Matilda of Hainaut

Coat of arms of the principality of Achaea.

Matilda of Hainaut (29 November 1293 – 1331) was the Princess of Achaea from 1313 to 1318.

From 1307, when Philip of Savoy relinquished his claim, to 1312, when Isabella of Villehardouin died, Achaea was disputed between two claimants: Isabella and Philip I of Taranto. In 1313, Philip granted it to Matilda, daughter of Isabella and her first husband Florent of Hainaut. On Isabella's death, however, Ferdinand of Majorca laid claim to the principality in right of his wife, Isabella of Sabran, the daughter of Isabella's younger sister Margaret of Villehardouin.

In 1299, while still a child, she had been married to Guy II de la Roche, Duke of Athens. Widowed in 1308, she remarried to Louis of Burgundy (1313), who held the titular dignity of the long-extinct Kingdom of Thessalonica. The marriage was intended to unite the Angevin and Burgundian houses. So was the betrothal of the Empress Catherine II to Hugh V of Burgundy, Louis's elder brother. However, Charles of Valois, Catherine's father, nixed the marriage and instead married her to Philip of Taranto. It was in an effort to compensate the Burgundians that Philip renounced his claim to Achaea in favour of Matilda and gave her hand to Louis.

The new couple quickly left for Greece to take possession of their fief, which was then occupied by their rival Ferdinand. At the Battle of Manolada on 5 July 1316, Ferdinand was vanquished and killed and Louis took control of the Elis. However, he was poisoned soon after, leaving a twice-widowed 23-year-old in charge of the Morea. It was soon disputed by the varying claimants and Matilda was solidly dispossessed of her fief by 1318, in which year John, Duke of Durazzo, an Angevin, abducted the princess and forced her to marry him. She did not give him children, however, and he repudiated her in 1321. Matilda married yet again to Hugh de La Palice and retired to Aversa, where she died in 1331.

References

• Grousset, René. L'Empire du Levant: Histoire de la Question d'Orient. 1949.
• Setton, Kenneth M. (1975). A History of the Crusades: Volume III — The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. 

This biographical article of a European noble is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: European nobility stubs 1293 births 1331 deaths House of Avesnes Princes of Achaea Medieval women 14th-century female rulers Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР? Jehiel ben Solomon Heilprin Sugar bowl (legal maxim) Look at other dictionaries: Matilda of Frisia — (died 1044) was the second wife and first Queen of Henry I, King of the Franks.[1] She was the daughter of Liudulf, Margrave of Frisia and Gertrude. Her date of birth is unknown. Matilda and Henry were married in 1043 after the death of his first …   Wikipedia Florent of Hainaut — (also Floris or Florence ; Hainaut, also spelled Hainault ) (c.1255 ndash; 23 January 1297) was Prince of Achaea from 1289 to his death, in right of his wife, Isabella of Villehardouin. He was the son of John I of Avesnes and Adelaide of Holland …   Wikipedia Philip I of Taranto — (November 10, 1278 – December 26 1331): of the Angevin house, was titular Emperor of Constantinople (as Philip II), despot of Epirus, King of Albania, Prince of Achaea and Taranto, and Lord of Durazzo.Born in Naples, Philip was a younger son of… …   Wikipedia List of female rulers and title holders — This is a list of female rulers and title holders who ruled or reigned over a political jurisdiction in their own right or by right of feudal inheritance.Each entry will contain the name and dates of reign (where available). Where necessary, the… …   Wikipedia Principality of Achaea — Infobox Former Country native name = Πριγκιπάτον Αχαϊας conventional long name = Principality of Achaea common name = Achaea| continent = Europe | region = Balkans | country = Greece era = Middle Ages status = Client state | status text= Client… …   Wikipedia Charles II of Naples — Charles II King of Naples Reign 7 January 1285 – 5 May 1309 Predecessor Charles I Successor Robert …   Wikipedia John, Duke of Durazzo — John of Gravina (1294 – April 5 1336), Count of Gravina 1315–1336, Duke of Durazzo 1332–1336 and ruler of the Kingdom of Albania (although he never used a royal title), was a younger son of Charles II of Naples and Maria of Hungary.He was a… …   Wikipedia Louis of Burgundy — Louis of Burgundy, Prince of Achaea and titular King of Thessalonica (1297 – August 2 1316) was a younger son of Robert II, Duke of Burgundy and Agnes of France.In 1313, he took part in a complex marriage pact designed to secure control by the… …   Wikipedia Isabella of Villehardouin — On 28 May 1271 Isabella married Philip of Sicily, son of Charles I of Sicily. This marriage had been pre determined by the Treaty of Viterbo in May 1267 between Charles, the exiled Baldwin II of Constantinople and Isabella s father. Taking… …   Wikipedia List of monarchs who lost their thrones in the 14th century — This is a list of monarchs who lost their thrones in the 14th century.Achaea* Philip I of Taranto, Prince of Achaea. Ceded Achaea to Matilda of Hainaut in 1313. Died 1331. * Matilda of Hainaut, Princess of Achaea. Deposed by John, Duke of Durazzo …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”