Capetian House of Anjou
House of Anjou | |
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Charles I of Naples | |
Final ruler | Joanna II of Naples |
Titles |
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Dissolution | 1435 |
Cadet branches |
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The Capetian House of Anjou, or House of Anjou-Sicily, or House of Anjou-Naples was a
Historically, the house ruled the Counties of
.Rise of Charles I and his sons
A younger son of the
It was at the

Charles had fully solidified his rule over Durazzo by 1272, creating a small Kingdom of Albania for himself, out of previously Despotate of Epirus territory; he was well received by local chiefs.[6]

Charles's regime was driven out of Sicily after Sicilian Vespers in 1282,[7] but his house ruled Naples until 1435, when René of Anjou inherited the kingdom.[8]
Charles II and division of the inheritance
This House of Anjou included the branches of Anjou-Hungary, which ruled
The senior line of the House of Anjou-Durazzo became extinct in the male line with the death of King Ladislaus of Naples in 1414, and totally extinct with the death of his sister Joanna II in 1435.
Cadet branches
Hungary

During the
The childless
With Andrew III's childless death (1301), the "last golden branch" of the tree of King Saint Stephen's family ended. The Hungarian diet was determined to keep the blood of Saint Stephen (first king of Hungary) on the throne in the maternal line at least. In the upcoming years, a civil war followed between various claimants to the throne. After the short period of rule of Wenceslaus of Bohemia (1301–1305), and Otto of Bavaria (1305–1307) the civil war ended with Charles Robert's (1308–1342) victory, the son of Charles Martel of Anjou, but he was forced to continue fighting against the powerful Hungarian lords up to the early 1320s.
I. Charles I of Anjou 1226/7–1285 king of Sicily(-Naples) = Beatrice of Provence
- II. Blanche (died 1269) = Robert lord of Béthune
- II. Beatrice 1252–1275 = Philip titular Latin Emperor of Constantinople
- II. Elisabeth 1261–1303 = Ladislaus IV of Hungary
- II. Charles II of Naples the Lame 1254–1309 = Mary of Hungary
- III. Charles Martel (1271–1295), titular King of Hungary = Clemence of Austria
- IV. Elisabeth of Poland
- V. (1.) Catherine (died 1355) = Henry II, Duke of Świdnica
- V. (4.) Charles (1321–1321/3)
- V. (4.) Ladislaus (1324–1329)
- V. (4.) Louis I of Hungary (1326–1382) = 1. Margaret of Bohemia, 2. Elizabeth of Bosnia
- VI. (2.) Catherine (1370–1378)
- VI. (2.) Mary of Hungary 1371–1395 = Sigismund of Luxembourg
- VI. (2.) Jadwiga of Poland 1373/4–1399 = Władysław II Jagiełło
- V. (4.) Andrew, Duke of Calabria (1327–1345) = Joanna I of Naples
- VI. Charles Martel, Duke of Calabria (1345–1348)
- V. (4.) Elizabeth (?) (b. 1327/1332) = Boleslaus II of Troppau
- V. (4.) Stephen (1332–1354) duke of Slavonia = Margaret of Bavaria
- VI. Philip II, Prince of Taranto, titular Emperor of Constantinople
- VI. John (1354–1360), duke of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia
- VI.
- V. Coloman (1317–1375), Bishop of Győr – illegitimate son with daughter of Gurke Csák
- IV. Beatrice (1290–1354) = Jean II de La Tour du Pin, Dauphin du Viennois
- IV. Clementia of Hungary (1293–1328) = Louis X of France
- IV.
- III. Charles of Valois
- III. Saint Louis of Toulouse(1274–1298), Bishop of Toulouse
- III. Robert the Wise (1275–1343), King of Naples = 1. Yolanda of Aragon, 2. Sancia of Majorca
- IV. (1.) Charles (1298–1328), Duke of Calabria, Viceroy of Naples = 1. Catherine of Habsburg (1295–1323), 2. Marie of Valois (1309–1332)
- V. (2.) Eloisa (1325–1325)
- V. (2.) Joanna I of Naples (1326–1382) = Andrew, Duke of Calabria (1327–1345)
- V. (2.) Charles Martel (1327–1327)
- V. (2.) Philip II, Prince of Taranto
- IV. (1.) Louis (1301–1310)
- IV. (i.) Charles d'Artois c. 1300–1346, grand chamberlain for Queen Joanna I – illegitimate with Cantelma Cantelmo
- IV. (i.) Maria d'Aquino (Boccaccio's Fiammetta) – illegitimate
- IV. (i.) Hélène of Anjou (13??–1342), Countess of Mat – illegitimate = Andrea I Thopia, Count of Mat
- V. Voisava Balsha
- VI. Gjergj Thopia (fl. 1388 – d. 1392), Prince of Albania and Lord of Durrës = Teodora Branković
- VI. Helena Thopia (fl. 1388 – 1403), Princess of Albania and Lady of Krujë = 1. Marco Barbarigo, 2. Kostandin Balsha
- VI. Voisava Thopia, Princess of Albania and Lady of Lezhë = 1. Lord Isaac Cursachio, 2. Progon Dukagjini
- VI. (i.) Niketa Thopia (fl. 1388 – d. 1415), Lord of Krujë after capturing the city from his half-sister Helena[9] illegitimate = Komnen Arianiti's daughter
- VI. (i.) Maria Thopia, Baroness of Botrugno illegitimate = Filippo Maramonte
- V.
- IV. (1.) Charles (1298–1328), Duke of Calabria, Viceroy of Naples = 1. Catherine of Habsburg (1295–1323), 2. Marie of Valois (1309–1332)
- III. Catherine of Valois–Courtenay
- IV. (1.) Charles of Taranto 1296–1315, vicar of Romania
- IV. (1.) Oshin of Armenia 2. Oshin of Korikos
- IV. (1) Margarete 1298–1340 = Walter VI, Count of Brienne titular duke of Athens
- IV. (1.) Philip, Despot of Romania 1300–1330 = Violante (daughter of James II of Aragon)
- IV. (1.) Maria 1301/4–1368, abbess in Conversano
- IV. (1.) Blanche 1309–1337 = Ramon Berenguer infante of Aragon, count of Prades (son of James II of Aragon)
- IV. (1.) Beatrice = Walter II of Brienne.
- IV. (2.) Margaret c. 1325–1380 = Francis de Baux duke of Adria
- IV. (2.) Robert, Prince of Taranto1326–1365, titular Latin emperor of Constantinople
- IV. (2.) Louis, Prince of Taranto 1327/8–1362, king of Naples as husband of Joanna I of Naples
- IV. (2.) Elisabeth of Slavonia
- III. Blanche of Anjou (1280–1310) = James II of Aragon
- III. Raymond Berengar (1281–1307), Count of Provence, Prince of Piedmont and Andria = Margaret of Clermont
- III. John (1283–1308), a priest
- III. Tristan (1284–bef. 1288)
- III. Eleanor of Anjou, (1289–1341) = Frederick III of Sicily
- III. Maria of Naples (1290–c. 1346) = 1. Sancho I of Majorca, 2. Jaime de Ejerica
- III. Peter Tempesta (1291–1315), Count of Gravina
- III. John (1276–1335), Duke of Durazzo, Prince of Achaea, and Count of Gravina = 1. Matilda of Hainaut (1293–1336), 2. Agnes of Périgord(d. 1345)
- IV. (2.) Charles, Duke of Durazzo (1323–1348) = Maria of Calabria
- V. Louis, Count of Beaumont 2. Robert IV of Artois, Count of Eu
- V. Agnes of Durazzo 1345–138 = Cansignorio della Scala lord of Verona 2. James of Baux
- V. Margaret of Durazzo 1347–1412 = Charles III of Naples
- V.
- IV. (2.) Louis, Count of Gravina (1324–1362) = Margaret of Sanseverino
- V. Louis (1344–d. young)
- V. Charles III (1345–1386), king of Naples (1382–1386) and Hungary (1385–1386) = Margaret of Durazzo
- VI. Joanna II of Naples 1371–1435 = 1. William, Duke of Austria 2. James II, Count of La Marche
- VI. Ladislaus of Naples 1377–1414 = 1. Costanza Chiaramonte, 2. Mary of Lusignan, 3. Mary of Enghien
- V. Agnes (1347–d. young)
- IV. (2.) Robert of Durazzo (1326–1356)
- IV. (2.) Charles, Duke of Durazzo (1323–1348) = Maria of Calabria
- III. Beatrice (1295–c. 1321) = 1. Azzo VIII d'Este, marchese of Ferrara, 2. Bertrand III of Baux, Count of Andria (d. 1351)
- III. Charles Martel (1271–1295), titular King of Hungary = Clemence of Austria
- II. Philip 1256–1277, elected king of Sardinia – died childless
- II. Robert 1258–1265 – died childless
The three surviving sons of
In 1333, the six years old second son of Charles Robert, Andrew (1327–1345) was taken to the court of Naples by his father for dynastic purposes, who put him under guardianship of Robert the Wise. Andrew was betrothed in 1334 to his cousin Joanna, granddaughter and heiress apparent of King Robert of Naples; Andrew's father was a fraternal nephew of King Robert. At the age of 15 he married Joanna I of Naples. After the death of Robert (1343), the King of Naples, Andrew became a victim of power clashes in the court of Naples.
Robert's claim to the throne was rather tenuous and did not follow
On the death of Louis I of Hungary,
Poland
In 1355, the last
The Hungarian-Polish union fell apart after Louis died in 1382. The dissatisfied Polish nobles demanded that his successor in Hungary,
Hedvig (known as Jadwiga in Poland) was crowned "king" in Poland's capital, Kraków, on 16 October 1384. Her coronation either reflected the Polish nobility's opposition to her intended husband, William, becoming king without further negotiation, or simply emphasized her status as queen regnant. With her mother's consent, Jadwiga's advisors opened negotiations with
Naples
After many unsuccessful attempts to drive the Hohenstaufen out of the Kingdom of Sicily, Charles I of Anjou defeated king Manfred at the Battle of Benevento. James II of Aragon, who married Constance II of Sicily of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, would gain control over the island Sicily during the War of the Sicilian Vespers in the 1280s splitting the kingdom in two with the island of Sicily becoming part of the Crown of Aragon while the kingdom of "Sicily" remained under Angevin control.
When King Robert the Wise died in 1343, in his last will and testament, he formally bequeathed his kingdom to his granddaughter Joanna, making no mention of Andrew and thus denying him the right to reign along with Joanna. With the approval of Pope Clement VI, Joanna was crowned sole monarch of Naples in August 1344. Fearing for his life, Andrew wrote to his mother Elizabeth that he would soon flee the kingdom. She intervened, and made a state visit, before she returned to Hungary allegedly bribing Pope Clement to reverse himself and permit the coronation of Andrew.
Hearing of the Pope's reversal, a group of noble conspirators (the involvement of Queen Joanna is unproved) determined to forestall Andrew's coronation. During a hunting trip at Aversa, Andrew left his room in the middle of the night and was set upon by the conspirators. A treacherous servant barred the door behind him, and, as Joanna cowered in their bed, a terrible struggle ensued, Andrew defending himself furiously and shrieking for aid. He was finally overpowered, strangled with a cord, and flung from a window. Isolde, Andrew's Hungarian nurse took the Prince's corpse to the church of the monks, and remained with it until next morning mourning it. When the Hungarian knights arrived she told them everything in their mother tongue so no one else would learn about the truth, and soon they left Naples reporting everything to the Hungarian King.[12]
The deed would taint the rest of Joanna's reign, although she was twice acquitted of any charge in the trials that followed. Andrew's elder brother Louis I of Hungary several times invaded the Kingdom of Naples and drove out Joanna, only to meet with reverses.
In November 1347, Louis set out for Naples with some 1,000 soldiers (Hungarians and Germans), mostly mercenaries. When he reached the border of Joanna's kingdom, he had 2,000 Hungarian knights, 2,000 mercenary heavy cavalry, 2,000
As the adopted son of Joanna,
Taranto
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Albania

The Kingdom of Albania, or
Genealogy of Capetian-Anjou
![]() Louis VIII king of France HOUSE OF CAPET | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Louis IX king of France | ![]() Charles I king of Sicily(-Naples) CAPETIAN HOUSE OF ANJOU | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Charles II king of Naples | ![]() Philip king of Sardinia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Philip I prince of Taranto BRANCH OF TARANTO | ![]() Raymond Berengar count of Andria | ![]() Peter Tempesta count of Emboli | ![]() John duke of Durazzo BRANCH OF DURRAZO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Philip II prince of Taranto | ![]() Charles duke of Durazzo | ![]() Louis count of Gravina | ![]() Robert lord of Cappacio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Louis I king of Hungary, Poland | ![]() Andrew duke of Calabria | Stephen duke of Slavonia | ![]() Joanna I queen of Naples | ![]() Charles III king of Naples (1382-86), Hungary (1385-1386) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John duke of Slavonia | ![]() Joanna II queen of Naples (1414-35), tit. of Hungary | ![]() Ladislaus king of Naples (1386-1414), tit. of Hungary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Titles
Designation and details
Title | Held | Designation and details |
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Count of Anjou |
1246–1299 | Awarded to Charles I by his brother. Remained under direct control of the Capetian House of Anjou until passing to another Capetian branch the House of Valois by marriage. |
Count of Maine |
1246–1309 | Awarded to Charles I by his brother. Remained under direct control of the Capetian House of Anjou until passing to another Capetian branch the House of Valois-Anjou by creation of John II of France. |
Count of Provence |
1246–1382 | Inherited by marriage between Charles I and Beatrice of Provence who held the county. Issueless Joanna I of Naples left the county to Louis I of Anjou of the House of Valois-Anjou. |
King of Sicily |
1266–1282 | Won the kingdom through conquest. |
List of monarchs
Kingdom of Sicily
Portrait | Name | From | Until | Relationship with predecessor |
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Charles I of Sicily |
6 January 1266 | 4 September 1282 | no direct relation to Manfred of Sicily, won the kingdom through right of conquest .
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Kingdom of Naples
Portrait | Name | Branch | From | Until | Relationship with predecessor |
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Charles I of Naples |
Anjou-Sicily | 4 September 1282 | 7 January 1285 | the southern half of the Italian Peninsula was part of the Kingdom of Sicily before the Sicilian Vespers forced Charles out of the island. |
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Charles II of Naples (Charles the Lame) |
Anjou-Sicily | 7 January 1285 | 5 May 1309 | son of Charles I of Naples. |
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Robert of Naples (Robert the Wise) |
Anjou-Naples | 5 May 1309 | 20 January 1343 | son of Charles II of Naples. |
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Joanna I of Naples | Anjou-Naples | 20 January 1343 | 12 May 1382 | granddaughter of Robert of Naples. Daughter of Charles, Duke of Calabria |
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Charles III of Naples (Charles the Short) |
Anjou-Durazzo | 12 May 1382 | 24 February 1386 | second cousin of Joanna I of Naples, whom he had murdered. Son of Louis of Durazzo .
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Ladislaus of Naples | Anjou-Durazzo | 24 February 1386 | 6 August 1414 | son of Charles III of Naples. |
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Joanna II of Naples | Anjou-Durazzo | 6 August 1414 | 2 February 1435 | sister of Ladislaus of Naples, daughter of Charles III of Naples. |
Kingdom of Hungary
Portrait | Name | Branch | From | Until | Relationship with predecessor |
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Charles Robert I of Hungary | Anjou-Hungary | Spring 1301 | 16 July 1342 | great-grandnephew (first-cousin thrice removed) of Andrew III of Hungary, the last Árpád agnate. |
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Louis I of Hungary (Louis the Great) |
Anjou-Hungary | 16 July 1342 | 10 September 1382 | son of Charles I of Hungary. |
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Mary of Hungary |
Anjou-Hungary | 10 September 1382 | December 1385 | daughter of Louis I of Hungary. |
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Charles II of Hungary (Charles the Short of Naples) |
Anjou-Durazzo | December 1385 | 24 February 1386 | second-cousin once removed of Mary of Hungary; great-grandson of Charles II of Naples. Usurped the throne from her. |
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Mary of Hungary (restored) |
Anjou-Hungary | 24 February 1386 | 17 May 1395 | second-cousin once removed of Charles II of Hungary; great-great-granddaughter of Charles II of Naples. |
Kingdom of Poland
Portrait | Name | Branch | From | Until | Relationship with predecessor |
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![]() |
Louis of Poland (Louis the Great of Hungary) |
Anjou-Hungary | 17 November 1370 | 10 September 1382 | nephew of Casimir III of Poland, the last Piast agnate .
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Jadwiga of Poland | Anjou-Hungary | 16 October 1384 | 17 July 1399 | daughter of Louis of Poland. |
Armorial
As a younger (youngest) son of

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Arms of Robert d'Artois
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Arms of Alphonse de Poitiers
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1st arms of Charles of France before Anjou, the castles representing his mother, Blanche of Castile
The arms that Charles had were changed sometime on or after 1246 to the ones below, the arms of his paternal

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2nd Arms of Charles of France as Count of Anjou and Maine
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same with 4 points
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Same with 5 points
When Charles became King, he started minting coinage with his arms on it. An example is shown below. Charles also felt that he inherited the Hohenstaufen claim to the
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Charles I and Joan I of Naples
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Coat of Arms of Charles I of Anjou (per pale Jerusalem and France Ancient)
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Charles II of Anjou and Sicily (Naples)
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Coat of Arms of Robert the Wise (Jerusalem dimidiating Anjou Ancient)
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Coat of Arms of Charles Martel of Anjou-Hungary (according to a fresco in the town hall of San Gimignano, Tuscany)
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Coat of Arms of Charles Martel of Anjou-Hungary (according to the sculpture placed on his tomb in the Cathedral of Naples)
Charles' son and successor Charles II of Naples married the hieress of Hungary. Their son Charles Martel quartered France ancien with the arms of the Hungarian Royal Árpád dynasty to symbolize their claim. Charles Martel's son Charles Robert became Hungarian King and impaled the Angevian arms with Hungary. His son, Louis I the Great carried this through to his arms when he ruled Poland.

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Arms of Hungary (ancient)
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Coat of Arms of Mary of Hungary (Árpád dynasty)

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Charles Martel of Hungary
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King Charles Robert of Hungary
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Coat of Arms of Louis I of Hungary
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Patriarcal cross for Hungary formalized by Louis I seen in the modern Coat of arms of Hungary and here.
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King Louis the Great of Hungary and Poland
As seen above, when Louis I of Hungary died without male hiers, Charles III of Naples, considered himself the heir to the Hungarian throne as the senior Angevin male and male descendant of the Arpads. He added the arms of Hungary to Jerusalem and Anjou, coming up with the tripartite arms. He had some success, but as seen above he was assassinated and his son, Ladislaus of Naples never became King of Hungary.
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Charles III ad Count of Durazzo
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Charles III as Count of Durazzo, alt.
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Coat of Arms of Charles III, Ladislaus, and Johanna II of Naples.
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Version without the red label.
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Alt. arms of Charles III.
These arms were inherited by the House of Valois-Anjou when Johanna I adopted Louis of France, Duke of Anjou, • Great-great-grandson of Charles II through female line, as her heir.
The house also had some cadet lines that never became king:
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Arms of Philippe de Tarente and his heirs the princes of Taranto.
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Arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia used by Stephen and John of Anjou as Duke of Slavonia.
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Coat of arms of Robert of Tarente, titular emperor of Constantinople, and his heirs.
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Coat of arms of Jean d'Anjou, duke of Durazzo and the cadet line of Durazzo that succeeded as kings of Naples.
References
- Philip of Courtenay and William of Villehardouin... The resultant treaties ... signed in the papal palace at Viterbo in May 1267, would have made Charles of Anjou the effective controller of a restored Latin emperor ..."
- ^ a b Hazzard, The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, 35.
- principality of Moreaand its dependencies should be transferred to [Charles of Anjou] ... granted to Charles suzerainty over the islands of the Aegean, Corfu and all Latin possession in Epiros."
- ^ Abulafia, 793. "[Charles of Anjou] took charge of Durazzo ..."
- ^ a b Hazzard, The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, 37.
- ^ Van Antwerp Fine, The Late Medieval Balkans, 184.
- )
- ^ Kekewich, Margaret L. (2008), The Good King: Rene of Anjou and Fifteenth Century Europe, Palgrave Macmillan, p. 54
- ISBN 99927-1-622-3.
- ISBN 9780521618571. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ^ ISBN 9781850439776. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ^ "Isolda – Lexikon ::". www.kislexikon.hu.
Sources
- ISBN 978-1-13905573-4.
- ISBN 0-472-08260-4.
- Geanakoplos, Deno John (1975). "Byzantium and the Crusades, 1261–1354". In ISBN 0-299-06670-3.
External links
Media related to Capetian House of Anjou at Wikimedia Commons