Geoffrey I of Villehardouin () (''c.'' 1169 – ''c.'' 1229) was a French knight from the

County of Champagne The County of Champagne (; ) was a medieval territory and feudal principality in the Kingdom of France. It developed on the rich plains between Paris and the border of the Holy Roman Empire in the 12th century. It became an economic hub of north ...

who joined the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

.Evergates 2007, p. 246.Setton 1976, p. 24.Longnon 1969, p. 242. He participated in the conquest 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 ...

and became the second

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 ...

(1209/1210–''c.'' 1229). Under his reign, 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 ...

became the direct vassal of the

Latin Empire of Constantinople The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzanti ...

.Longnon 1969, p. 239. He extended the borders of his principality.

Early years and the Fourth Crusade

Geoffrey was the eldest son of Céline of Briel and John of Villehardouin. He married one Elisabeth, who may be Elisabeth of Chappes, a scion of a fellow crusader family, an identification rejected by Longnon.

Conquest of the Peloponnese

William of Champlitte was prince of Achaea (1205–1209) under the suzerainty of the king of Thessalonica.Longnon 1969, p. 237.Fine 1994, p. 70. Geoffrey received

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 Messenia as a fief from the new prince.

Reign in Achaea

In 1208 William I of Achaea sought to claim an inheritance his brother had left to him. However, both the first prince of Achaea and his nephew died. The ''

Chronicle of the 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 ...

'' narrates that Geoffrey only became prince of Achaea some time later. Next the

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...

Cardinal Giovanni Colonna in 1218 excommunicated Geoffrey I.Setton 1976, pp. 47-48. Upon the request of the local high clergy, it was confirmed during 1219.Setton 1976, p. 47. Geoffrey died sometime between 1228 and 1230. He was buried in the Church of St James in Andravida.

Footnotes

References

* Evergates, Theodore (2007). ''The Aristocracy in the County of Champagne, 1100-1300''. University of Pennsylvania Press. . * * * *

Early years and the Fourth Crusade

Conquest of the Peloponnese

Reign in Achaea

Footnotes

See also

References

Further reading