The Barony of Estamira or Stamira was a medieval

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...

fiefdom of the

Principality of Achaea The Principality of Achaea () or Principality of Morea was one of the 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 Thes ...

, located in the fertile plains of the

Elis Elis also known as Ellis or Ilia (, ''Eleia'') is a historic region in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. It is administered as a regional unit of the modern region of Western Greece. Its capital is Pyrgos. Until 2011 it ...

region of the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

peninsula in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, and centred on the now vanished fortress of Estamira (variously also Estamirra, Stamirra, later Stamero or Stamiro, ).Bon (1969), p. 336

History

The Barony of Estamira was not one of the original

baronies Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

into which the

was divided by the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

after the conquest of the

. Instead, it was created some time after 1230, its territory originally forming part of the princely domain. It comprised 12 knight's fiefs and was granted to Geoffrey Chauderon, probably of

Champenois Champenois (''lou champaignat'') is a Romance language among the ''langues d'oïl'' spoken by a minority of people in Champagne and Île-de-France provinces in France, as well as in a handful of towns in southern Belgium (chiefly the municipalit ...

origin, who was also the

Grand Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peop ...

of the Principality. Died in 1278, Geoffrey was succeeded in the barony and as a constable by his son

John Chauderon John Chauderon (; died 1294) was the Baron of Estamira and Grand Constable of the Principality of Achaea, the strongest of the principalities of Frankish Greece. He succeeded his father, Geoffrey Chauderon, Baron of Estamira and Grand Constable ...

. A daughter, her name unknown, is also mentioned, who was sent to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

in 1261 as a hostage to the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

court.Bon (1969), pp. 127, 701 Apart from Estamira, John also acquired possession of Roviata and lands in Italy, some of which he exchanged in 1289 with

Hugh, Count of Brienne Hugh, Count of Brienne and Lecce ( 1240 – 9 August 1296) was the second surviving son of Count Walter IV of Brienne and Marie de Lusignan of Cyprus. Life His father, Count of Jaffa and Ascalon in Palestine, was murdered in 1244 in Cairo, ...

for the fortress of Beauvoir (Pontikokastron). He is known to have had only a daughter, Bartholomée, who succeeded him in some of his domains in 1294. The fate of the barony is unclear, but it seems that at some point it reverted to the princely domain; in 1315–1316 it was held by the forces of

Ferdinand of Majorca Ferdinand of Majorca (; 1278 – 5 July 1316) was an ''infante'' of the Kingdom of Majorca; he was born at Perpignan, the third son of King James II. He was Viscount of Aumelas and Lord of Frontignan from 1311 and claimed the title of Pr ...

. Finally, some time in the late 14th century, possibly in 1370, Prince Philip III ceded the barony, along with the title of Grand Constable, to

Centurione I Zaccaria Centurione I Zaccaria was one of the most powerful nobles of the Principality of Achaea in the 14th century. He was the firstborn son of Martino Zaccaria and Jacqueline de la Roche, last representant of the prestigious Burgundian house of the Duc ...

. The barony remained in Zaccaria's hands until the end of the Principality at the hands of the Byzantines of the

Despotate of the Morea The Despotate of the Morea () or Despotate of Mystras () was a province of the Byzantine Empire which existed between the mid-14th and mid-15th centuries. Its territory varied in size during its existence but eventually grew to include almost a ...

in 1429.

Theodora Tocco Theodora Tocco (née Creusa Tocco) (died November 1429) was the first wife of Constantine Palaiologos while he was Despot of Morea. Her husband would become the last Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. Family Theodora (Creusa) Tocco was a daught ...

, wife of the Despot

Constantine Palaiologos Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos or Dragaš Palaeologus (; 8 February 140429 May 1453) was the last reigning List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine emperor from 23 January 1449 until his death in battle at the fall of Constantinople on 29 M ...

, died at Stameron/Estamira (often confused with

Santameri Castle Santameri Castle () is a castle on the mountain Skollis near the boundary of Achaea and Elis in southwestern Greece. It was one of the strongest castles, controlling the Elean fields and the mountain passes to Tritaia. It was built in 1311 by the ...

) in November 1429. The castle of Estamira is reported as being in ruins in 1467; its location is now forgotten, but should lie east of

Gastouni Gastouni () is a town and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pineios, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 59.325&nb ...

.Bon (1969), pp. 336–337

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Estamira, Barony of States and territories established in the 13th century Medieval Elis Baronies of the Principality of Achaea