Walter V, Count of Brienne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Walter V
Walter's seal, attached to his last will
Duke of Athens
Reign	1308 – 1311
Predecessor	Guy II
Successor	Manfred
Born	c. 1275
Died	15 March 1311 (aged 35–36) Battle of Halmyros, Duchy of Athens
Spouse	Joanna of Châtillon
Issue	Walter VI of Brienne Isabella
House	Brienne
Father	Hugh of Brienne
Mother	Isabella de la Roche
Religion	Roman Catholic

Walter V of Brienne (French: Gautier; around 1275 – 15 March 1311) was the Duke of Athens from 1308 until he died. He was the only son of Hugh of Brienne and Isabella de la Roche. Walter was set to inherit large lands in France, the Kingdom of Naples, and the Peloponnese.

He was held captive in the Sicilian castle of Augusta for about 10 years. This was to make sure his father paid a ransom to the Aragonese admiral Roger of Lauria. When his father died fighting Lauria in 1296, Walter inherited the County of Brienne in France. He also got the counties of Lecce and Conversano in southern Italy.

Walter was freed, but he was captured again in 1299 during a war in Sicily. His second time as a prisoner lasted until the Treaty of Caltabellotta in 1302. After this, Walter lived in France and married Joanna of Châtillon.

In 1308, his cousin, Duke Guy II of Athens, died without children. Walter then claimed the Duchy of Athens. Another cousin, Eschiva of Ibelin, also wanted the duchy. But a court decided that Walter should be the duke.

Walter arrived in Athens in 1309. John II Doukas, a Greek ruler, formed an alliance against him. This alliance included the Byzantine Empire and the Despotate of Epirus. Walter hired the Catalan Company, a group of soldiers for hire, to attack Thessaly. The Catalans defeated John, but Walter refused to pay them.

The Catalans then rebelled. Walter gathered a large army from Frankish Greece. But the Catalans badly defeated Walter's army in the Battle of Halmyros. Walter died on the battlefield. The Catalans then took over the Duchy of Athens.

Walter's Early Life

Walter was born around 1275. He was the only son of Hugh of Brienne and Isabella de la Roche. His father, Hugh, owned important lands in France, like the county of Brienne. He also had lands in southern Italy, such as the counties of Lecce and Conversano. Hugh had also tried to become king of Cyprus, but the people there chose his cousin, Hugh of Antioch-Lusignan, instead.

Walter's mother, Isabella de la Roche, was the younger daughter of Duke Guy I of Athens. She brought lands in the Peloponnese into the marriage. Isabella died in 1279.

Walter grew up during the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). His father, Hugh, was a military leader for King Charles II of Naples. Hugh was captured in a battle on June 23, 1287. He was only freed after he gave Walter as a hostage to the Aragonese admiral, Roger of Lauria. This was to make sure Hugh paid his ransom.

Walter was held in a fortress at Augusta for many years. He likely learned the Catalan language. He also probably learned about Aragonese customs during his time there.

Walter was still a prisoner when his father died in 1296. His father was fighting against Lauria near Brindisi. King Charles II ordered Hugh's vassals in southern Italy to promise loyalty to Walter on August 27. After being released, Walter went to France. He took control of his father's French lands. He officially became the Count of Brienne before May 1297.

A Noble Warrior

Walter wanted revenge for his father's death. He teamed up with two other French noblemen. Their fathers had also been killed in Italy. They hired 300 horsemen, called the "Knights of Death." They joined the army of Robert, Duke of Calabria. Robert was the heir to King Charles II. His army was planning to invade Sicily.

Robert and his troops landed at Catania and took over the town. Soon, rumors spread that the castle commander of Gagliano Castelferrato would surrender easily. Robert sent Walter and his men to the fortress to talk. But the rumors were false. They were spread on purpose to trap Robert's troops.

Walter refused to run away when he realized the trap. In the Battle of Gagliano that followed, he was forced to surrender. King Charles II appointed Philip of Toucy to manage Walter's lands in southern Italy while Walter was captive. Walter was freed after the Treaty of Caltabellotta was signed in 1302. This treaty ended the War of the Sicilian Vespers. Walter went to France before June 1303. He later married Joanna of Châtillon. She was the daughter of the constable of France. This marriage made his position in France even stronger.

Becoming Duke of Athens

On October 5, 1308, the Duke of Athens, Guy II, died without children. His two cousins, Walter and Eschiva of Ibelin, both claimed the duchy. Eschiva was the daughter of Alice de la Roche. Alice was the older sister of Walter's mother.

However, the High Court of the Principality of Achaea decided in Walter's favor. Achaea was the main power over Athens. The court said that if two relatives of the same degree claimed an inheritance, the male claimant was preferred. Before leaving for Athens, Walter asked his father-in-law, Gaucher V de Châtillon, to manage the County of Brienne.

Walter arrived in Glarentza in Achaea in the summer of 1309. By the time he reached Athens, John II Doukas, the ruler of Thessaly, had broken away from Athens' control. The Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos and the ruler of Epirus, Anna Palaiologina Kantakouzene, supported John II. This forced Walter to look for help from outside.

The Catalan Company was a group of soldiers for hire who had no jobs. They had been raiding Thessaly since 1305. Walter hired the Catalans and their Turkish allies to fight against the Greek rulers. The soldiers invaded Thessaly and took over important fortresses. After six months, John II had to ask for peace.

Walter owed the Catalans four months of pay. But he did not want to pay them all. He chose 200 horsemen and 300 almogàvars (lightly-armed foot soldiers) from the Catalans. He promised only them their wages. He also offered them lands. He ordered all other Catalans to leave the duchy.

The dismissed soldiers refused to leave. They asked Walter to let them settle in the newly conquered lands as his loyal subjects. Walter did not trust the Catalans. He threatened them with death if they did not obey. With nowhere else to go, the unpaid soldiers rebelled. The 500 Catalan soldiers Walter had just hired joined their friends. This forced Walter to ask for help from Achaea and other parts of Frankish Greece.

The Battle of Halmyros

Walter's army met the Catalans in a marshy plain near Halmyros on March 15, 1311. The Catalans wanted to make peace. But Walter was determined to get rid of them. In the Battle of Halmyros, the Catalans won a huge victory. They killed Walter and almost all of his cavalry. The Catalans then took over the Duchy of Athens. Walter's young son was taken to Italy after the battle. He tried to get the duchy back in the following years, but he was not successful.

Walter's Family Tree

In 1306, Walter married Jeanne de Châtillon. They had two children:

• Walter VI of Brienne (1302–1356), who took over his father's titles as count of Lecce and Conversano. He was also the Duke of Athens in name.
• Isabella of Brienne (died 1360), who married Gautier III, lord of Enghien. She claimed her brother's titles to Lecce and Conversano after he died.

See also

In Spanish: Gualterio V de Brienne para niños