- Isabella of Villehardouin
.
On
28 May 1271 Isabella married Philip of Sicily, son ofCharles I of Sicily . This marriage had been pre-determined by theTreaty of Viterbo in May 1267 between Charles, the exiledBaldwin II of Constantinople and Isabella's father. Taking advantage of the precarious situation of the remains of theLatin Empire in the face of renascent Greek power, Charles gained suzerain rights over Achaea; furthermore, the heirs of Baldwin and William were to marry children of Charles, and Charles was to have the reversion of both the Empire and the Principality should the couples have no heirs.Philip became titular King of
Thessalonica in 1274, but he died on1 January 1277 , predeceasing his father. In line with the Treaty, on the death of Isabella's father William, in 1278, it was her father-in-law Charles who succeeded as Prince of Achaea.Charles died in 1285, to be succeeded by his son Charles II. In 1289, however, on Isabella's marriage to
Florent of Hainaut and on Charles II's accession as King of Sicily, he conferred on the couple the titles of Prince and Princess of Achaea, on condition that, if she survived her husband, she would not remarry without Charles II's consent. Florent and Isabella had one daughter, Matilda.As Prince, Florent negotiated the
Treaty of Glarentsa with theByzantine Empire in 1290. The peace lasted until 1293, when the Greeks retookKalamata ; Florent, however, persuadedMichael VIII Palaiologos to return it. In 1296, the Greeks retook thecastle of Saint George inArcadia . Florent laid siege to it, but died in 1298 before it could be taken.Isabella was married again in
Rome on12 February 1301 . Her third husband wasPhilip of Savoy, Lord of Piedmont , who now became Prince of Achaea in his turn. Philip aimed to reconquer the whole ofLacedaemonia from the Greeks. He was an authoritarian ruler and this put him at odds with the barons of his realm. He tried to placate the barons ofMorea , but was forced to accept aparliament in 1304. The Greek peasantry, crushed by taxes, then revolted in turn. In 1306 Philip and Isabella were summoned to Charles II's court at Naples. Philip was accused of disloyalty and failure to support Charles in a campaign against Epirus, and Isabella of failing to seek her suzerain's consent before marrying Philip. Charles deprived the two of Achaea and onMay 5 1306 bestowed it directly upon his sonPhilip I of Taranto (who thus became Philip II of Achaea). Philip of Savoy eventually relinquished his claim to Achaea onMay 11 1307 in exchange for the County of Alba. Isabella, separated herself from him and went to live in Hainaut, continuing to assert her right to the Principality.Isabella died on
23 January 1312 , after which Philip of Savoy remarried. On Philip of Taranto's death in 1313, Isabella's daughter by Florent, Matilda of Hainaut, became Princess of Achaea.External links
* [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/LATIN%20LORDSHIPS%20IN%20GREECE.htm Foundation for Medieval Genealogy Medlands Project]
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