LIV. Usurpation of the Principality of Athens
With Alexios’ majority, there is a strong revival of activity and a reshuffling of the council: the young Duke calls to help Bohemond as marshal in place of William, who has taken over the County of Bari following the death of the old Humbert. Culturally Greek and eager for personal triumphs,
Alexios turns his eyes east: apart the direct rule of the Duke of Apulia over Naxos, three mainland provinces have continued to be administered by either the “Greek Hautevilles” or the steadfast Dermokaites of Demetrias, whose last descendant Henry has passed away in 1322 at the venerable age of 75. Yet, his grandson and successor Demetrios has retained strong links with Apulia by marrying a Hauteville girl.
Significantly, during the period of Apulian rule both immigration and missionary activity have favoured the diffusion of Roman Catholic faith at the expense of Eastern Christian. What is now missing to Duke Alexios is a higher title for those lands, as
the principality of Athens is still held by the successors of Leo, one of the greatest heroes of the Fourth Crusade.
Like a new Ptolemy, Leo had established himself as ruler of Alexandria following the Fourth Crusade. With the consolidation of the dynasty, the centre of main interest for Leo’s successors progressively moved from Greece to Egypt and their link with motherland faded away. By early 14th century Boghos, Leo’s last descendant, has lost all the territories of his ancestors to the Byzantines – just retaining the nominal title of “Prince of Athens”.
Already in 1308 Godfrey of Apulia was claiming that title, but never decided to intervene and press his demands in consideration of the troubled Sicilian situation during the magnates’ revolts. But in February 1326 with the juvenile quest for glory of Alexios and the new group of disciplined and innovative elite officers coming out from the war academy of Salerno, the goal can finally be achieved. To this purpose, Marshal Bohemond gathers an army of almost 9.000 men at Salerno to cross the Mediterranean Sea but dies during the passage into Calabria, from where he has intended to set sail.
Upon this regrettable accident, Duke Alexios gives the command to his great-uncle Henry Theodosiopolites, a capable warrior who leads the crossing of the Apulian contingent to Egypt. When the expedition lands on 17th July 1326 close to Alexandria, the ancient city has a garrison of more than 7.000 Greeks under Boghos. A first victory is won by the Apulians on 5th September, after which the siege is begun. Yet, the heavy losses incurred by Henry convince Alexios to mobilise and ferry from Reggio other 4.000 soldiers.
Through autumn and winter 1326 Boghos’ sorties try to break the blockade, but the remaining besiegers stand well. The Greek prince attempts to make peace by offering almost 1.900 gold bezants (!), but the settlement is ignored by the attackers, seriously intentioned to starve the citizens out. Unable to get supplies from outside, on 1st February 1327 Boghos orders to light fires signalling he is ready to surrender. Peace terms would not be utterly offensive: he relinquishes the title of Prince of Athens to Alexios and undertakes to pay 500 bezants. With this success,
Alexios can now glorify himself with a third princely title after those of Apulia and Calabria. Yet, together prestige comes a sense of deceitfulness due to the insensitive raid against Boghos and Alexandria.
Rumours from distant lands – Let’s refocus on Iberia
It’s a long time that we do not get updates from the Iberian peninsula. After the troubles of the 13th century, the Aragonese-Portuguese war (1279-84) sanctioned the leadership of the kings of Aragon over Iberia. In 1288
Ponc of Aragon has further consolidated his predominance with the acquisition of the crown of Navarra – including its remarkable treasury of 600 bezants – and the province of Rioja. That last endeavour inaugurated a long period of stability, which has lasted for more than 20 years, only briefly interrupted in 1309 by the Aragonese take over of Granada. During the ensuing conflict, Ponc would even suffer a temporary but disturbing setback with the 1316 Burgundian incursion of Barcelona, yet at the end of the war he would also acquire the town of Almansa.
In the meantime, the smaller kingdoms of Portugal and Castile have continued to consolidate their own positions under the prudent rule of the House of Lara and the Basque dynasty of de Haro, respectively. The fourth temporal leader of Iberia is the Pope, who controls the northwestern region of the peninsula since Dietrich’s relocation of the Roman curia in mid-13th century (the so-called
"Galician Captivity"). From Dietrich to the last Pope Osmond, ten pontiffs have resided in Santiago de Compostela, the new Holy City of the Christendom. During this time, the Papacy has adopted practices more similar to secular courts, including the worst behaviours such as nepotism, corruption and simony. With
Pope William de Hauteville (1305-25), such tendencies become even more pronounced: elected through bribery, he actually proves to be a strong leader, exercising a tight control over the curia and appointing his relatives to key positions in an unusually long tenure. Upon his death, the conclave does not find strange to elect another Hauteville Pope, Osmond, to perpetuate such a peculiar pontifical dynasty. The two Hauteville Popes would also distinguish themselves by eradicating the Islamic presence from the southern provinces of Iberia, acquired in the late 12th century during the final stage of the Reconquista: even if heretical or crypto-Muslim movements sometimes continue to arise in Andalusia, the Inquisition pushes hard to force convert (or expel to seize their assets) all non-Christians.
As the following conflicts would demonstrate, all these things have reinforced the status of the Church as one of the most relevant temporal powers in Iberia.