Catherine of Valois–Courtenay

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(Redirected from
Catherine II, Latin Empress
)
"Catherine of Taranto" redirects here. For the daughter of Raimondo del Balzo Orsini, see Catherine of Taranto, Countess of Copertino.
Catherine of Valois–Courtenay
Princess consort of Taranto, Princess consort of Achaea, and Queen consort of Albania
Robert II
Co-rulerPhilip II (1313–1331)
BornBefore 15 April 1303
DiedOctober 1346 (aged 42-43)
Naples
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1313; died 1331)​
IssueMargaret, Duchess of Andria
Robert
Louis I of Naples
Philip II, Prince of Taranto
HouseValois
FatherCharles, Count of Valois
MotherCatherine I

Catherine II, also Catherine of Valois or Catherine of Taranto (before 15 April 1303 – October 1346), was the recognised

Cephalonia
from 1341–1346.

Life

She was born in 1303, sometime before 15 April, the eldest daughter of

Charles, count of Valois, and Catherine I.[1]

Her mother was recognized as Empress of the

Latin states in Greece, despite the city having been captured by the Empire of Nicaea in 1261. Catherine inherited her claims as the titular Empress on 11 October 1307.[2]
She was still a child and remained in the custody of her father, who managed her claims to the empire until his death in 1325.

An early betrothal to Hugh of Burgundy, made on 15 April 1303 when she was an infant, was renounced in 1312.[3]

Naples

In July 1313, Catherine married Philip I of Taranto, King of Albania and Prince of Achaea, who was the younger brother of Robert, King of Naples.[4] She associated her husband as titular Emperor (Philip II), and retained the claim to the empire after his death on 23 December 1332. Robert, his eldest surviving son, succeeded him as Prince of Taranto in 1331. Catherine became influential at the court of Naples.

Her court was more worldly than the pious court of King Robert and his pious wife,

Sancha of Majorca. During the reign of her niece, Joanna I of Naples, she opposed the marriage of Joan's younger sister, Maria of Calabria, to Charles, Duke of Durazzo
. This was because Maria was heir presumptive to the throne of Naples, and the Durazzos were rivals to her own family. She and her family were compensated with a cash settlement from the royal treasury.

Achaea

In 1333, her son Robert received the

Byzantine Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos
.

Final Years

Her presence in Achaea was no longer needed by the time Robert reached adulthood in 1341. She became Governor of

Robert the Wise
, and his son Bertrand, who were both suspected of complicity. When asked to give them up, she refused and stated she would punish them herself if they were guilty.

She died in Naples in October 1346.[6] Queen Joan organized her funeral at the church of San Domenico.

Issue

By Philip I of Taranto, Catherine II had four children:

Ancestry

Notes

  1. ^ Jackson-Laufer, 83-84.
  2. ^ A History of the Crusades: The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, 46.
  3. ^ A History of the Crusades: The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, 109.
  4. ^ Jackson-Laufer, 83-84.
  5. ^ A History of the Crusades: The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, 124.
  6. ^ A History of the Crusades: The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, 672.
  7. ^ Douglas Richardson. Plantagenet Ancestry: Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families, 2nd Edition, 2011. pg 401.

References

  • Guida Myrl Jackson-Laufer, Women Rulers Throughout the Ages: An Illustrated Guide, ABC-CLIO, 1999.
  • ISBN 0-299-06670-3
    .

External links
Catherine of Valois–Courtenay
Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: Before 15 April 1303 Died: October 1346
Titles in pretence
Preceded by
Catherine I
 — TITULAR —
Latin Empress of Constantinople

1307–1346 		Succeeded by
Robert II
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