James of Baux or James of Les Bauxfrench: Jacques des Baux, it, Giacomo or ''Jacopo del Balzo'' (died 17 July 1383) was the

Latin Emperor of Constantinople The Latin Emperor was the ruler of the Latin Empire, the historiographical convention for the Crusader realm, established in Constantinople after the Fourth Crusade (1204) and lasting until the city was recovered by the Byzantine Greeks in 1261 ...

from 1374 to 1383. He was the last Latin emperor to govern any imperial territory. James belonged to the noble

House of Baux The House of Baux is a French noble family from the south of France. It was one of the richest and most powerful families of Medieval Provence, known as the 'Race d’Aiglon'. They were independent Lords as castellans of Les Baux and Arles and wi ...

, specifically the branch settled in the Kingdom of Naples. He was the son of Francis, Duke of Andria, and Margaret, daughter of Prince

Philip I of Taranto Philip I of Taranto (10 November 1278 – 26 December 1331), of the Angevin house, was titular Latin Emperor of Constantinople (as Philip II) by right of his wife Catherine of Valois–Courtenay, Despot of Romania, King of Albania, Prince of A ...

and his second wife, the Empress

Catherine II , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

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 ...

. His mother's brother was Prince

Philip II of Taranto Philip II (1329 – 25 November 1373) of the Angevin house, was Prince of Achaea and Taranto, and titular Latin Emperor of Constantinople (as Philip III) from 1364 to his death in 1373. He was the son of Philip I of Taranto and Catherine ...

. In 1373, the childless Philip declared his nephew his universal heir. He thus stood to inherit the

Principality of Taranto The Principality of Taranto was a state in southern Italy created in 1088 for Bohemond I, eldest son of Robert Guiscard, as part of the peace between him and his younger brother Roger Borsa after a dispute over the succession to the Duchy of Ap ...

in the Neapolitan kingdom, and 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 ...

in Greece, as well as a claim on the Latin Empire. On the death of Philip II of Taranto in 1374, most of the barons in the principality of Achaea recognized as his heir Queen

Joanna I of Naples Joanna I, also known as Johanna I ( it, Giovanna I; December 1325 – 27 July 1382), was Queen of Naples, and Countess of Provence and Forcalquier from 1343 to 1382; she was also Princess of Achaea from 1373 to 1381. Joanna was the eldest ...

. She in turn confiscated all the Italian possessions of Francis and James of Baux and banished them from the kingdom. James took refuge in Corfu, while his father fled to Papal Avignon. In 1376 or 1377, Joanna leased the principality of Achaea to the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

for five years at four thousands

ducats The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained ...

a year. Philip II's relatives put forward a rival candidate in James of Baux. James met with some success in 1380 but did not have complete control until Joanna's death in 1382, when he became the only legitimate claimant to Achaea. In his attempt to reclaim his inheritance, James hired the services of the

Navarrese Company The Navarrese Company ( es, Compañía navarra; eu, Nafarroako konpainia) was a company of mercenaries, mostly from Navarre and Gascony, which fought in Greece during the late 14th century and early 15th century, in the twilight of Frankish power ...

, which had originally been hired by the Hospitallers, with whom James was at war. James was now taking the titles " Despot of Romania" and "Prince of Taranto and Achaea". The Navarrese conquered much of

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 ...

and the towns of

Androusa Androusa ( el, Ανδρούσα) is a village and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Messini, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an are ...

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 ...

for James, but he did not enjoy this principality long. Early in 1382, James married Agnes, the widow of

Cansignorio della Scala Cansignorio della Scala (5 March 1340 – 19 October 1375) was Lord of Verona from 1359 until 1375, initially together with his brother Paolo Alboino. Biography He inherited the lordship of Verona at the death of his father Mastino, together wit ...

, lord of Verona. She was a daughter of Duke Charles of Durazzo and older sister of Margaret, the wife of

Charles III of Naples Charles the Short or Charles of Durazzo (1345 – 24 February 1386) was King of Naples and the titular King of Jerusalem from 1382 to 1386 as Charles II, and King of Hungary from 1385 to 1386 as Charles II. In 1381, Charles created the chivalr ...

. She was also (from her mother's side) a niece of Queen

. Her marriage to James was intended to solidify his alliance with Charles III. It was childless.

Notes

References

* * * * * * , - , - {{Use dmy dates, date=January 2012 1383 deaths 14th-century Latin Emperors of Constantinople Princes of Achaea Princes of Taranto Year of birth unknown House of Baux