John, Duke of Durazzo

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Coat of arms of John, Duke of Durazzo
Coat of arms of John, Duke of Durazzo

John of Gravina (1294 – April 5, 1336), Count of Gravina 1315–1336, Duke of Durazzo 1332–1336 and ruler of the Kingdom of Albania (although he never used a royal title), was a younger son of Charles II of Naples and Maria of Hungary.

He was a younger brother of (among others) Charles Martel of Anjou, Saint Louis of Toulouse, Robert of Naples and Philip I of Taranto.

On September 3, 1313 he was named Captain-General of Calabria. In 1315, he succeeded his brother Peter, Count of Gravina after the latter was killed at the Battle of Montecatini.

The death of Louis of Burgundy in 1316 widowed Matilda of Hainaut, Princess of Achaea. Her suzerain, John's brother Philip I of Taranto, had her brought by force to Naples in 1318 to marry John, a design intended to bring the Principality of Achaea into the Angevin inheritance. The marriage, celebrated in March 1318, failed of its objective: Matilda refused to surrender her rights to Achaea to her husband and ultimately contracted a secret marriage with Hugh de La Palice. This violated the marriage contract of her mother Isabelle, which had pledged that Isabelle and all her female heirs should not marry without permission of their suzerain. On these grounds, Philip stripped her of Achaea and bestowed it upon John: the marriage was annulled for non-consummation, and Matilda was imprisoned in the Castel dell'Ovo.

On November 14, 1321, John took a second wife, Agnes de Périgord, daughter of Helie VII, Count of Périgord and Brunissende de Foix. They had four sons:

He made a military expedition, financed by the Acciaiuoli, in 1325 to claim Achaea, by now much diminished from its original extent. While he re-established his authority in Kefalonia and Zante, he was unable to recapture Skorta from the control of the Byzantine Empire.

In 1332, Philip of Taranto died and was succeeded by his son Robert of Taranto, who became the new suzerain of Achaea. Not wishing to swear fealty to his nephew, John arranged to surrender Achaea to him in exchange for Robert's rights to the Kingdom of Albania and a loan of 5,000 ounces of gold raised upon Niccolo Acciaiuoli, and thenceforth adopted the style of "Duke of Durazzo".

[edit] Ancestry

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 16. Philip II of France
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8. Louis VIII of France
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 17. Isabelle of Hainaut
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4. Charles I of Naples
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 18. Alfonso VIII of Castile
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 9. Blanche of Castile
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 19. Leonora of England
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2. Charles II of Naples
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 20. Alfonso II, Count of Provence
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 10. Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 21. Gersenda II of Sabran
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5. Beatrice of Provence
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 22. Thomas I of Savoy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 11. Beatrice of Savoy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 23. Marguerite of Geneva
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1. John, Duke of Durazzo
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 24. Andrew II of Hungary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12. Béla IV of Hungary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 25. Gertrude of Merania
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6. Stephen V of Hungary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 26. Theodore I Laskaris
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 13. Maria Laskarina
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 27. Anna Angelina
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3. Maria of Hungary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 28. Suthoi, Khan of Cumania
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 14. Kuthen, Khan of Cumania
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7. Elizabeth the Cuman
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 15. Mstislawna of Galicia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Preceded by
Peter		 Count of Gravina
1315–1336		 Succeeded by
Louis
Preceded by
Robert
as Lord of the Kingdom of Albania		 Duke of Durazzo
1332–1336		 Succeeded by
Charles
Preceded by
Matilda		 Prince of Achaea
1322–1332		 Succeeded by
Robert