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The Kingdom of Thessalonica was a short-lived Crusader State founded after the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade

The Fourth Crusade was originally designed to conquer Islam Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christianity city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire....
 over the conquered Byzantine lands.

r the fall of Constantinople
Constantinople

Constantinople was the empire capital of the Roman Empire , the Byzantine Empire , the Latin Empire , and the Ottoman Empire . Strategically located between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara at the point where Europe meets Asia, Byzantine Constantinople had been the capital of a Christendom empire, successor to ancient ancient Greece...
 to the crusaders in 1204, Boniface of Montferrat
Boniface of Montferrat

Boniface of Montferrat , was Marquess of Montferrat and the leader of the Fourth Crusade. He was the third son of William V, Marquess of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg, born after his father's return from the Second Crusade....
, the leader of the crusade, was expected by both the Crusaders and the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
 to become the new emperor. However, the Venetians
Republic of Venice

The Most Serene Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice . It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century AD until the year 1797....
 felt that Boniface was too closely tied to the Byzantine Empire, as his brother Conrad
Conrad of Montferrat

Conrad of Montferrat, or Conrad I of Jerusalem was one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. He was the de facto Kings of Jerusalem, by marriage, from 24 November, 1190, but officially elected only in 1192, days before his death....
 had married into the Byzantine royal family.






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The Kingdom of Thessalonica was a short-lived Crusader State founded after the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade

The Fourth Crusade was originally designed to conquer Islam Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christianity city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire....
 over the conquered Byzantine lands.

History


Background

After the fall of Constantinople
Constantinople

Constantinople was the empire capital of the Roman Empire , the Byzantine Empire , the Latin Empire , and the Ottoman Empire . Strategically located between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara at the point where Europe meets Asia, Byzantine Constantinople had been the capital of a Christendom empire, successor to ancient ancient Greece...
 to the crusaders in 1204, Boniface of Montferrat
Boniface of Montferrat

Boniface of Montferrat , was Marquess of Montferrat and the leader of the Fourth Crusade. He was the third son of William V, Marquess of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg, born after his father's return from the Second Crusade....
, the leader of the crusade, was expected by both the Crusaders and the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
 to become the new emperor. However, the Venetians
Republic of Venice

The Most Serene Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice . It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century AD until the year 1797....
 felt that Boniface was too closely tied to the Byzantine Empire, as his brother Conrad
Conrad of Montferrat

Conrad of Montferrat, or Conrad I of Jerusalem was one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. He was the de facto Kings of Jerusalem, by marriage, from 24 November, 1190, but officially elected only in 1192, days before his death....
 had married into the Byzantine royal family. The Venetians wanted an emperor whom they could control more easily, and with their influence, Baldwin of Flanders
Baldwin I of Constantinople

Baldwin I , the first emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, as Baldwin IX Count of Flanders and as Baldwin VI County of Hainaut, was one of the most prominent leaders of the Fourth Crusade, which resulted in the capture of Constantinople, the conquest of the greater part of the Byzantine Empire, and the foundation of the...
 was elected as emperor of the new Latin Empire
Latin Empire

The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire after their sack of Constantinople in 1204 and ended in 1261....
.

Establishment

Boniface reluctantly accepted this, and set out to conquer Thessalonica, the second-largest Byzantine city after Constantinople. At first he had to compete with Emperor Baldwin, who also wanted the city, but Boniface won this dispute by handing over his assigned territory on Crete
Crete

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the List of islands in the Mediterranean largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km? ....
 to the Venetians. He then went on to capture the city later in 1204 and set up a kingdom there, subordinate to Baldwin, although the title of "king" was never officially used. Late 13th and 14th century sources suggest that Boniface based his claim to Thessalonica on the statement that his younger brother Renier
Renier of Montferrat

Renier of Montferrat was the fifth son of William V of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg. He became son-in-law of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos and Caesar in 1180, and was later murdered in a Byzantine power-struggle....
 had been granted Thessalonica on his marriage to Maria Komnene
Maria Komnene (Porphyrogenita)

Maria Komnene or Comnena , was the eldest daughter of the Emperor Manuel I Komnenos by his first wife, Bertha of Sulzbach. She was known as the Porphyrogenneta or Porphyrogenita because she had been "born in the Purple Chamber", i.e....
 in 1180.

The kingdom occupied land along the Aegean
Aegean Sea

The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkans and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey respectively....
 coast of Thrace
Thrace

Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. Today the name Thrace designates a region spread over southern Bulgaria , northeastern Greece , and European Turkey ....
, Thessaly
Thessaly

Thessaly is one of the 13 Peripheries of Greece of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 Prefectures of Greece. The capital of the periphery and traditional Regions of Greece is Larissa....
, and Macedonia
Macedonia (region)

Macedonia is a geographical and Historical regions of the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe whose area was re-defined in the early 20th century....
, but the interior borders were undefined as the kingdom was from the outset constantly at war with the Bulgaria
Second Bulgarian Empire

The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan of Bulgaria and Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria before gradually declining to be conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century....
ns, who wanted to capture the remnants of the Byzantine Empire for themselves, and the Despotate of Epirus
Despotate of Epirus

The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greeks successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204....
, one of the Byzantine successor states. The kingdom initially also faced attacks from the deposed Byzantine emperor Alexius III, who had fled to Corinth
Corinth

Corinth, or Korinth Corinth is now the capital of the Prefectures of Greece of Corinthia. The city is surrounded by the coastal townlets of Lechaio, Isthmia, Kechries, and the inland townlets of Examilia and the archaeological site....
, although he was quickly defeated. After this victory Boniface captured the island of Euboea
Euboea

For the Greek mythology figure, see Euboea Euboea is the second largest of the Greece Aegean Islands and the second largest List of islands of Greece overall in area and population, after Crete....
, where a vassal lordship
Lordship of Negroponte

The Lordship of Negroponte was a crusader state established on the island of Euboea after the partition of the Byzantine Empire following the Fourth Crusade....
 was established, and helped some other Crusaders establish the Duchy of Athens
Duchy of Athens

The Duchy of Athens was one of the Crusader States set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade, encompassing the regions of Attica and Boeotia, and surviving until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century....
 and the Principality of Achaea
Principality of Achaea

The Principality of Achaea or of the Morea was one of the three vassal states of the Latin Empire which replaced the Byzantine Empire after the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade....
, which became vassal states of Thessalonica.

The Lombard Rebellion

Boniface's rule lasted less than two years before he was ambushed by Tsar Kaloyan of Bulgaria
Kaloyan of Bulgaria

Kaloyan the Romanslayer , Ivan I , ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1197-1207. He was born in about 1168/1169. The name Kalojan , signifies the "Good John" or the "Handsome John", and is derived from Greek Kaloioannes, a standard augmentation of the names of Byzantine emperors named "John" in the Komnenian and later periods....
 and killed on September 4, 1207. The kingdom passed to Boniface's son Demetrius
Demetrius of Montferrat

Demetrius or Demetrios of Montferrat , , king of Kingdom of Thessalonica from 1207 to 1224.Demetrius was the son of Marquis Boniface of Montferrat by Margaret of Hungary, the widow of Byzantine Empire Isaac II Angelos....
, who was still a baby, so actual power was held by various minor nobles of Lombard
Lombardy

Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region....
 origin. These nobles, under the regent Oberto
Oberto II of Biandrate

Oberto, Uberto, or Umberto II was the Count of Biandrate in Lombardy and a participant in the Fourth Crusade.Oberto was a companion of Boniface of Montferrat on the Fourth Crusade....
, began plotting to place William VI of Montferrat, Boniface' elder son, on the throne, and openly defied the Latin Emperor Henry of Flanders
Henry of Flanders

Henry , was the second emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople.He was a younger son of Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut , and Margaret I, Countess of Flanders, sister of Philip, Count of Flanders, count of Flanders....
. Henry marched against them in 1209 and forced their submission. As a result, Henry's brother Eustace then became regent for Demetrius.

War with Epirus and fall


Taking advantage of this situation, Michael I of Epirus
Michael I Komnenos Doukas

Michael I Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas , often inaccurately called Michael Angelos , was the founder and first ruler of the principality of Despotate of Epirus from 1205 until his death in 1215....
, a former ally of Boniface, attacked the kingdom in 1210, as did the Bulgarians. Henry of Flanders eventually defeated both, but after Michael's death in 1214, his brother and successor Theodore
Theodore Komnenos Doukas

Theodore Komnenos Doukas or Theodore Comnenus Ducas , ruler of Despotate of Epirus from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica from 1224 to 1230, died c....
 began anew the assault on the kingdom. Over the next nine years Theodore gradually conquered all of Thessalonica except the city itself, as the Latin Empire could spare no army to defend it while they were busy fighting the more powerful Byzantine Empire of Nicaea
Empire of Nicaea

The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greeks states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was conquered during the Fourth Crusade....
 in Asia. In 1224, just as Demetrius had become old enough to take power for himself, Theodore finally captured Thessalonica and the kingdom became part of the Despotate of Epirus.

Titular claimants

The kingdom was claimed by titular kings of the house of Montferrat
Montferrat

Montferrat is part of the region of Piedmont in Northern Italy. It comprises roughly the modern provinces of Province of Alessandria and Province of Asti....
 until 1284 and also by the Dukes of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy

Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Sa?ne which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's West Franks....
; Baldwin II of Constantinople
Baldwin II of Constantinople

Baldwin II of Courtenay was the last emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople.He was a younger son of Yolanda of Flanders, sister of the first two emperors, Baldwin I of Constantinople and Henry of Flanders....
 had promised the title to Hugh IV should he regain the Latin Empire
Latin Empire

The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire after their sack of Constantinople in 1204 and ended in 1261....
.

Kings of Thessalonica

  • 1204–1207 : Boniface of Montferrat
    Boniface of Montferrat

    Boniface of Montferrat , was Marquess of Montferrat and the leader of the Fourth Crusade. He was the third son of William V, Marquess of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg, born after his father's return from the Second Crusade....
     (Boniface I)
  • 1207–1224 : Demetrius of Montferrat
    Demetrius of Montferrat

    Demetrius or Demetrios of Montferrat , , king of Kingdom of Thessalonica from 1207 to 1224.Demetrius was the son of Marquis Boniface of Montferrat by Margaret of Hungary, the widow of Byzantine Empire Isaac II Angelos....
     (Demetrius)
    • 1207–1209 : Oberto II of Biandrate
      Oberto II of Biandrate

      Oberto, Uberto, or Umberto II was the Count of Biandrate in Lombardy and a participant in the Fourth Crusade.Oberto was a companion of Boniface of Montferrat on the Fourth Crusade....
      , regent
    • 1209–1216 : Eustace of Flanders, regent
    • 1216–1224 : ..., regent


Titular Kings of Thessalonica

  • 1224–1230 : Demetrius of Montferrat
    Demetrius of Montferrat

    Demetrius or Demetrios of Montferrat , , king of Kingdom of Thessalonica from 1207 to 1224.Demetrius was the son of Marquis Boniface of Montferrat by Margaret of Hungary, the widow of Byzantine Empire Isaac II Angelos....
     (Demetrius)
  • 1230–1239 : Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
    Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor

    Frederick II , of the House of Hohenstaufen dynasty, was an Kingdom of Italy pretender to the title of King of the Romans from 1212 and unopposed holder of that monarchy from 1215....
     (Frederick)
  • 1239–1253 : Boniface II of Montferrat (Boniface II)
  • 1253–1284 : William VII of Montferrat (William)
  • 1266–1271 : Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy
    Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy

    Hugh IV of Burgundy was duke of Burgundy between 1218 and 1271. Hugh was the only son of duke Eudes III, Duke of Burgundy and Alice of Vergy. He was married twice, first to Yolande of Dreux, then to Beatrice of Champagne, princess of Navarre, and had the following issue:...
     (Hugh I), rival claimant 1266-1271
  • 1273–1305 : Robert II, Duke of Burgundy
    Robert II, Duke of Burgundy

    Robert II of Burgundy was duke of Burgundy between 1271 and 1306, inheriting the title from his brother Eudes of Burgundy, who had no male heirs....
     (Robert), rival claimant 1271-1284
  • 1305–1313 : Hugh V, Duke of Burgundy
    Hugh V, Duke of Burgundy

    Hugh V of Burgundy was Duke of Burgundy between 1306 and 1315.Hugh was the eldest son of Robert II, Duke of Burgundy and Agnes of France, Duchess of Burgundy....
     (Hugh II)
  • 1313–1316 : Louis of Burgundy
    Louis of Burgundy

    Louis of Burgundy , Prince of Achaea and titular King of Thessalonica, was a younger son of Robert II, Duke of Burgundy and Agnes of France, Duchess of Burgundy....
     (Louis I)
  • 1316–1320 : Eudes IV, Duke of Burgundy
    Eudes IV, Duke of Burgundy

    Eudes IV was Duke of Burgundy from 1315 until his death and Count of Burgundy and Count of Artois between 1330 and 1347. He was the second son of Robert II, Duke of Burgundy and Agnes of France, Duchess of Burgundy....
     (Eudes), sold his rights to
  • 1320 : Louis I, Duke of Bourbon
    Louis I, Duke of Bourbon

    Louis I of Bourbon, le Boiteux, the Lame was Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis and Count of La Marche, and the first Duke of Bourbon....
     (Louis II)


Bibliography



See also