Pierre (Courtenay) Constantinople (aft. 1158 - abt. 1219)

Born after 1158 in Courtenay, Galinois, France

Ancestors

Husband of Agnes Nevers — married 1191 in Courtenay, Gatinais, Isle-De-France, France

Descendants

Died about Jun 1219 before about age 61 in Epirus, Turkey

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Biography

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. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261"^[1]

PIERRE de Courtenay, was the son of PIERRE de France Seigneur de Courtenay & his wife Elisabeth de Courtenay. He was still a child in 1170. He succeeded his father as the Seigneur de Courtenay in 1183^[2].

He married Agnes de Nevers in 1184, thereby adding Nevers, Auxerre and Tonnerre to his domain and becoming Comte de Nevers et d'Auxerre. They had a daughter Mathilde, who succeeded her mother as Countess of Nevers, Auxerre and Tonnerre^[2].

Pierre went on the Third Crusade in 1190 with Philippe II, King of France, and returned to France in 1193. On his return he and Hervé de Donzy had a dispute over Château de Gien. Pierre was defeated and ceded the county of Nevers, and his daughter, in marriage, to Hervé^[2].

In 1193, after the death of Agnes, Petrus married Yolande de Flandre, daughter of Baudouin VIII Count of Flanders & his wife Marguerite Countess of Flanders. They had 14 children^[2].

Comte Pierre fought in the 1210 crusade against the Albigeois and was present at the siege of Toulouse. He fought at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214. He became the Marquis de Namur in 1213, by right of his second wife, Yolande^[2].

In 1216, Peter was elected to succeed his brother-in-law Henri de Flandres as the next Emperor of Constantinople, Pierre I, but alas he never actually got to rule the empire. He was crowned by Pope Honorius III on 9 April 1217 in Rome. Sending his wife and daughters directly to Constantinople, he detoured in order to help the Venetians recapture Durazzo. The company recaptured Durazzo, but afterwards Emperor Pierre was captured in the Albanian mountains by Theodoros Angelos Lord of Epirus, and disappeared. For years, until 1221, his fate remained unknown, but it was finally confirmed that he had died in 1219^[2].

Sources

1. ↑ "Latin Empire" Wikipedia article
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} LATIN EMPERORS of CONSTANTINOPLE 1216-1261 (SEIGNEURS de COURTENAY)

• Europäische Stammtafeln, Band II, Frank Baron Freytag von Loringhoven, 1975, Isenburg, W. K. Prinz von. page 14. http://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00004821&tree=LEO
• Royal Ancestry by D. Richardson Vol. IV p. 223 and 225
• http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/chamsensjoi.htm#PierreIIdied1219A

See also:

• Wikipedia: Peter II de Courtenay