King_of_Thessalonica

King of Thessalonica

King of Thessalonica

Add article description


The King of Thessalonica was the ruler of the Kingdom of Thessalonica, one of the crusader states founded in Greece in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204). The King of Thessalonica was not an independent ruler; the Kingdom of Thessalonica was one of several vassal states created by the crusaders, subservient to the new Latin Empire of Constantinople, which had supplanted the Byzantine Empire.

Quick Facts Thessalonica, Details ...

The kingdom proved to be short-lived, with Thessalonica being captured by Theodore Komnenos Doukas of Epirus in 1224, just twenty years after the kingdom had been founded. The last king, Demetrius of Montferrat, escaped into exile and upon his death ceded the title to Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, who some years later ceded it back to Demetrius's family. Their line of titular Kings of Thessalonica ended with the marriage of Yolande of Montferrat to Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos in 1284, at which point titular ownership of Thessalonica passed back to the Byzantine emperors.

Other lines of titular kings of Thessalonica originated in that Baldwin II, titular Latin Emperor of Constantinople, perceived Frederick II's use of the title as invalid as he was excommunicated and had been denounced as a heretic. At two points, Baldwin granted the title to nobles in Western Europe, first to Hugh IV of Burgundy and then to Philip of Sicily. Claims to the title did not cease until the 1330s, more than a century after the kingdom's fall.

Kings of Thessalonica, 1204–1224

House of Aleramici (1204–1224)

More information Portrait, Name ...

Titular Kings of Thessalonica, 1224–1331

House of Aleramici (1224–1230)

More information Portrait, Name ...

After Demetrius's death, the succession to the defunct kingdom was contested, with three separate, conflicting, lines of titular 'kings of Thessalonica' forming in the 13th century.[4] Demetrius's own preferred heir was Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, who he ceded his titles to.[3]

Montferrat line (1230–1284)

House of Hohenstaufen (1230–1239)

More information Portrait, Name ...

House of Aleramici (1239–1284)

More information Portrait, Name ...

William's daughter Yolande married the Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos (r.1282–1328) in 1284. As her dowry, William abandoned the title 'King of Thessalonica', with his titular claim to the city and region surrounding it returning to its actual owners, the Byzantine Empire.[4]

Burgundian line (1266–1320/1321)

In 1266, the titular Emperor of Constantinople, Baldwin II, sold the title 'King of Thessalonica' to Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy. Baldwin considered the rights of the Montferrat line of titular kings to be void as they had been granted the title by Frederick II, who was excommunicated and condemned as a heretic.[4]

House of Burgundy (1266–1320)

More information Portrait, Name ...

House of Bourbon (1320–1320/1321)

More information Portrait, Name ...

During Louis of Bourbon's purchase of the titles,[6] Philip of Taranto, Angevin pretender to the title,[7] intervened and offered the same sum to purchase them. Through his purchase of the titles, Philip acquired the Burgundian claim to the titles as well, ensuring that there was now only a single line of pretenders. Louis of Bourbon likely only agreed to selling the titles because of the 1321 engagement between Philip's son of the same name and Louis's daughter Beatrice.[8]

Angevin line (1274–1331)

In the 1267 Treaty of Viterbo, signed by Baldwin II, Charles I of Sicily, and William II Villehardouin, Prince of Achaea, it was agreed that Baldwin's sale of the title 'King of Thessalonica' to Hugh IV of Burgundy would only be considered valid if Hugh supported Baldwin (and his heir, Philip of Courtenay) in recapturing Constantinople. If this were to not occur, it was agreed among the signatories that the title should be transferred to Charles I and his heirs.[9]

House of Anjou (1274–1331)

More information Portrait, Name ...

Table of rival successions

More information Montferrat, Burgundian ...

References

  1. Nishimura 2006, pp. 199–200, 204.
  2. Burkhardt 2017, pp. 304, 309, 316.
  3. Topping 1975, p. 115.
  4. Topping 1975, pp. 115–116.
  5. Burkhardt 2017, pp. 316–317.
  6. Burkhardt 2017, pp. 317–318.

Bibliography

  • Burkhardt, Stefan (2017). "Intoxication with Virtuality: French Princes and Aegean Titles". In Scholl, Christian; Gebhardt, Torben R.; Clauß, Jan (eds.). Transcultural Approaches to the Concept of Imperial Rule in the Middle Ages. Peter Lang AG. pp. 295–320. ISBN 978-3631706244. JSTOR j.ctv6zdbwx.13.
  • Nishimura, Michiya (2006). "Propaganda and Denominations of the Byzantine Successor States and the Crusader States (1204-1261): An Essay on the Political History of the Empire in Exile" (PDF). Mediterranean World. 3: 197–209.
  • Topping, Peter (1975). "The Morea, 1311–1364". In Setton, Kenneth M.; Hazard, Harry W. (eds.). A History of the Crusades, Volume III: The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries. Madison and London: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 104–140. ISBN 0-299-06670-3.

Web sources


Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article King_of_Thessalonica, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.