Joined by Archbishop Bonifacio Fieschi of Ravenna and Guido da Polenta, lord of Ravenna, he then attacked the castle of Traversara. It resisted and on 8 July the army retreated again. Following these failures, Jean asked Charles of Anjou to intervene with Martin IV to get him released from his command. Charles refused. On 4 September, he again attacked Forlì. On 16 September, Martin ordered

Malatesta da Verucchio Malatesta da Verucchio (1212–1312) was the founder of the powerful Italian Malatesta family and a notable ''condottiero.'' He was born in Verucchio. He was the son of Malatesta della Penna (1183–1248). Biography He was the leader of the Guelp ...

, lord of

Rimini Rimini ( , ; or ; ) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Sprawling along the Adriatic Sea, Rimini is situated at a strategically-important north-south passage along the coast at the southern tip of the Po Valley. It is ...

, to submit to Jean's authority and send him military reinforcements. On 17 September, Jean's troops plundered the villages of San Martino in Strada and Ponte di Ronco. Forlì continued to hold out against attack and on 19 September, Jean retreated again. On 2 October, Martin ordered him to reduce his troops to the level necessary only for defending his gains. Before this was done, Jean launched one last unsuccessful attack on Forlì on 18 October. Following this, the infantry was sent back to Bologna, while cavalry was used to plunder of the suburbs of Cesena before the onset of winter. In a letter of 29 October, the pope congratulated Jean on his great "victory" at Cesena.

Campaign of 1282

In early 1282, Jean d'Eppe assembled a new army at Bologna composed of 1,700 Frenchmen sent by Charles of Anjou, 1,300 Bolognese and 500 soldiers from the Papal State. The French troops, however, made excessive demands on the Papal finances and the pope asked Charles to recall them on 3 March. On 16 March, the pope excommunicated Guido da Montefeltro and the other Ghibelline leaders in the Romagna. For this second campaign, Guido's cousin, Taddeo da Montefeltro, was Jean's captain-general.Larner, ''Lords of Romagna'', pp. 46–47. On 30 April, some conspirators in Forlì offered to turn the city over to Jean, who immediately marched his men from Faenza to Forlì. Arriving the following day, he found that the conspiracy had been uncovered and the traitors arrested. Nonetheless, Jean launched an assault on the city. The main troops easily breached the outer wall. While they plundered the suburbs, Guido sent a small force out a gate on the opposite side of the city. In an ambush, this force overcame Jean's rearguard and surprised the main force. After a bloody battle, Jean was forced to retreat to Faenza. The defeat at Forlì (1 May 1282), coming just a month after the

Sicilian Vespers The Sicilian Vespers (; ) was a successful rebellion on the island of Sicily that broke out at Easter 1282 against the rule of the French-born king Charles I of Anjou. Since taking control of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1266, the Capetian House ...

(30 March), was a great blow to Guelph morale. It was Jean's first defeat in the field (his other defeats having come against city walls). In response, he sent letters to the pope, to King Charles and to King

Philip III of France Philip III (1 May 1245 – 5 October 1285), called the Bold (), was King of France from 1270 until his death in 1285. His father, Louis IX, died in Tunis during the Eighth Crusade. Philip, who was accompanying him, returned to France and wa ...

requesting more troops. Charles, for his part, asked the pope to release his troops from Jean's army and send them to Sicily, where Charles needed them. The pope, however, refused. Reinforced, Jean besieged the castle of

Meldola Meldola () is a town and ''comune'' near Forlì, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. History The area of Meldola has been inhabited since very ancient times. The ancient Rome, Romans built here a large aqueduct (still existing under the ground) which serve ...

to the south of Forlì on 6 August. The goal of the siege of Meldola was to cut off Forlì from its supplies, but Jean was unable to cut off Meldola from being resupplied from Forlì. In late November he called off the siege and on 9 December the pope ordered him to reduce his troops to just 300 Frenchmen and 200 Italians. The second campaigning season had ended in failure.

Parliament of 1283

At the start of 1283, Jean adopted a different approach to reducing Ghibelline resistance in the Romagna. In February, he convoked a general parliament of the province at

Imola Imola (; or ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical region Romagna ...

. There, in the presence of the spiritual rector (''rector in spritualibus''),

Guillaume Durand Guillaume Durand, or William Durand (c. 1230 – 1 November 1296), also known as Durandus, Duranti or Durantis, from the Italian form of Durandi filius, as he sometimes signed himself, was a French canonist and liturgical writer, and Bishop o ...

, and other provincial magnates, he promulgated a new provincial constitution of forty articles, the ''Constitutiones Romandiole'', on 13 February. This document was apparently drafted in haste and without Papal approval. On 11 March, Martin IV removed Jean from his post and, on 23 March, he invalidated the parliament and the ''Constitutiones''. Jean's successor as rector was Guy de Montfort, who had already been acting as Jean's captain-general. The ''Constitutiones'', which were Jean's initiative, guaranteed all the immunities and liberties of the church, exempted all clergy from taxation, nullified all oaths of vassallage sworn to cities in rebellion (like Cesena and Forlì) and forbade anyone from trading or contracting with rebels. They also dealt with criminal prosecutions and appeals. They had an immediate effect on the Ghibelline opposition. In March, the city of

Cervia Cervia () is a seaside resort town in the province of Ravenna, located in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Cervia is a major seaside resort in Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Its population was 28,983 at the 2023 census. It is mainly ...

surrendered, paid an indemnity of 1,600

florins The Florentine florin was a gold coin (in Italian ''Fiorino d'oro'') struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains () of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a pu ...

and had its castle razed. Jean was still at the head of troops, awaiting the arrival of his replacement, when Forlì surrendered on 28 May. Its fortifications were razed. In June, Jean accepted the surrender of Cesena. His ultimate success as rector came not from his military ability but from his skillful political and diplomatic isolation of his opponents. The city of Forlì was under intermittent siege from 1281 until 1283.

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

in his '' Inferno'' made an oblique reference to it as ''la terra che fé già la lunga prova / e di Franceschi sanguinoso mucchio'' ("the city that underwent the long trial and made a bloody heap of the French").From the translation of Robert M. Durling, ''The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri, Volume 1: Inferno'' (Oxford University Press, 1996), p. 419. Dante does not name the French leader (Jean), and although he places Guido da Montefeltro in the eighth '' bolgia'' of Hell, he was opposed to the French influence over the Papacy that came to a head under Martin IV.

Captain-General in Maritime Campania

On 27 June 1283, perhaps surprised by Jean's victories after his dismissal, Martin IV appointed him rector ''in temporalibus'' of the city of

Urbino Urbino ( , ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, southwest of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially und ...

and its diocese. Whether he ever took up his post in Urbino is unknown. In the spring, Charles of Anjou, now fighting an Aragonese invasion of

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

, had requested that his troops in Jean's service be returned to him. Martin IV ignored this request until the Romagna was securely pacified. On 13 September 1283, he finally granted Jean permission to go with his men to the defence of Calabria. He quickly changed his mind, however. On 23 October 1283, he appointed Jean captain-general of the Papal forces in Maritime Campania. Jean's task was to subdue the city of

Frosinone Frosinone (; local dialect: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lazio, administrative seat of the province of Frosinone. It is about southeast of Rome, close to the Rome-Naples A1 Motorway. The city is the main city of th ...

, which had elected its own rector, Adinolfo di Mattia d'Anagni, to a term of twenty-five years without Papal approval. On 7 November, the

syndic ''Syndic'' (; Greek: ) is a term applied in certain countries to an officer of government with varying powers, and secondly to a representative or delegate of a university, institution or other corporation, entrusted with special functions or p ...

s of the city surrendered. Before the end of the year, Jean had destroyed Adinolfo's main castle at

Montelanico Montelanico is a (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region of Latium, located about southeast of Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is ...

. In early March 1284, the last stronghold of Adinolfo's supporters, Zancati, surrendered. Jean had probably wrapped up campaigning by the start of May.

War of the Vespers

Under Charles I

On 5 May 1284, Martin IV granted Jean his permission (''placet'') to take his troops into the Kingdom of Sicily. This is the last document to name Jean as captain-general in Maritime Campania. On 8 May, Charles of Salerno (acting as regent for his father since 12 January 1283) agreed to pay Jean's troops the same rates they had received from the Papacy. He also offered them three months' pay in advance. The army entered Sicily almost immediately, but as their advance was not forthcoming they turned around and were back in Maritime Campania by 16 May. Jean, however, as a vassal of the King of Sicily was called for service and he returned to Sicily on 18 May. Before leaving, he released his troops from service. Jean remained in Sicilian service until the death of Charles of Anjou released him on 7 January 1285. He had held high office during this period on account of the vacancies that had been created by the Aragonese defeat of the Angevins at the

Battle of the Gulf of Naples The Battle of the Gulf of Naples was a naval engagement during the War of the Sicilian Vespers. Fought on 5 June 1284 in the south of the Gulf of Naples, the battle saw an Aragonese–Sicilian fleet commanded by Roger of Lauria defeat a Angevi ...

(5 June 1284), where many men of high rank, including Charles of Salerno, had been taken as prisoner. Jean had returned to Papal service by February 1285. The death of Charles provided an opportunity for one of his old foes,

Conrad of Antioch Conrad of Antioch (; born 1240/41, died after 1312) was a scion of an illegitimate branch of the imperial Staufer dynasty and a nobleman of the Kingdom of Sicily. He was the eldest son of Frederick of Antioch, imperial vicar of Tuscany, and Margher ...

, a member of Staufer ruling house supported by Aragon, to invade the

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

from Papal territory, where he held Anticoli. On 3 February 1285, Martin IV charged Jean d'Eppe, along with Giacomo Cantelmo and Amiel d'Agoult, the co-justiciars of the Abruzzo, with repelling Conrad's invasion. The details of the campaign are scarce, but before the end of the year Conrad had submitted to Martin's successor,

Honorius IV Pope Honorius IV (born Giacomo Savelli; — 3 April 1287) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 April 1285 to his death on 3 April 1287. His election followed the death of Pope Martin IV and was notable for its spe ...

Under Charles II

On the elder Charles's death, the younger Charles was still a prisoner of the Aragonese. Sicily was thus placed under the regency of Cardinal Gerardo Bianchi and Count

Robert of Artois Robert I (25 September 1216 – 8 February 1250), called the Good, was the first Count of Artois. He was the fifth (and second surviving) son of King Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile. Life He received Artois as an appanage, in accordan ...

. There is no evidence that Jean worked for the regents in any capacity: his name does not once appear in an official document from this period. Only with the liberation of Charles of Salerno (now Charles II) in the spring of 1289 did Jean d'Eppe hold a public office again. On 27 August 1289, Charles appointed him and Anselme de Chevreuse in charge of arrangements for the knighting ceremony of the king's son, Charles Martel, which took place on 8 September. Charles II granted Jean the fiefs of

Sarno Sarno is a town and ''comune'' and former Latin Catholic bishopric of Campania, Italy, in the province of Salerno, 20 km northeast from the city of Salerno and 60 km east of Naples by the main railway. Overview It lies at the foo ...

and Roseto and named him Captain-General of the Principato. In this capacity, it was his job to defend the coast from attacks by the Aragonese fleet and '' almogàver'' raids. On 2 August 1290, while Charles II was visiting Provence, he was summoned by the regents, Robert of Artois and Charles Martel, to attend a parliament at

Eboli Eboli (Neapolitan language, Ebolitano: ) is a town and ''comune'' of Campania, southern Italy, in the province of Salerno. Eboli, an agricultural centre, is renowned for its olive oil and dairy products, most notably the famous buffalo mozzarel ...

on 25 August. They're a series of ''capitula et statuta super regimine regni'' ("articles and statutes for the governance of the kingdom") were enacted. Jean was removed from his post in the Principato, but on 26 September he was sent along with Raynaut Gaulart and Count

Hugh of Brienne Hugh, Count of Brienne and Lecce ( 1240 – 9 August 1296) was the second surviving son of Count Walter IV of Brienne and Marie de Lusignan of Cyprus. Life His father, Count of Jaffa and Ascalon in Palestine, was murdered in 1244 in Cairo, ...

to collect the '' subventio generalis'' (general subvention) and the '' adhoamentum'' (feudal relief) in

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

, and to investigate the behaviour of Apulian officials to ensure compliance with the new ''capitula et statuta''. Jean was still overseeing the implementation of the decisions of the parliament of Eboli in Apulia during the first days of March 1291. On 7 March, however, he was ordered to transport 100 ''salme'' of grain from the house of the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

Barletta Barletta (; Salentino: ''Varrétte'' or ''Barlétte'') is a city and ''comune'' in Apulia, in southeastern Italy. Barletta is the '' capoluogo'', together with Andria and Trani, of the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. It has a population of a ...

across the sea to

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

. This done, on 16 April 1291, he was made Captain-General of the Terra di Lavoro and the

Duchy of Amalfi The Duchy of Amalfi () or the Republic of Amalfi was a '' de facto'' independent state centered on the Southern Italian city of Amalfi during the 10th and 11th centuries. The city and its territory were originally part of the larger Duchy of Na ...

. In this capacity, in the spring of 1292, he reinforced the garrisons of the castles under his command and brought their pay up to date, actions which required him to levy 120 ''oncie'' from the justiciar, Louis de Mons. In August 1292, he arranged an attack on Aragonese-occupied

Castellabate Castellabate ( Cilentan: ''Castiellabbate'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is one of ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). History The area has been inhabited since Up ...

, ultimately carried out by Tommaso di Sanseverino.

Retirement and death

Jean's last appearance in a Sicilian document is dated 10 August 1292. He was by that time the

seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

of the kingdom and still Captain-General of the Terra di Lavoro and Amalfi. Shortly, therefore, for reasons unknown, he returned to France. By 19 June 1293, he had been replaced as seneschal by one Jean Scot. He died in his native village on 12 November, as attested by his tombstone in the Abbey of Saint-Vincent de Laon. His son, also named Jean, succeeded him in his fiefs in the Kingdom of Sicily.Robert Wyard, ''Histoire de l'abbaye Saint Vincent à Laon'' (Saint-Quentin: 1858), pp. 262–65. His lengthy

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...

verse epitaph, now destroyed,D. A. Trotter, ''Medieval French Literature and the Crusades (1100–1300)'' (Geneva: Droz, 1987), p. 215. read in part: The epitaph goes on to compare Jean favourably with Roland and Oliver (paladin), Oliver, heroes of the Matter of France. The necrology of the abbey indicates by his title, "lord of Eppes" (''dominus de Appia''), that he succeeded his brother at some point. He left 21 ''

livres Livre may refer to: Currency * French livre, one of a number of obsolete units of currency of France * Livre tournois, one particular obsolete unit of currency of France * Livre parisis, another particular obsolete unit of currency of France * F ...

'' to the abbey for a mass to be sung on the anniversary of his death and 40 ''livres'' for an annual mass for both him and his father to be sung "in low voice" (''submissa voce'').