War of the Euboeote Succession
Encyclopedia
The War of the Euboeote Succession was fought in 1256–1258 between the Prince of Achaea
, William II of Villehardouin
, and a broad coalition of other rulers from throughout Frankish Greece who felt threatened by William's aspirations. The war was sparked by William's attempt to gain control of a third of the island of Euboea
, which was resisted by the local Lombard
barons ("terciers" or "triarchs") with the aid of the Republic of Venice
. The Lord of Athens and Thebes
, Guy I de la Roche
, also entered the war against William, along with other barons of Central Greece
. Their defeat at the Battle of Karydi in May/June 1258 effectively brought the war to an end in an Achaean victory, although a definite peace treaty was not concluded until 1262.
, southern Greece
had been divided among several Latin lordships, the most powerful of which was the Principality of Achaea
, which controlled the entire Peloponnese
peninsula. William II of Villehardouin
, who in 1246 had succeeded his brother as prince, was a most energetic ruler, who aimed to expand and consolidate his rule over the other Latin states. Already Guy I de la Roche
, the "Great Lord" of Athens and Thebes, was his vassal for the fief of Argos and Nauplia
, which lay in the Peloponnese, and suzerain of the three Lombard baronies (terzieri
, "thirds") of Negroponte
(the medieval name of both the island of Euboea
and its capital, Chalkis).
In 1255, William's second wife, Carintana dalle Carceri, baroness of the northern third of the island, died, and her husband laid claim to her inheritance, even minting coins presenting himself as "Triarch of Negroponte". The other two triarchs however, Guglielmo I da Verona and Narzotto dalle Carceri, rejected his claim. Although they were William's nominal subjects and, in Guglielmo's case, even related to him by marriage, they were loath to surrender Euboeote territory to someone outside their own families. Instead, they ceded Carintana's barony to their kinsman, Grapella dalle Carceri. In this they were supported by Paolo Gradenigo, the Venetian
bailo at Chalkis, the capital of Euboea. Venice had a long presence at Chalkis, which was an important trading station, and exercised considerable influence over the island and the triarchs.
, and of extensive lands on the island. The triarchs and their domains were freed from any duties and the considerable tribute that they paid to Venice until then, but in turn, they gave up the rights to all customs revenue to the Republic. Venice also received further concessions, such as the right to regulate the weights, measures and scales for all Euboea, and privileges for its citizens. Soon after however, according to the historian Marino Sanudo
, William called upon Guglielmo and Narzotto to present themselves to him. Constrained by their feudal oaths of fealty, they did so and were imprisoned by the Achaean prince. The triarchs' wives, accompanied by many knights and other kinsmen, then went to Marco Gradenigo, the newly arrived bailo, and beseeched his aid. "Moved alike by policy and sympathy", as William Miller states, Gradenigo assented.
William, moving quickly in support of his own claims, had already seized Chalkis. Gradenigo and his Venetians attacked and took the city, but William responded by sending his nephew the baron of Karytaina
, Geoffroy de Bruyères, who recaptured Chalkis and launched devastating raids in Euboea. Venice then laid siege to the city, which dragged on for thirteen months until its defenders capitulated in early 1258. An Achaean counterattack was repulsed by Venetian infantry sallying forth and defeating the famed Achaean cavalry before the city's walls.
, for support. Based at Monemvasia
, Genoese-crewed galleys prayed upon Venetian shipping, and Othon de Cicon, the lord of Karystos
, in control of the strategic passage of the Cavo D'Oro, also sided with him. Elsewhere however, William's appeals were met with hostility and mistrust, due to the Achaean ruler's claims of suzerainty over all the Latin princes of southern Greece. Already from the summer of 1256, Guy I de la Roche, the "Great Lord" of Athens and Thebes, and his brother William, had joined the Venetian camp, although they were both vassals to the Villehardouins (Guy as Lord of Argos and Nauplia
and his brother as baron of Veligosti
and Damala
): the treaty between Venice and the triarchs had been signed at Guy's capital, Thebes
, while both Guy and William actively aided the Venetians in their siege of Chalkis. Thomas II de Stromoncourt, the Lord of Salona
, and Ubertino Pallavicini
, the Margrave of Bodonitsa, also entered in the anti-Achaean coalition, to be joined soon after by none other than Geoffroy de Bruyères, who deserted his uncle's cause.
William of Villehardouin responded by launching a full-scale invasion of the de la Roche domains. His army crossed the Isthmus of Corinth
, and at the pass of Mt Karydi, on the way from Megara
to Thebes, his army decisively defeated the coalition army. Guy de la Roche and the other barons fled the field and found refuge in the citadel of Thebes. William of Villehardouin followed after them and prepared to lay siege to the city, but relented after the Latin archbishop and many of his own nobles pleaded to show restraint and end the conflict. After extracting a pledge by Guy de la Roche to appear before the Achaean High Court, the assembly of the Achaean barons, and be judged, William's troops withdrew.
The High Court quickly assembled at Nikli. Guy de la Roche presented himself before it accompanied by his own knights, but the assembled barons decided that they did not have the authority to judge him, and referred the matter to King Louis IX of France
. Guy travelled to France in 1259, but Louis not only pardoned him, but awarded him the title of Duke
, which he was to bear thereafter. The renegade Geoffroy de Bruyères too was brought for judgment before William, and it was only the determined and passionate intercession of the other barons that saved his life and secured a pardon from the vengeful prince.
, thus brought an effective end to the conflict; on 6 August 1258, Guglielmo da Verona and Narzotto dalle Carceri consented to begin negotiations for peace through the Doge of Venice
, and in early 1259, the Doge authorized the new bailo, Andrea Barozzi, to sign a treaty with William. But due to William's subsequent involvement in the great Epirote
-Achaean-Sicilian
alliance against the Empire of Nicaea
, his defeat and capture at the Battle of Pelagonia
and his captivity at the hands of the Nicaean emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos
, a final peace treaty was delayed until William's release in 1262. The treaty, signed at the residence residence of the Archbishop of Thebes, essentially restored the status quo ante
: William recognized Guglielmo, Narzotto and Grapella as triarchs, and they in turn swore their allegiance to him. The fortress of Chalkis was razed, but Venice retained and even increased its quarter in the city, as well as retaining its exclusive right to levy customs in Euboea, except for the triarchs, the Prince and their agents. Thus Venice retained some of its 1256 gains, but overall the treaty was regarded as a setback, in view of the considerable expenses incurred. For some time afterwards, Venice was content to exercise her financial privileges, and refrained from meddling with the island's politics.
Principality of Achaea
The Principality of Achaea or of the 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 of Thessalonica, along with the Duchy of Athens, until Thessalonica...
, William II of Villehardouin
William II of Villehardouin
William II of Villehardouin, was the last Villehardouin prince of Achaea and ruled the principality at the height of its power and influence.William was the son of Geoffrey I Villehardouin...
, and a broad coalition of other rulers from throughout Frankish Greece who felt threatened by William's aspirations. The war was sparked by William's attempt to gain control of a third of the island of Euboea
Euboea
Euboea is the second largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. In general outline it is a long and narrow, seahorse-shaped island; it is about long, and varies in breadth from to...
, which was resisted by the local Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
barons ("terciers" or "triarchs") with the aid of the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
. The Lord of Athens and Thebes
Duchy of Athens
The Duchy of Athens was one of the Crusader States set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade, encompassing the regions of Attica and Boeotia, and surviving until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century....
, Guy I de la Roche
Guy I de la Roche
Guy I de la Roche was the Duke of Athens , the nephew and successor of the first duke Otto. After the conquest of Thebes, Otto gave half the city in lordship to Guy....
, also entered the war against William, along with other barons of Central Greece
Central Greece
Continental Greece or Central Greece , colloquially known as Roúmeli , is a geographical region of Greece. Its territory is divided into the administrative regions of Central Greece, Attica, and part of West Greece...
. Their defeat at the Battle of Karydi in May/June 1258 effectively brought the war to an end in an Achaean victory, although a definite peace treaty was not concluded until 1262.
Background
Following the Fourth CrusadeFourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, southern Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
had been divided among several Latin lordships, the most powerful of which was the Principality of Achaea
Principality of Achaea
The Principality of Achaea or of the 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 of Thessalonica, along with the Duchy of Athens, until Thessalonica...
, which controlled the entire Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
peninsula. William II of Villehardouin
William II of Villehardouin
William II of Villehardouin, was the last Villehardouin prince of Achaea and ruled the principality at the height of its power and influence.William was the son of Geoffrey I Villehardouin...
, who in 1246 had succeeded his brother as prince, was a most energetic ruler, who aimed to expand and consolidate his rule over the other Latin states. Already Guy I de la Roche
Guy I de la Roche
Guy I de la Roche was the Duke of Athens , the nephew and successor of the first duke Otto. After the conquest of Thebes, Otto gave half the city in lordship to Guy....
, the "Great Lord" of Athens and Thebes, was his vassal for the fief of Argos and Nauplia
Argos and Nauplia
During the late Middle Ages, the two cities of Argos and Nauplia formed a separate Lordship within the Frankish Principality of Achaea in southern Greece....
, which lay in the Peloponnese, and suzerain of the three Lombard baronies (terzieri
Terziere
A terziere is a subdivision of several towns in Italy. The word derives from terzo, meaning "third"; and is thus used only for towns divided into three neighborhoods...
, "thirds") of Negroponte
Lordship of Negroponte
The Lordship of Negroponte was a crusader state established on the island of Euboea after the partition of the Byzantine Empire following the Fourth Crusade. Partitioned into three baronies run by a few interrelated Lombard families, the island soon fell under the influence of the Republic of...
(the medieval name of both the island of Euboea
Euboea
Euboea is the second largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. In general outline it is a long and narrow, seahorse-shaped island; it is about long, and varies in breadth from to...
and its capital, Chalkis).
In 1255, William's second wife, Carintana dalle Carceri, baroness of the northern third of the island, died, and her husband laid claim to her inheritance, even minting coins presenting himself as "Triarch of Negroponte". The other two triarchs however, Guglielmo I da Verona and Narzotto dalle Carceri, rejected his claim. Although they were William's nominal subjects and, in Guglielmo's case, even related to him by marriage, they were loath to surrender Euboeote territory to someone outside their own families. Instead, they ceded Carintana's barony to their kinsman, Grapella dalle Carceri. In this they were supported by Paolo Gradenigo, the Venetian
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
bailo at Chalkis, the capital of Euboea. Venice had a long presence at Chalkis, which was an important trading station, and exercised considerable influence over the island and the triarchs.
Contest for Chalkis
On 14 June 1256, a treaty was signed between the Lombard triarchs and Gradenigo on 14 June 1256. In exchange for the Venetian alliance against Achaea, the triarchs renewed their previous agreements, ceded possession of the fortress of Chalkis, which controlled the bridge over the Euripus StraitEuripus Strait
The Euripus Strait , is a narrow channel of water separating the Greek island of Euboea in the Aegean Sea from Boeotia in mainland Greece. The strait's principal port is Chalcis on Euboea, located at the strait's narrowest point....
, and of extensive lands on the island. The triarchs and their domains were freed from any duties and the considerable tribute that they paid to Venice until then, but in turn, they gave up the rights to all customs revenue to the Republic. Venice also received further concessions, such as the right to regulate the weights, measures and scales for all Euboea, and privileges for its citizens. Soon after however, according to the historian Marino Sanudo
Marino Sanuto the Elder
Marino Sanuto or Sanudo the Elder of Torcello was a Venetian statesman and geographer.He is best known for his life-long attempts to revive the crusading spirit and movement; with this object he wrote his great work, the Secreta Fidelium Crucis, otherwise called Historia Hierosolymitana, Liber de...
, William called upon Guglielmo and Narzotto to present themselves to him. Constrained by their feudal oaths of fealty, they did so and were imprisoned by the Achaean prince. The triarchs' wives, accompanied by many knights and other kinsmen, then went to Marco Gradenigo, the newly arrived bailo, and beseeched his aid. "Moved alike by policy and sympathy", as William Miller states, Gradenigo assented.
William, moving quickly in support of his own claims, had already seized Chalkis. Gradenigo and his Venetians attacked and took the city, but William responded by sending his nephew the baron of Karytaina
Karytaina
Karytaina is a village in Arcadia, Greece. It was the seat of the former municipality Gortyna. Karytaina had a 2001 population of 204 for the village and 257 for the municipal district...
, Geoffroy de Bruyères, who recaptured Chalkis and launched devastating raids in Euboea. Venice then laid siege to the city, which dragged on for thirteen months until its defenders capitulated in early 1258. An Achaean counterattack was repulsed by Venetian infantry sallying forth and defeating the famed Achaean cavalry before the city's walls.
The anti-Achaean league and the battle of Karydi
Faced with the opposition of Venice, William of Villehardouin turned to her rival, GenoaRepublic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
, for support. Based at Monemvasia
Monemvasia
Monemvasia is a town and a municipality in Laconia, Greece. The town is located on a small peninsula off the east coast of the Peloponnese. The peninsula is linked to the mainland by a short causeway 200m in length. Its area consists mostly of a large plateau some 100 metres above sea level, up to...
, Genoese-crewed galleys prayed upon Venetian shipping, and Othon de Cicon, the lord of Karystos
Karystos
Karystos is a small coastal town on the Greek island of Euboea. It has about 7,000 inhabitants. It lies 129 km south of Chalkis. From Athens it is accessible by ferry via Marmari from the Rafina port...
, in control of the strategic passage of the Cavo D'Oro, also sided with him. Elsewhere however, William's appeals were met with hostility and mistrust, due to the Achaean ruler's claims of suzerainty over all the Latin princes of southern Greece. Already from the summer of 1256, Guy I de la Roche, the "Great Lord" of Athens and Thebes, and his brother William, had joined the Venetian camp, although they were both vassals to the Villehardouins (Guy as Lord of Argos and Nauplia
Argos and Nauplia
During the late Middle Ages, the two cities of Argos and Nauplia formed a separate Lordship within the Frankish Principality of Achaea in southern Greece....
and his brother as baron of Veligosti
Veligosti
Veligosti is a Greek settlement located around 12 km south of Megalopoli, 3 km SSE from the nearest interchange with the GR-7/E65 , about 48 km northeast of Kalamata, about 4 km west of Leontari and about 40 km west-southwest of Tripoli. Veligosti is also in the...
and Damala
Troezen
Troezen is a small town and a former municipality in the northeastern Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Troizinia, of which it is a municipal unit....
): the treaty between Venice and the triarchs had been signed at Guy's capital, Thebes
Thebes, Greece
Thebes is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. It played an important role in Greek myth, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and others...
, while both Guy and William actively aided the Venetians in their siege of Chalkis. Thomas II de Stromoncourt, the Lord of Salona
Lordship of Salona
The Lordship of Salona, after 1318 the County of Salona, was a Crusader state established after the Fourth Crusade in Central Greece, around the town of Salona .- History :...
, and Ubertino Pallavicini
Ubertino Pallavicini
Ubertino Pallavicini was the son and successor of Guy as Margrave of Bodonitsa in 1237.Despite the fact that, since the fall of the Kingdom of Thessalonica in 1224, Bodonitsa was a vassal of the Principality of Achaea, Ubertino assisted his cousin Guy de la Roche, Duke of Athens, in war against...
, the Margrave of Bodonitsa, also entered in the anti-Achaean coalition, to be joined soon after by none other than Geoffroy de Bruyères, who deserted his uncle's cause.
William of Villehardouin responded by launching a full-scale invasion of the de la Roche domains. His army crossed the Isthmus of Corinth
Isthmus of Corinth
The Isthmus of Corinth is the narrow land bridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the rest of the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. The word "isthmus" comes from the Ancient Greek word for "neck" and refers to the narrowness of the land. The Isthmus was known in the ancient...
, and at the pass of Mt Karydi, on the way from Megara
Megara
Megara is an ancient city in Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by Athens. Megara was one of the four districts of Attica, embodied in the four mythic sons of King...
to Thebes, his army decisively defeated the coalition army. Guy de la Roche and the other barons fled the field and found refuge in the citadel of Thebes. William of Villehardouin followed after them and prepared to lay siege to the city, but relented after the Latin archbishop and many of his own nobles pleaded to show restraint and end the conflict. After extracting a pledge by Guy de la Roche to appear before the Achaean High Court, the assembly of the Achaean barons, and be judged, William's troops withdrew.
The High Court quickly assembled at Nikli. Guy de la Roche presented himself before it accompanied by his own knights, but the assembled barons decided that they did not have the authority to judge him, and referred the matter to King Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
. Guy travelled to France in 1259, but Louis not only pardoned him, but awarded him the title of Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
, which he was to bear thereafter. The renegade Geoffroy de Bruyères too was brought for judgment before William, and it was only the determined and passionate intercession of the other barons that saved his life and secured a pardon from the vengeful prince.
Aftermath
William's victory at Karydi, coupled with a victory of his troops against the Venetians near OreoiOreoi
Oreoi is a village and a former municipality in Euboea, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Istiaia-Aidipsos, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 3,392 . It is the home of a large marble statue of a bull from a funerary monument of the 4th century...
, thus brought an effective end to the conflict; on 6 August 1258, Guglielmo da Verona and Narzotto dalle Carceri consented to begin negotiations for peace through the Doge of Venice
Doge of Venice
The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...
, and in early 1259, the Doge authorized the new bailo, Andrea Barozzi, to sign a treaty with William. But due to William's subsequent involvement in the great Epirote
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond...
-Achaean-Sicilian
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
alliance against the Empire of Nicaea
Empire of Nicaea
The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade...
, his defeat and capture at the Battle of Pelagonia
Battle of Pelagonia
The Battle of Pelagonia took place in September of 1259, between the Empire of Nicaea and the Despotate of Epirus, Sicily and the Principality of Achaea...
and his captivity at the hands of the Nicaean emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos
Michael VIII Palaiologos
Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus reigned as Byzantine Emperor 1259–1282. Michael VIII was the founder of the Palaiologan dynasty that would rule the Byzantine Empire until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453...
, a final peace treaty was delayed until William's release in 1262. The treaty, signed at the residence residence of the Archbishop of Thebes, essentially restored the status quo ante
Status quo
Statu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...
: William recognized Guglielmo, Narzotto and Grapella as triarchs, and they in turn swore their allegiance to him. The fortress of Chalkis was razed, but Venice retained and even increased its quarter in the city, as well as retaining its exclusive right to levy customs in Euboea, except for the triarchs, the Prince and their agents. Thus Venice retained some of its 1256 gains, but overall the treaty was regarded as a setback, in view of the considerable expenses incurred. For some time afterwards, Venice was content to exercise her financial privileges, and refrained from meddling with the island's politics.