Nicholas I Sanudo (or ''Niccolò''; died 1341) was the fifth

Duke of the Archipelago The Duchy of the Archipelago ( el, Δουκάτο του Αρχιπελάγους, it, Ducato dell'arcipelago), also known as Duchy of Naxos or Duchy of the Aegean, was a maritime state created by Venetian interests in the Cyclades archipelago i ...

from 1323 to his death. He was the son and successor of

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

of the

House of Sanudo A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

. Nicholas fought under his brother-in-law Walter,

Duke of Athens The Duchy of Athens ( Greek: Δουκᾶτον Ἀθηνῶν, ''Doukaton Athinon''; Catalan: ''Ducat d'Atenes'') was one of the Crusader states set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade as part of ...

, at the disastrous Battle of Halmyros on 15 March 1311. He was one of the few knights on the losing side to escape with his life and liberty. When

John of Gravina John of Gravina (1294 – 5 April 1336), also known as John of Anjou, was Count of Gravina 1315–1336, Prince of Achaea 1318–1332, Duke of Durazzo 1332–1336 and ruler of the Kingdom of Albania (although he never used a royal title). He was ...

, the

Prince of Achaea The Prince of Achaea was the ruler of the Principality of Achaea, one of the crusader states founded in Greece in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204). Though more or less autonomous, the principality was never a fully independent sta ...

, came to the

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

in 1325 in an attempt to reverse the recent Byzantine gains, Nicholas, as a vassal of Achaea, went to his assistance. He fought in John of Gravina's futile siege of the castle of

Karytaina Karytaina or Karitaina ( el, Καρύταινα or Καρίταινα) is a village and a community in Arcadia, Greece. Karytaina is situated on a hill on the right bank of the river Alpheios, near its confluence with the Lousios. The village da ...

, and when John left the Morea in spring 1326, he entrusted Nicholas with the conduct of military operations. At some point thereafter, he scored a success against a numerically superior Byzantine army that was raiding the Principality. After that, he left the Morea. Nicholas was the last Duke of Naxos to command troops in the mainland. He was succeeded by his brother

John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * John I ...

. His other brother was

Marco Sanudo, Lord of Milos Marco Sanudo was a lord of the island of Milos in Frankish Greece. He was a son of William I Sanudo and the brother of Nicholas I Sanudo and John I Sanudo, who were all Dukes of the Archipelago. He married an unknown wife and had a daughter F ...

Family

Nicholas was married to

Joanna of Brienne Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from he, יוֹחָנָה, translit=Yôḥānāh, lit=God is gracious. Variants in English include Joan, Joann, Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in English are Jan, Jane, Janet, Janic ...

, the daughter of Hugues de Brienne, Count of Lecce (c. 1240 – 1296) and

Helena Komnene Doukaina Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana * ...

, a daughter of

John I Doukas of Thessaly John I Doukas ( gr, Ἰωάννης Δούκας, Iōánnēs Doúkas), Latinized as Ducas, was an illegitimate son of Michael II Komnenos Doukas, Despot of Epirus in –1268. After his father's death, he became ruler of Thessaly from to his own ...

References

Sources

* * * * * 1341 deaths Nicholas 01 Nicholas 01 Year of birth unknown 14th-century Venetian people {{Italy-noble-stub