Guy II de la Roche

Guy II de la Roche (1280 – 5 October 1308) was the Duke of Athens from 1287, the last duke of his family.^[1] He succeeded as a minor on the death of his father, William I,^[1] at a time when the duchy of Athens had exceeded the Principality of Achaea in wealth, power, and importance.

Guy was originally under the tutorship and regency of his mother, Helena Angelina Komnene, who was forced to make submission to Isabella of Villehardouin in December 1289. In 1291, she married her second husband, Hugh of Brienne,^[1] and he became bailiff of the duchy. Guy reached his majority in 1296 and did homage to Isabella and her husband, Florent of Hainaut. In 1299, Guy was engaged to Matilda, daughter of Isabella and Florent. Charles objected, as his permission had not been sought, but Pope Boniface VIII intervened on the young couple's behalf.

When Guy did homage to Isabella's second husband, Philip of Savoy, in 1301, he took his troops with him and entered Thessaly to defend his cousin John II Doukas against the invasion of the despot of Epirus, Thomas I Komnenos Doukas, and his mother, Anna Palaiologina Kantakouzene. Joined by Nicholas III of St Omer, lord of Thebes, he repulsed the Epirotes and later invaded Greek territory as far as Thessalonica, where they were convinced to turn back by the empress Eirene of Montferrat.

In 1307, Guy was made bailli of Achaea by its new prince, Philip I of Taranto.^[1] He governed well, but for barely a year. He died, 5 October 1308, at the age of twenty-eight,^[1] but was respected and renowned for his chivalry and manners, typical of the Frankish courts kept in Greece. He was buried in Daphni Monastery^[1] alongside his ancestors. He left no heirs and the De la Roche line of dukes came to an end; Athens was disputed among rival claimants until the parliament of the duchy elected Walter V of Brienne.

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 6 The Latins in Greece and the Aegean from the Fourth Crusade to the End of the Middle Ages, K. M. Setton, The Cambridge Medieval History:Vol IV, The Byzantine Empire, ed. J.M Hussey, D.M. Nicol and G. Cowan, (Cambridge University Press, 1966), 410-411.

References

Longnon, Jean (1969). "The Frankish States in Greece, 1204–1311". In Wolff, Robert Lee; Hazard, Harry W. A History of the Crusades, Volume II: The Later Crusades, 1189–1311. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 234–275.

Preceded by Nicholas III of Saint Omer	*Angevin bailli* in the Principality of Achaea** 1307–1308	Succeeded by Bertin Visconte
Preceded by William I	Duke of Athens 1287–1308	Succeeded by Walter

Dukes of Athens

De la Roche dynasty (1205–1308)	Othon Guy I John I William I Guy II

Brienne–Enghien dynasty (1308–1311/94)^§	Walter I Joanna of Châtillon Walter II Isabella Sohier Walter III Louis

Catalan Domination (1311–1388)	Roger Deslaur Manfred William II^‡ John II^‡ Frederick I^‡ Frederick II^‡ Maria^‡ Peter (IV) of Aragon^‡

Acciaioli dynasty (1388–1395, 1402–1458)^†	Nerio I Antonio I Nerio II Antonio II Claire with Bartolomeo Contarini Francesco I Francesco II

^§from Walter I's death in 1311 titular, but recognized in Argos and Nauplia ^‡Also Dukes of Neopatras ^† Venetian control in 1395–1402

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