William of Champlitte
Encyclopedia
William I of Champlitte (1160s-1209) was a French
knight
who joined the Fourth Crusade
and became the first prince of Achaea (1205–1209).
and his wife, Sybille. He married first Alais, the lady of Meursault
. With the consent of his wife, he donated property to the Cistercian abbey of Auberive
for the soul of his younger brother, Hugh in 1196. He later married Elisabeth of Mount-Saint-Jean, but they divorced in 1199.
William and his brother, Odo II of Champlitte joined the Fourth Crusade in September 1200 at Cîteaux
. William was one of the crusader leaders who signed the letter written in April 1203 by Counts Baldwin IX of Flanders, Louis I of Blois and Chartres
and Hugh IV of Saint Pol to Pope Innocent III
who had excommunicated the whole expedition after the occupation of Zara
(now Zadar
, Croatia
). They begged the pope not to chastise Marques Boniface I of Montferrat, the leader of the crusade who had, in order to preserve the integrity of the expedition, withheld the publication of the papal bull
of anathema.
The crusaders took Constantinople
on April 13, 1204. They gave the imperial throne to Baldwin IX of Flanders who was ceremoniously crowned on May 16, 1204. But William of Champlitte joined to Boniface of Montferrat who became king of Thessalonica under the new emperor. According to a treaty concluded by all the leaders of the Fourth Crusade, the Republic of Venice
received title to occupy, among other territories, the whole Peloponnese
(in modern Greece
).
, one of William of Champlitte’s old friends arrived to the camp of Boniface I of Thessalonica at Nauplia (now Nafplion, Greece). He had earlier occupied some parts of Messenia
and now persuaded the king that even though the northeastern part of the Peloponnese was offering resistance the rest of the peninsula could easily be conquered. Geoffrey also offered to share the territory with William. Boniface I thereupon appointed William to hold the Peloponnese as a fief from him. Geoffrey of Villehardouin then paid homage to William and the two, with one hundred knights given them by the king plus each leader’s own personal retinue, set off to conquer the rest of the peninsula.
From Nauplia William and Geoffrey of Villehardouin made their way north to Corinth
, and thence along the coast of the gulf to Patras
, where they took the city and the castle too. They continued down the coast to Andravida
, where the local archons and the populace came out to meet them, priests carrying the cross and icons. The Greeks
made obeisance to William as their new ruler. The fall of Andravida also meant the easy occupation of Elis
. Wherever William met no resistance, he recognized the rights of the Greeks to their lands, customs, and privileges.
The conquerors met their first serious obstacle in Arcadia
, at the fortress of Kyparissia
, which they were not prepared to take. The crusaders continued to Modon
(now Methoni, Greece), but the natives of Nikli, Veligosti
, and Sparta
, together with some of the Slavs
of Mount Taygetus and the mountaineers of Maina, formed an army in order to oppose their advance. The resistance was soon joined by a certain Michael who is identified by most scholars by Michael I Komnenos Doukas
, who had made himself ruler of Epirus
(1205–1215). William quickly fortified Modon and prepared to meet the Greeks. The battle which decided the future of Achaea was fought in an olive grove called Koundoura
in the summer of 1205. Here the well-armed and well-disciplined crusaders won an overwhelming victory over the much more numerous Greek forces. Michael fled from the battle-field and William in short time occupied Coron
(now Koroni, Greece), Kalamata
and Kyparissia.
Although the peninsula had not been entirely overrun, for example Leo Sgouros
still held out in Acrocorinth
, Argos
, and Nauplia, but by the fall of 1205 William had assumed the title of Prince of Achaea. The name was derived from the region of Achaea
in the northwestern part of the peninsula, one of the first regions the crusaders had subdued. The Achaea in the prince’s title, however, was to refer to the whole Peloponnese. On November 19, 1205 Pope Innocent III, in a letter to Thomas Morosini
, the new Latin Patriarch of Constantinople
, referred to William as princeps totius Achaiae provinciae (‘prince of all Achaea province’).
However, the Venetians, in order to secure control of the key ports between Italy
and Constantinople, demanded that their rights granted to them by the partition treaty of 1204 be recognized. Early in 1206 they occupied Modon and Coron, expelling the Frankish garrisons.
In 1208 William learned of the death of his brother Louis in Burgundy
and decided to return home to France
to claim the family lands. He left Geoffrey of Villehardouin as acting bailiff
to administer Achaea until William’s nephew named Hugh should arrive to replace Geoffrey of Villehardouin as bailiff. William, however, died en route home in Apulia
.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
who joined the Fourth Crusade
Fourth 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...
and became the first prince of Achaea (1205–1209).
Early years and the Fourth Crusade
William was the second son of Odo I of Champlitte, viscount of DijonDijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
and his wife, Sybille. He married first Alais, the lady of Meursault
Meursault
-See also:* Communes of the Côte-d'Or département* Route des Grands Crus* French wine-External links:* * In French.* * In French....
. With the consent of his wife, he donated property to the Cistercian abbey of Auberive
Auberive
Auberive is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in Champagne-Ardenne region in north-eastern France.-Geography:The Aujon flows westward through the north-eastern part of the commune....
for the soul of his younger brother, Hugh in 1196. He later married Elisabeth of Mount-Saint-Jean, but they divorced in 1199.
William and his brother, Odo II of Champlitte joined the Fourth Crusade in September 1200 at Cîteaux
Cîteaux Abbey
Cîteaux Abbey is a Roman Catholic abbey located in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, south of Dijon, France. Today it belongs to the Trappists, or Cistercians of the Strict Observance . The Cistercian order takes its name from this mother house of Cîteaux, earlier Cisteaux, near Nuits-Saint-Georges...
. William was one of the crusader leaders who signed the letter written in April 1203 by Counts Baldwin IX of Flanders, Louis I of Blois and Chartres
Louis I, Count of Blois
Louis I of Blois was count of Blois from 1191 to 1205. He was the son of Theobald V and Alix of France. His maternal grandparents were Louis VII of France and his first wife Eleanor of Aquitaine....
and Hugh IV of Saint Pol to Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
who had excommunicated the whole expedition after the occupation of Zara
Siege of Zara
The Siege of Zara or Siege of Zadar was the first major action of the Fourth Crusade and the first attack against a Catholic city by Catholic crusaders...
(now Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
). They begged the pope not to chastise Marques Boniface I of Montferrat, the leader of the crusade who had, in order to preserve the integrity of the expedition, withheld the publication of the papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
of anathema.
The crusaders took Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
on April 13, 1204. They gave the imperial throne to Baldwin IX of Flanders who was ceremoniously crowned on May 16, 1204. But William of Champlitte joined to Boniface of Montferrat who became king of Thessalonica under the new emperor. According to a treaty concluded by all the leaders of the Fourth Crusade, 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...
received title to occupy, among other territories, the whole 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...
(in modern Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
).
Foundation of the Principality of Achaea
Early in 1205 Geoffrey of VillehardouinGeoffrey I of Villehardouin
Geoffrey I of Villehardouin was a French knight from the County of Champagne who joined the Fourth Crusade. He participated in the conquest of the Peloponnese and became the second prince of Achaea ....
, one of William of Champlitte’s old friends arrived to the camp of Boniface I of Thessalonica at Nauplia (now Nafplion, Greece). He had earlier occupied some parts of Messenia
Messenia
Messenia is a regional unit in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, one of 13 regions into which Greece has been divided by the Kallikratis plan, implemented 1 January 2011...
and now persuaded the king that even though the northeastern part of the Peloponnese was offering resistance the rest of the peninsula could easily be conquered. Geoffrey also offered to share the territory with William. Boniface I thereupon appointed William to hold the Peloponnese as a fief from him. Geoffrey of Villehardouin then paid homage to William and the two, with one hundred knights given them by the king plus each leader’s own personal retinue, set off to conquer the rest of the peninsula.
From Nauplia William and Geoffrey of Villehardouin made their way north to Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
, and thence along the coast of the gulf to Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
, where they took the city and the castle too. They continued down the coast to Andravida
Andravida
Andravída is a town and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is a municipal unit. Its population is about 4,300. Distance from Patras is around 63 km SW and 33 km NW of...
, where the local archons and the populace came out to meet them, priests carrying the cross and icons. The Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
made obeisance to William as their new ruler. The fall of Andravida also meant the easy occupation of Elis
Elis
Elis, or Eleia is an ancient district that corresponds with the modern Elis peripheral unit...
. Wherever William met no resistance, he recognized the rights of the Greeks to their lands, customs, and privileges.
The conquerors met their first serious obstacle in Arcadia
Arcadia
Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan...
, at the fortress of Kyparissia
Kyparissia, Arcadia
Kyparissia is a Greek village in the west-southwest of Arcadia. Kyparissia is in the municipal unit of Gortyna. Kyparissia is connected with the road linking the GR-76 and the Megalopoli-Lykaio Road, several earthened roads and trails are nearby...
, which they were not prepared to take. The crusaders continued to Modon
Methoni, Messenia
Methoni is a village and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is a municipal unit. Its name may be derived from Mothona, a mythical rock. It is located 11 km south of Pylos and...
(now Methoni, Greece), but the natives of Nikli, 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 Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
, together with some of the Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
of Mount Taygetus and the mountaineers of Maina, formed an army in order to oppose their advance. The resistance was soon joined by a certain Michael who is identified by most scholars by Michael I Komnenos Doukas
Michael I Komnenos Doukas
Michael I Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas , often inaccurately called Michael Angelos , was the founder and first ruler of the principality of Epirus from 1205 until his death in 1215.-Life:...
, who had made himself ruler of Epirus
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...
(1205–1215). William quickly fortified Modon and prepared to meet the Greeks. The battle which decided the future of Achaea was fought in an olive grove called Koundoura
Battle of the Olive Grove of Koundouros
The Battle of the Olive Grove of Koundouros or Koundouras took place in the spring of 1205, in Messinia, Peloponnese, between the Franks and the Greeks, resulting in a victory of the Frankish knights and the collapse of the local resistance....
in the summer of 1205. Here the well-armed and well-disciplined crusaders won an overwhelming victory over the much more numerous Greek forces. Michael fled from the battle-field and William in short time occupied Coron
Koroni
Koroni or Coroni is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is a municipal unit. Known as Corone by the Venetians and Ottomans, the town of Koroni Koroni or Coroni is a...
(now Koroni, Greece), Kalamata
Kalamata
Kalamata is the second-largest city of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The capital and chief port of the Messenia prefecture, it lies along the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf...
and Kyparissia.
Although the peninsula had not been entirely overrun, for example Leo Sgouros
Leo Sgouros
Leo Sgouros was a Greek independent lord in the northeastern Peloponnese in the early 13th century. The scion of the magnate Sgouros family, he succeeded his father as hereditary lord in the region of Nauplia...
still held out in Acrocorinth
Acrocorinth
Acrocorinth , "Upper Corinth", the acropolis of ancient Corinth, is a monolithic rock overseeing the ancient city of Corinth, Greece. "It is the most impressive of the acropoleis of mainland Greece," in the estimation of George Forrest. Acrocorinth was continuously occupied from archaic times to...
, Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
, and Nauplia, but by the fall of 1205 William had assumed the title of Prince of Achaea. The name was derived from the region of Achaea
Achaea
Achaea is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Greece. It is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The capital is Patras. The population exceeds 300,000 since 2001.-Geography:...
in the northwestern part of the peninsula, one of the first regions the crusaders had subdued. The Achaea in the prince’s title, however, was to refer to the whole Peloponnese. On November 19, 1205 Pope Innocent III, in a letter to Thomas Morosini
Thomas Morosini
Thomas Morosini was the first Latin Patriarch of Constantinople, from 1204 to his death in July 1211. Morosini, then a sub-deacon, was elected patriarch by the Venetians immediately after the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade and the establishment of the Latin Empire...
, the new Latin Patriarch of Constantinople
Latin Patriarch of Constantinople
The Latin Patriarch of Constantinople was an office established as a result of Crusader activity in the Near East. The title should not be confused with that of the Patriarch of Constantinople, an office which existed before and after....
, referred to William as princeps totius Achaiae provinciae (‘prince of all Achaea province’).
However, the Venetians, in order to secure control of the key ports between Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Constantinople, demanded that their rights granted to them by the partition treaty of 1204 be recognized. Early in 1206 they occupied Modon and Coron, expelling the Frankish garrisons.
In 1208 William learned of the death of his brother Louis in Burgundy
Duchy of Burgundy
The Duchy of Burgundy , was heir to an ancient and prestigious reputation and a large division of the lands of the Second Kingdom of Burgundy and in its own right was one of the geographically larger ducal territories in the emergence of Early Modern Europe from Medieval Europe.Even in that...
and decided to return home to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to claim the family lands. He left Geoffrey of Villehardouin as acting bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
to administer Achaea until William’s nephew named Hugh should arrive to replace Geoffrey of Villehardouin as bailiff. William, however, died en route home in Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
.
See also
- Fourth CrusadeFourth CrusadeThe 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...
- Principality of AchaeaPrincipality of AchaeaThe 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...
- Battle of the Olive Grove of KoundourosBattle of the Olive Grove of KoundourosThe Battle of the Olive Grove of Koundouros or Koundouras took place in the spring of 1205, in Messinia, Peloponnese, between the Franks and the Greeks, resulting in a victory of the Frankish knights and the collapse of the local resistance....
Further reading
- Finley Jr, John H. "Corinth in the Middle Ages." Speculum, Vol. 7, No. 4. (Oct., 1932), pp. 477–499.
- Tozer, H. F. "The Franks in the Peloponnese." The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 4. (1883), pp. 165–236.