Catherine of Courtenay

Catherine I of Courtenay
Titular Empress of Constantinople
Reign	15 December 1283 – 11 October 1307
Marquise de Namur
Dame de Courtenay, de Montargis, and de Blacon
Spouse	Charles of Valois
Issue
John, Count of Chartres Catherine II of Valois, Princess of Achaea Joan of Valois Isabella of Valois
House	Courtenay
Father	Philip of Courtenay
Mother	Beatrice of Sicily
Born	25 November 1274
Died	11 October 1307 (aged 32) Paris, France
Burial	Eglise des Jacobins, Paris
Religion	Roman Catholic

Catherine I of Courtenay (25 November 1274 – 11 October 1307) was Titular Empress of Constantinople from 1283 to her death in 1307. In 1301, she became the second wife of Charles of Valois, by whom she had one son and three daughters; the eldest of these, Catherine II of Valois, Princess of Achaea succeeded her as titular empress.

Life

She was born on 25 November 1274, the only daughter and heir of the titular Emperor of Constantinople Philip I of Courtenay by Beatrice of Sicily. Her maternal grandparents were King Charles I of Sicily and Beatrice of Provence. The latter was the fourth daughter of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence and Beatrice of Savoy.

Upon her father's death which occurred on 15 December 1283,^[1] Catherine inherited his claims to the Latin throne of Constantinople and was recognized as empress by the Latin states in Greece, despite the city having been re-taken by the Empire of Nicaea in 1261.

Catherine was betrothed three times; however, these betrothals all ended in failure, until finally on 28 February 1301 at the Priory of St. Cloud near Paris, she succeeded in marrying as his second wife, Count Charles of Valois, son of King Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon. On 23 April 1301, Charles became titular emperor with Catherine until her death in Paris on 11 October 1307 at the age of 32. She was buried at the Eglise des Jacobins^[2] the following day, 12 October. Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar served as one of her pallbearers.

Issue

By Charles of Valois, Catherine I had four children:

• John, Count of Chartres (1302–1308).
• Catherine II of Valois, Princess of Achaea, titular Empress of Constantinople (before 15 April 1303 – October 1346). She married Philip I of Anjou, Prince of Taranto and had issue.
• Joan of Valois (1304 – 9 July 1363). Married Count Robert III of Artois and had issue.
• Isabella of Valois (1305 – 11 November 1349), Abbess of Fontevrault.

See also

• Jacques de Molay, who was in Paris attending her funeral on 12 October 1307, when he was arrested by King Philip IV.

Ancestry

References

• Peter Lock, The Franks in the Aegean 1204–1500, New York, 1995.

External links

Media related to Catherine of Courtenay at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Monarchs of the Latin Empire of Constantinople Reigning emperors (1204–1261) Baldwin I Henry Peter Yolanda Robert I Baldwin II (with John of Brienne as regent) Titular emperors (1261–1383) still overlords of some territories in South Greece Baldwin II Philip I Catherine I (with Charles of Valois) Catherine II (with Philip II) Robert II Philip III James of Baux