Robert II of Taranto (1319 or early winter 1326 – 10 September 1364
[Peter Lock, ''The Franks in the Aegean: 1204-1500'', (Routledge, 1988), 129.]), of the
Angevin family,
Prince of Taranto
The Principality of Taranto was a state in southern Italy created in 1088 for Bohemond I of Antioch, 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 success ...
(1331–1346),
King of Albania
While the medieval Angevin Kingdom of Albania was a monarchy, it did not encompass fully the entirety of the modern state of Albania and was ended soon by the Albanian nobles by 1282 when they understood that the Angevin king was not going to keep ...
(1331–1364),
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 ...
(1332–1346), and titular
Latin Emperor
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 ...
(1343 or 1346 – 1364).
He was the oldest surviving son 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 Acha ...
(1278–1331) and Empress
Catherine II of Valois.
In 1332, as a result of an exchange with his uncle
John of Gravina
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 ...
, Robert became Prince of Achaea.
Because of his youth, authority was effectively exercised by his mother Catherine II of Valois until her death in 1346. At that point Robert inherited the throne of the Latin Empire, and was recognized as emperor by the Latin states of
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 with ...
. His actual power, such as it was, remained based upon his authority as prince of Achaea. In
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, on 9 September 1347 he married
Marie of Bourbon, the daughter of
Louis I, Duke of Bourbon
Louis I, called the Lame (1279 – 22 January 1341) was a French '' prince du sang'', Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis and La Marche and the first Duke of Bourbon, as well as briefly the titular King of Thessalonica from 1320 to 1321.
Life
...
Constable of Cyprus The Kingdom of Cyprus, as an offshoot of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, maintained many of the same offices, such as: seneschal, constable, marshal, admiral, Chamberlain, and chancellor.
The Officers of the Kingdom of Cyprus from its founding were:
...
, but the marriage was childless. When he died on 10 October 1364, his widow attempted to keep the principality for herself and her son from her previous marriage. However, Robert's younger brother
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 ...
succeeded as the legitimate heir. He died in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
and was buried there.
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Robert, Prince of Taranto
14th-century births
1364 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
14th-century Latin Emperors of Constantinople
House of Anjou-Taranto
Princes of Achaea
Princes of Taranto
Albanian monarchs
County palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos