William of Champlitte

Coat of Arms of the Principality of Achaea under the Champlitte regime (1205-1209).

William of Champlitte (died 1209) was a participant on the Fourth Crusade, and the first Prince of Achaea.

He was the third son of Edward I of Champlitte (Count of Upper Burgundy) and grandson of Hugh I, count of Champagne. During the crusade he was acquainted with Boniface of Montferrat and helped bridge his differences with Baldwin of Flanders, the first Latin emperor of Constantinople. After the crusade had captured Constantinople and split up the Byzantine Empire, in autumn 1204 he followed Boniface of Montferrat from Thessalonica to the campaign for the conquest of Greece. William conquered Morea (the Peloponnese) along with Geoffrey I Villehardouin in 1205 (see the battle of the olive grove of Koundouros). Pope Innocent III named him ruler of all Achaea. Because of the title of his grandfather (de Champagne), indicating his home place, he was called Campanezis (Καμπανέζης) by the Greeks.

In 1209, while he was concerned with the organization of the Peloponnese, he received news that his elder brother Louis had died childless and he had to rush to France to claim his rights. He died on the way to France, in Apulia. Shortly thereafter, his nephew Hugh, whom William had left in his place in Peloponnese, also died.

Sources

• Finley Jr, John H. "Corinth in the Middle Ages." Speculum, Vol. 7, No. 4. (Oct., 1932), pp. 477-499.
• Tozer, H. F. "The Franks in the Peloponnese." The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 4. (1883), pp. 165-236.