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[[File:Denier of Guy II de la Roche.jpg|thumb|Silver ''[[French denier|denier]]'' of Guy II, minted at [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]]]]
'''Guy II de la Roche''', also known as '''Guyot''' or '''Guidotto''' (1280 &ndash; 5 October 1308), was the [[Duke of Athens]] from 1287, the last duke of [[de la Roche|his family]].<ref name="Setton410-411">''The Latins in Greece and the Aegean from the Fourth Crusade to the End of the Middle Ages'', K. M. Setton, ''The Cambridge Medieval History:Vol IV, The Byzantine Empire'', ed. J.M Hussey, D.M. Nicol and G. Cowan, (Cambridge University Press, 1966), 410-411.</ref> He succeeded as a minor on the death of his father, [[William de la Roche|William I]],<ref name="Setton410-411" /> at a time when the duchy of Athens had exceeded the [[Principality of Achaea]] in wealth, power, and importance. 

== Early life ==
Guy was the only son of [[William I de la Roche]] and [[Helena Angelina Komnene]].{{sfn|Lock|1995|p=364}} William was the younger brother of the childless [[John I de la Roche|John I]], whom he succeeded in 1280.{{sfn|Lock|1995|p=95}} His marriage to Helena, a daughter of ''[[sebastokrator]]'' [[John I Doukas]], the Greek ruler of [[Thessaly]], brought about an anti-[[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] alliance between Athens and Thessaly around 1274.{{sfn|Lock|1995|p=95}}{{sfn|Nicol|1984|p=19}} William acknowledged the suzerainty of the [[Capetian House of Anjou|Angevin]] monarchs of the [[Kingdom of Sicily]], who also ruled the [[Principality of Achaea]] to the south of Athens.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=432}}

Guy was still a [[Minor (law)|minor]] when his father died in 1287.{{sfn|Lock|1995|p=320}} During the first years of his reign, his mother exercised the guardianship for him.{{sfn|Lock|1995|p=320}} She swore fealty to King [[Charles II of Naples]], but after Charles II granted Achaea to [[Isabella of Villehardouin]] and her husband, [[Florent of Hainaut]], she ignored the King's commands to render homage to them.{{sfn|Lock|1995|p=96}}{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=434}} In late 1291, she married [[Hugh, Count of Brienne|Hugh of Brienne]] who held important fiefs in the [[Kingdom of Naples]].{{sfn|Perry|2018|p=133}} Hugh asserted the regency for Guy and did not pay homage to the Achaean princes.{{sfn|Perry|2018|p=133}}

== Reign ==

Guy reached the age of majority in June 1294.{{sfn|Perry|2018|p=133}} [[Boniface of Verona]] knighted him at an assembly of the bishops and barons on 24 June.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=434}} About two weeks later, Charles II appointed two deputies to receive Guy's homage.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=432}} The King changed his mind before the end of July: he announced that Guy owed obedience to Isabella and Florent, because they were Guy's direct lords.{{sfn|Setton|1976|pp=434–435}} Charles II also prohibited Guy's vassals to swear fealty to Guy before Guy rendered homage to the princes of Achaea.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=434}}

Charles II made new arrangements when he ceded his claim to suzerainty over Achaea, Athens and other Balkan territories to his younger son, [[Philip I, Prince of Taranto|Philip I of Taranto]] on 13 August 1294.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=435}} When listing both Achaea and Athens in his letter of grant to his son, the King implicitly acknowledged that Guy was to render homage directly to Philip.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=435}} Isabella and Florent protested, but Hugh of Brienne swear fealty to Philip on Guy's behalf.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=436}}

Guy's maternal uncles, [[Constantine Doukas of Thessaly|Constantine Doukas]] and [[Theodore Angelos]] invaded their western neighbour, the [[Despotate of Epirus]] in the spring of 1295.{{sfn|Nicol|1984|pp=48–49}} Since the Epirote rule, [[Thomas I Komnenos Doukas]], was Philip of Taranto's brother-in-law, Charles II ordered Florent and Guy to launch a joint military campaign against Thessaly, but they could not prevent Constantine and Theodore from seizing Epirote lands.{{sfn|Setton|1976|pp=435, 438}}{{sfn|Nicol|1984|p=49}} Hugh of Brienne was Guy's sound protector in Charles II's court,{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=436}} but he died unexpectedly on 9 August 1296.{{sfn|Perry|2018|p=134}} Isabella, who was staying in southern Italy, persuaded Charles II to again order Guy to swear fealty to her and her husband.{{sfn|Setton|1976|pp=436–437}} The King threatened Guy of confiscating his duchy if he failed to obey his command on 1 October 1296.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=437}} Guy's relationship with his mother also became tense and he seized parts of her dower.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=438}} Philip of Taranto ordered Guy to return his mother's property to her, but he ignored Philip's orders.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=438}}

Florent died in early 1297, and an influential Achaean lord, [[Nicholas III of Saint Omer]], convinced the widowed Isabella to propose the hand of her only daughter, [[Matilda of Hainaut|Mahaut]], to Guy.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=437}} The three-year-old Mahaut was sent to Athens, but Charles II protested against the marriage.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=437}} On 3 July 1299, he reminded Guy that the heiress to Achaea could not marry without his consent, and ordered Guy to return her to her mother.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=437}} Charles II also intervened in Guy's conflict with his mother, ordering him to restore her dower on 31 July.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=438}} Isabella and Guy had already approached [[Pope Boniface VIII]] to sanction Guy's marriage, because Guy and his bride's mothers were cousins.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=437}} The Pope granted the necessary [[Dispensation (canon law)|dispensation]] on 9 August.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=437}} Being the Pope's vassal, Charles II had to accept the Pope's decision and gave consent to the marriage on 20 April 1300.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=437}} At Guy's request, the King had already forbidden Guy's mother to sell two towns which were part of her dowry without his consent.{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=438}}

Constantine Doukas and Theodore Angelos died in 1302 or 1303 and Constantine's minor son, [[John II Doukas of Thessaly|John II Doukas]], inherited Thessaly.{{sfn|Nicol|1984|p=52}} Constantine had made Guy regent for John, and Guy appointed a Greek named Boutomites to rule Thessaly.{{sfn|Nicol|1984|pp=52–53}} The Epirotes invaded Thessaly and captured the border castle of [[Fanari, Karditsa|Phanari]].{{sfn|Nicol|1984|p=52}}{{sfn|Setton|1976|p=438}} Guy gathered the Athenian and Thessalian troops and also persuaded Nicholas III of Saint Omer to join the military campaign against Epirus.{{sfn|Nicol|1984|p=53}} Their united armies marched as far as [[Kalambaka]].{{sfn|Nicol|1984|p=54}} [[Anna Palaiologina Kantakouzene]], who ruled Epirus on behalf of her underage son, offered 7,000 ''[[Hyperpyron|hyperpyra]]'' to Guy and 3,000 ''hyperpyra'' to Saint Omer if they abandoned the campaign.{{sfn|Nicol|1984|p=54}} Since she also promised to renounce Phanari, the Thessalian lords convinced Guy to accept her offer.{{sfn|Nicol|1984|p=54}} However, Guy and Saint Omer did not dissolve the army, because the Thessalian lords persuaded them to invade the Byzantine territories in [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]] instead.{{sfn|Nicol|1984|p=54}} Shortly after their army crossed the frontier and the advance guard approached [[Thessaloniki]], the Byzantine empress [[Eirene of Montferrat]] sent envoys to them and persuaded them to turn back without battle.{{sfn|Nicol|1984|p=54}} The Empress wanted to seize Epirus and Thessaly and give them to her sons, [[John Palaiologos (son of Andronikos II)|John]] and [[Theodore I (Marquess of Montferrat)|Theodore]], but Guy refused to make an alliance with her.{{sfn|Nicol|1984|p=54}} 

In 1307, Guy was made ''[[Bailli of the Principality of Achaea|bailli]]'' of Achaea by its new prince, [[Philip I of Taranto]].<ref name="Setton410-411" /> He governed well, but for barely a year, dying on 5 October 1308, at the age of 28.<ref name="Setton410-411" /> He was respected and renowned for his [[chivalry]] and manners, typical of the Frankish courts kept in Greece. He was buried in [[Daphni Monastery]]<ref name="Setton410-411" /> alongside his ancestors. He left no heirs and the De la Roche line of dukes came to an end; Athens was disputed among rival claimants until the parliament of the duchy elected [[Walter V of Brienne]].

== Family ==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|title=Ancestors of Guy II de la Roche{{sfn|Lock|1995|pp=364–365}}{{sfn|Nicol|1984|p=252}}
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
|1= 1. '''Guy II de la Roche'''

|2= 2. [[William I de la Roche|William I, Duke of Athens]]
|3= 3. [[Helena Angelina Komnene]]

|4= 4. [[Guy I de la Roche|Guy I, Lord of Athens]]
|5=  
|6= 6. [[John I Doukas of Thessaly|John I Doukas, Lord of Thessaly]]
|7= 7. A daughter of Taronas

|8= 8. Pons of Flagney
|9= 9. Bonne
|10=
|11=
|12= 12. [[Michael II Komnenos Doukas]] 
|13=  
|14= 14. Taronas, a [[Vlachs|Vlach]] chieftain
|15= 

|16= 
|17= 
|18= 
|19= 
|20= 
|21= 
|22=  
|23= 
|24= 24. [[Michael I Komnenos Doukas]]
|25= 
|26= 
|27= 
|28= 
|29= 
|30= 
|31= 
}}

== References ==
{{reflist|3}}

== Sources ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Lock |first=Peter |year=1995 |title=The Franks in the Aegean, 1204–1500 |publisher=Longman |isbn=0-582-05140-1 }}
* {{Setton-A History of the Crusades | volume = 2 | chapter = The Frankish States in Greece, 1204–1311 | pages = 234–275 | last = Longnon | first = Jean | chapter-url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/History/History-idx?type=article&did=History.CrusTwo.i0021&id=History.CrusTwo }} 
* {{cite book |last=Nicol |first=Donald M.|author-link=Donald M. Nicol |title=The Despotate of Epiros 1267-1479: A Contribution to the History of Greece in the Middle Ages |year=1984 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-13089-9 }}
* {{cite book |last=Perry |first=Guy |year=2018 |title=The Briennes: The Rise and Fall of a Chempenois Dynasty in the Age of the Crusades, c. 950–1356 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-19690-2 }}
* {{The Papacy and the Levant | volume = 1}}
{{Refend}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Nicholas III of Saint Omer]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Capetian House of Anjou|Angevin]] ''[[Bailli of the Principality of Achaea|bailli]]'' in the [[Principality of Achaea]] | years=1307&ndash;1308}}
{{s-aft|after=Bertin Visconte}}
{{s-bef|before=[[William I de la Roche|William I]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Duke of Athens]] | years=1287&ndash;1308}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Walter V of Brienne|Walter]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Dukes of Athens}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guy 02 De La Roche}}
[[Category:1280 births]]
[[Category:1308 deaths]]
[[Category:Christians of the Crusades]]
[[Category:Dukes of Athens]]
[[Category:Baillis of the Principality of Achaea]]
[[Category:De la Roche family|Guy 02]]
[[Category:Lords of Argos and Nauplia]]
[[Category:13th-century dukes in Europe]]
[[Category:14th-century dukes in Europe]]
[[Category:13th-century French people]]
[[Category:14th-century people from the Principality of Achaea]]
[[Category:French people of Greek descent]]