The Principality of Achaia

History

Heraldry

The Despotate of Morea

History

Heraldry

The Principality of Achaia / Morea

History

After the Fourth Crusade (1204) the Peloponnesos was given by Boniface de Monferrat as a fief to William de  Champlitte. After he had returned to France in 1209 it was governed by his bailiff Geoffrey de Villehardouin. Geoffrey succeeded to prevent William to come back in time to effectuate his claim and in 1210 was proclaimed Prince of Morea by the nobles instead. The same year he was recognized by pope Innocentius III who used the name Achaia for the territory. From this time the names Achaia and Morea were used at random for it.

The Villardouin family has ruled the principality for more than a century. In 1311 the last Villehardouin, Isabella, died. Her daughter, Mahaut of Avesnes was deprived of all her rights on the principality by king Robert of Sicily. She died 1331 in prison. 

After the disappearance of Mahaut the Anjou-family took possession of the principality. After the death of the last Anjou-ruler Philip of Anjou-Tarente in 1373 his nephew James de Baux succeeded him but the Achaian nobility elected Joan of Naples as its princess. She gave the principality as a fief to her husband Otto of Brunswick who mortgaged it to the Order of St. John for 4000 ducats a year. The Order however,

commanded by its grandmaster Juan Fernandez de Heredia, did not succeed to conquer the mercenaries of James de Baux.

After the death of Jacques de Baux (†1383) the adopted son of Joan of Naples, Louis d’Anjou  inherited his titles. Apart of him Louis de Bourbon, Charles III of Durazzo and Amadéus de Savoie claimed the title but none succeeded to effectuate his claims. The principality remained in the hands of the generals of Jacques de Baux. One of them, Peter de St. Supéran proclaimed himself prince in 1396 and was recognized pro-forma by king Ladislas of Naples. In 1402 he was succeeded by his colleague Centurione II Zaccaria who was recognized on 20 April 1404. In 1415 he had to pay tribute to Theodore II Paleologus of Mistra but he could maintain his position until he gave it as a dowry to his daughter Catharine when she married Thomas Paleologus in 1430. This was the end of Frankish presence in Achaia.

Heraldry

The Square Cross

Photo Henk Tijhof 2009

Two templon-screen slabs in Mistra

Almost everywhere in mediaeval Europe, the symbol of Christian administration was a square cross. Achaia / Morea was not an exception to this rule. Square crosses could be found, amongst others, on the templon-screens in orthodox churches. Two of them are preserved in Mistra and they are said to have been reused for a sarcophagus, probably for one of the princes of Achaia or a member of his family. [1] We may suppose that the slabs were removed from the orthodox church when the citadel of Mistra was build in 1248-’49. The crosses are of a form somewhat in between a cross patée and a cross moline. The cross on the arms of the Villehardouin princes of Morea is evidently inspired by these crosses.

Godefroid I de Villehardouin

1209-1229

Seal: Arms: A cross moline of peculiar form. L.: X sigill gosfridi de vilardvin (Sturdza p. 557).

Sigillant : Geoffroi de Villehardouin  maréchal de Romanie et de Champagne

Légende : + SIGILLVM GAVFRIDI DE V(i)LLAHARDVINI

écu à la croix recercelée, au franc quartier chargé d'un écu au lion

Représentation : héraldique  Sceau Empreinte originale d. 47 mm  Cire brune

Provenance : ADA 22 H 376 Cote moulage : Ch 149

Isabelle de Villehardouin                 

1277-1285

[1] ¥ 1271 Philippe d’ Anjou (bro of Charles II of Naples)

† 1277

1277 ca Seal: The princess, standing upright, in her left hand three leaves of shamrock, above her head two shields: [Or], a cross moline [Sable]. L.: S : ISABELLE : P ZIPISSE : ACHAYE. [2]                        

The coat of arms of Morea is said to have been Argent, a cross moline Sable with the legend: le p’nce de la moree. [3] It is documented by Camden Roll (1280 ca),  n° D 54: “Prince de la Morree, l’escu d’or od un fer de molyn de sable”. [4]

Charles II d’Anjou

1285-1289

In the time he bore the title of Prince of Morea he was emprisoned in Rieti and could not effectuate his claim to the throne of Naples after the death of his father Charles I in 1285. In this period of his life he may have borne the arms of Anjou: Azure, strewn with fleurs-de-lys Or, a label of three Gules.

Isabelle de Villehardouin

1289-1311

[2] ∞ 1289 Florent d’Avesnes

1289-1297

Before his marriage with Isabelle he was Governor of Zeeland and Lord of the city of Schiedam. After his departure to Naples he was made Connetable of Naples.

On his seals he bears: Or, a lion rampant Sable and a bend compony Argent and Gules. [5]

Seal and counterseal of Florent de Hainaut-Avesnes, 1286

Equestrian seal: Knight on horseback,. Arms: [Or} a lion rampant [Sable] and a bend compony [Gules and Argent]. Crest: An eagle [Sable]. L.: É SIGILLUM FLORENTII D[E H-YN]ONIA MILITES.

Counterseal: Arms and crest: as before. L.: SIGILLUM SECRETI.

[3] ¥ 1301 Philippe de Savoie         

*1278-†1334

Seals of the prince of Achaia «maritale nomine» Philip of  Savoie, third husband of Isabelle. [6]

Equestrian seal: A: [Gules,] a Cross [Argent] and a bendlet [Azure]. On the aillettes a cross. L.: S : PHILI  [    ] BAVDIA • MILITIP NUIPIS • ACHAYE.

Counterseal: Arms: A cross and a bendlet. L.:  SPHILI CSABAVDIA MILI  †

Philippe I de Tarente

* 1278 ca-† 1331

[1] ∞ 1294 Thamar Angelos Komnenos, heiress of Epirus † 1309

Despot of Romania 1294

Prince of Morea 1307-1313

[2] ¥ 1313 Catherine de Valois, Empress 1307-1346

Titulary Emperor of Constantinople 1313-1331

The arms of Philip, second son of Charles II, King of Naples, are a difference of the arms of his father by adding a bend Argent.

Seal and arms of Philip I of Tarente  [7]

In his career he also parted his arms with the arms of his wife. The arms of Thamar were: Gules, a two-headed eagle Or. The arms of Catherine as an empress were: Gules, a cross, in every quarter a cross within a roundle between four crosslets Or.

Mahaut d’Avesnes (daughter of Isabelle de Villehardouin and Florent d’Avesnes)

† 1331

1313-1322

[1] ∞ 1305 Guy II de la Roche

[2] ∞1311 Louis de Bourgogne

1313-1316

Seals and arms of Louis de Bourgogne, 1313 ca

Equestrian seal: A: Bendy of six Azure and Or, a bordure Gules (Bourgogne). C.: Dragon. The horse-clothes of the arms, on the head of the horse Or, a cross patéeSable, and the dragon-crest. X s ‘ LVDOVICI • DE  • BVRGVNDIE PRINCIPIS ACHAYE

Counter seal: A.: Bendy of six Azure and Or, a bordure Gules (Bourgogne), and a canton Or, a cross Sable. L.: X s ‘ LVDOVICI • DE  • BVRGVNDIE PRINCIPIS ACHAY.

[3] ∞ 1318 Jean d’Anjou count of Gravina

1318-1333

The coat of arms of Jean d’Anjou-Gravina, third son of Charles II of Naples, is in the Armorial de Gelre with the legend: Htoge vā Durays. [8] Here the arms are

Arms: Azure strewn with fleurs de lys Or a bordure compony Gules and Argent

Foto H.d.V

These arms are also on the tomb of his granddaughter Margherite  (†1412)  in the church of S. Chiara in Naples, made by Baboccio da Piperno in commission of her son King Ladislas of Naples. It shows:

Arms: Azure, semée with fleurs-de-lys Or, a lambel of three Gules and a bordure compony Gules and Argent.

Catherine de Valois (widow of Philip I of Tarente)

1333-1346

The arms of Catherine de Valois are not known but the arms of her father were: Azure, strewn with fleurs-de-lys Or, a bordure Gules. The arms of her mother were: Gules, a cross, in every quarter a cross within a roundle between four crosslets Or.

Robert d’Anjou-Tarente (3rd son of  Philip I)

1346-1364

Marie de Bourbon (widow of Robert)

1364-1370

Philippe II d’Anjou-Tarente (4th son of Philip I)

1370-1373

Achievement of  Robert of Anjou-Tarente in Elbasan and a reconstruction of his arms

The arms of these three rulers may have been parted per pale of Courtenay-Constantinople and Anjou-Tarente. A coat of arms with this parti is in the church of St. Wladimir near Elbasan (on the road from Durazzo to Salonika) The achievement, in the style of the latter half of the 14th century is:

Arms: Parted per pale of Courtenay-Constantinople and Anjou Tarente.

Crest: On a helmet, lambrequined Azure, strewn with fleurs-de-lys Or, a crowned lion sejant upholding three ostrich-feathers.

This achievement may have been of Robert but it remains to be explained why the stone came to be erected in the centre of Albania. [9]

The father of Mary of Bourbon, Louis I, the Great, first Duke of Bourbon, bore: Azure, strewn with fleurs de lys Or, a bend Gules.

Jeanne I d’Anjou, Queen of Naples

1373-1381

Jeanne I bore, as a queen of Naples, the blason of her grandfather Robert, viz. parted per pale of Jeruzalem and France. On a portrait of hers she is dressed in a coat of arms of the blason of Jeruzalem. On her goldcoins she is sitting on her throne, a strewn with fleurs-de-lys as a background.

The arms of Brunswick were: Gules, two lions passant guardant Or.

The arms of the Order of St. John of Jeruzalem were: Gules, a cross Argent.

The arms of its Grandmaster Juan de Heredia were: Gules, seven castles Or.

Jacques de Baux

1380-1383

The arms of Jacques de Baux are on his tomb in the chuch of S. Cataldo in Tarente. They are:

Arms: Tierced per pale of Anjou Tarente, De Baux and Romania. [10]

Amédé de Savoie-Piemonte

Pretender 1368 -1391

 Recognized 1391-1402

The achievement of Amadeus of Savoie-Piemonte was:

Arms: Gules, a cross Argent and a bendlet Azure.

Crest: On a helmet lambrequined Gules, strewn with crosslets Argent, a lion issuant Or. [11].

Pierre de St. Superan

1396/1402

N.N.

Centurione II Zaccaria

1402-1430

The arms of Centurione II Zaccaria were Quarterly Gules and Or. [12]

The Despotate of Morea

History

William de Villehardouin transformed the settlement of Misithra into a citadel in the winter of 1248-’49. In 1259, he lost the Battle of Pelagonia against the Byzantine regent Michael VIII Palaeologus. William was forced to ransom himself by giving up most of the eastern part of Morea and his newly built strongholds. The surrendered territory became the nucleus of the Despotate of Morea.

The Byzantine emperor John VI Kantakouzenos (1347-’54), reorganized the territory in 1349 century to establish it as an appanage for his son Manuel Kantakouzenos. The rival Palaiologos dynasty seized Morea after Manuel's death in 1380, with Theodore I Palaiologos becoming despot in 1383. Theodore ruled until 1407, consoli dating Byzantine rule and coming to

terms with his more powerful neighbours -  particularly the expansionist Ottoman Empire, whose suzerainty he recognised.

Subsequent despots were the sons of the Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, brother of the despot Theodore II: Constantine, Demetrios, and Thomas. As Latin power in the Peloponnese waned during the 15th century, the Despotate of the Morea expanded to incorporate the entire peninsula in 1430 with territory being acquired through dowry settlements, and the fall of Patras to Constantine. However, in 1446 the Ottoman Sultan Murad II destroyed the Byzantine defences on the Hexamilion wall at the Isthmus of Corinth. His attack opened the peninsula to invasion, though Murad died before he could exploit this. His successor Mehmed II “the Conqueror” captured the Byzantine capital Constantinople in 1453. The despots, Demetrios and Thomas, brothers of the last emperor, failed to send him any aid. Their own incompetence at rule led to an Albanian-Greek revolt against them, when they invited in Ottoman troops to help them put down the revolt. After more years of incompetent rule on the part of the despots, their failure to pay their annual tribute to the Sultan, and finally their own revolt against Ottoman rule, Mehmed came into Morea in May 1460. By the end of the summer he had achieved the submission of all Byzantine-held cities. The only non-Ottoman territories were held by Venice: the port cities of Modon and Koroni at the southern tip of the Morea, and the Argolid with Argos and the port of Nauplion. Monemvasia subsequently surrendered itself to Venice at the beginning of the 1463-1479 Ottoman-Venetian war.

The Peloponnesos remained under Ottoman rule until 1830 and was, together with Athens and Euboea,  the nucleus of the Hellenic state.

Heraldry

Mistra.

The Libro de Conoscimiento from the time of the Kantakuzenos dynasty gives: Gules, a cross patée Argent between four crosses patée Sable for Morea. [13]  There are no other contemporary sources documenting the colours of the arms. These arms may be a translation of the flag or banner.

In the time of Kantakuzenos rule when only Mistra and not most part of Morea was subject to Constantinople, there seems to have been some influence of western heraldry.

The despots from the House of Paleologus used the two-headed eagle as the insignia of their rank. It is a golden two-headed eagle on a red background. Usually the two-headed eagle denotes the rank of a basileus or a similar rank, and was used all over the former Roman Empire by Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Muslim rulers. Outside the Roman Empire it was used by Russian kings from about the middle of the 13th century. Most of the time the background is red and the eagle gold but other combinations of tinctures are possible. 

THE HOUSE OF KANTAKUZENOS

Michael

Andronikos

****

Manuel

∞ 1355 Isabelle de Lusignan

1308-1316

1316-1322

1349-1380

Isabelle de Lusignan was a daughter of  Guy (Constantin II), King of Armenia (1342-’44) and his second wife Theodora Syrgiannes (∞ 1331).

She was the only heir of Guy and married Manuel Kantakuzenos in 1355.

A part of an iconostasis in Mistra from the 2nd half of the 14th c. shows her coat of arms:

Photo Henk Tijhof  2009

Parts of an iconostasis epistyle. Mystras, second half of 14th c. Ap. / Nos 1207, 1208

It is parted per pale of Lusignan and Mistra, i.e. Argent, a lion rampant Gules, and Gules a cross patée [Argent] between four crosses patée [Sable].

Matthias

Demetrius

1357-1383

1383-1384

THE HOUSE OF PALAIOLOGOS

Theodoros I

1384-1407

Photo Henk Tijhof, 2009

Two-headed eagle in the castle of Mistra, end of 14th c.

A portrait of Theodoros I as a despot and as a monk is on his tomb in the Church of the Hodegetria, Vrontochion Monastery, Mistra. No two-headed is visible because his suppedion is severely damaged.

Theodoros II

1407-1443

John VIII co-emperor since about 1415, Theodoros II and his brother Andronikos who was governor of Salonika (1415-’23).

On a portrait of the Byzantine emperor Manuel II and his family.

(Paris, Musée du Louvre. Ms. 416 dit de Saint Denis l’Aéropagite. (End 14th c.)) [14]

This leaf may have been painted in 1416 when John was made co-emperor. The boys were then 24, 20 and 13 respectively.

The red tunica of Theodoros II is strewn with two-headed eagles, enclosed by an annulet.

Demetrios

1449-1460

The two-headed eagle of Theodoros II is confirmed by the seal of Demetrios Palaiologos (1448-’60), the fifth son of Emperor Manuel II. [15]  It is a paper covered seal of red wax and shows a two-headed eagle crowned with two crowns and the legend: ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΣ έν Χώ τώ Θώ πιστός Δεσπότης ‘Ρωμαίών ό Παλαιόγος.” [16]