Nicholas II of Saint Omer was the lord of half of Thebes in

Frankish Greece The Frankish Occupation (; anglicized as ), also known as the Latin Occupation () and, for the Venetian domains, Venetian Occupation (), was the period in Greek history after the Fourth Crusade (1204), when a number of primarily French ...

from 1258 to his death in 1294. From his two marriages he became one of the richest and most powerful barons of his time, building a splendid castle at Thebes as well as the

Old Navarino castle The Old Navarino castle () is a 13th-century Frankish fortress near Pylos, Greece. It is one of two castles guarding the bay on which it sits; the other is the Ottoman-built New Navarino. It is frequently known simply as Palaiokastro or Paliokast ...

. He also served as ''

bailli A bailiff (, ) was the king's administrative representative during the ''ancien régime'' in northern France, where the bailiff was responsible for the application of justice and control of the administration and local finances in his bailiwick ...

'' 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 ...

on behalf of the Angevins of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

between 1287 and 1289.

Life

Nicholas was the son of

Bela of Saint Omer Bela of Saint Omer was a French knight, descended from a Fauquembergues family who were castellans of the eponymous castle of Saint-Omer.Lognon (1969), p. 244 His father, Nicholas I of Saint Omer, received lands in Boeotia in the aftermath of th ...

and Bonne de la Roche, sister of the Lord of Athens and Thebes,

Guy I de la Roche Guy I de la Roche (1205–1263) was the Duke of Athens (from 1225/34), the son and successor of the first duke Othon. After the conquest of Thebes, Othon gave half the city in lordship to Guy. Life Guy's early life is obscure. Since the 18th c ...

. Upon their marriage, in 1240, Guy gave Bela the lordship over half of Thebes. Along with his brothers,

Otho Otho ( ; born Marcus Salvius Otho; 28 April 32 – 16 April 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for three months from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors. A member of a noble Etruscan civilization, ...

and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, he participated in the

War of the Euboeote Succession The War of the Euboeote Succession; . was fought in 1256–1258 between the Prince of Achaea, William of Villehardouin, and a broad coalition of other rulers from throughout Frankish Greece who felt threatened by William's aspirations. The war ...

in the ranks of the coalition of most of the princes of

, who opposed the expansionist policies of the

Prince of Achaea The Prince of Achaea was the ruler of the Principality of Achaea, one of the crusader states Frankokratia, founded in Greece in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204). The principality witnessed various overlords during its more than tw ...

William II of Villehardouin William of Villehardouin (; Kalamata, 1211 – 1 May 1278) was the fourth prince of Achaea in Frankish Greece, from 1246 to 1278. The younger son of Prince Geoffrey I, he held the Barony of Kalamata in fief during the reign of his ...

.PLP 24699 In 1273,

Charles I of Naples Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 and ...

sent him as his envoy to the Bulgarian and

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

courts, but he soon fell into disfavour with Charles, and was forced to exchange his holdings in the

Morea Morea ( or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used by the Principality of Achaea, the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the O ...

with others in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, under Charles' immediate control. His position and domains were not restored until after the death of Charles I in 1285. During this time, Nicholas often resided in Italy, where Charles used him and other visiting Moreote barons as counsellors on the affairs of the Principality.\ Greece in 1278

In 1287, the Neapolitan regent

Robert of Artois Robert I (25 September 1216 – 8 February 1250), called the Good, was the first Count of Artois. He was the fifth (and second surviving) son of King Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile. Life He received Artois as an appanage, in accordan ...

named him the Angevins' representative governor (''

'') in the Principality of Achaea, in succession of William I of Athens, who had just died and whose heir, Guy II, was still under-age. At the time, Nicholas was the second richest and most influential baron living in the Latin East after Guy.Lognon (1969), p. 261Bon (1969), p. 159 He continued William's policy of fortification of

Messenia Messenia or Messinia ( ; ) is a regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a prefecture (''nomos' ...

and built the castle at Navarino and a smaller fortress at Maniatochori near Modon.Perra (2011)
Νικόλαος Β΄
/ref> His regime was remembered for its peace and prosperity: according to the ''

Chronicle of Morea ''The Chronicle of Morea'' () is a long 14th-century history text, of which there are four extant versions: in French, Greek (in verse), Italian and Aragonese. More than 9,000 lines long, the ''Chronicle'' narrates events of the Franks' estab ...

'', "He governed with nobility and wisdom, and kept the country at peace". He was succeeded in 1289 by the Baron of Vostitsa, Guy de Charpigny. Nicholas married twice, both times to rich heiresses. His first wife was Mary of Antioch, daughter of

Bohemond VI of Antioch Bohemond VI (–1275), also known as the Fair, was the prince of Antioch and count of Tripoli from 1251 until his death. He ruled while Antioch was caught between the warring Mongol Empire and Mamluk Sultanate. He allied with the Mongols agains ...

, and his second, ca. 1280, was

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

, daughter of

Michael II Komnenos Doukas Michael II Komnenos Doukas, Latinized as Comnenus Ducas (, ''Mikhaēl II Komnēnos Doukas''), often called Michael Angelos in narrative sources, was from 1230 until his death in 1266/68 the ruler of the Despotate of Epirus, which included Epirus ...

and widow of

. With financial aid from Mary of Antioch, Nicholas built the Castle of Saint Omer (in Greek Σανταμέρι, Santameri) in the

Cadmea The Cadmea, or Cadmeia (Greek: Καδμεία, ''Kadmía''), was the citadel of ancient Thebes, Greece, which was named after Cadmus, the legendary founder of Thebes. The area is thought to have been settled since at least the early Bronze Age, a ...

, the ancient

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens ...

of Thebes, which is much praised by the ''Chronicle of the Morea'' as being the strongest and most beautiful in Greece. It was richly furnished and decorated with frescoes depicting his ancestors' exploits in the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

. Today, only a tower survives. Anna on the other hand, as Princess-dowager, brought with her a considerable property, including the castles of

Kalamata Kalamata ( ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece after Patras, and the largest city of the Peloponnese (region), homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia regiona ...

and

Chlemoutsi Chlemoutsi ( or Χλουμούτσι ''Chloumoútsi''), also known as Clermont, is a medieval castle in the northwest of the Elis regional unit in the Peloponnese peninsula of southern Greece, in the Kastro-Kyllini municipality. It was built in ...

, comprising "some of the most fertile lands and the strongest fortress in the Morea", according to A. Bon. This worried King Charles, who was loath to cede these territories to an already very powerful and wealthy subject; in the event, they were exchanged in September 1281 with half the domains of the recently deceased Leonard of Veroli, comprising estates in both the Morea (in

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 ...

and

) and Italy. Both his marriages were childless, and on his death in 1294, he was succeeded by his younger brother

.Bon (1969), p. 706

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas 02 Of Saint Omer 13th-century births 1294 deaths 13th-century nobility People from the Duchy of Athens Baillis of the Principality of Achaea Year of birth unknown Medieval Thebes Saint-Omer family 13th-century people from the Principality of Achaea