Robert, Prince of Taranto



Robert II of Taranto (1319 or early winter 1326 – 10 September 1364), of the Angevin family, Prince of Taranto (1331–1346), King of Albania (1331–1332), Prince of Achaea (1332–1346), and titular Latin Emperor (1343 or 1346 – 1364).

He was the oldest surviving son of Prince Philip I of Taranto (1278–1331) and Empress Catherine II of Valois.

In 1332, an exchange occurred in which his uncle John of Gravina arranged to surrender Achaea to him in exchange for Robert's rights to the Kingdom of Albania and a loan of 5,000 ounces of gold raised upon Niccolo Acciaiuoli. Robert then officially became Prince of Achaea. Because of his youth, authority was effectively exercised by his mother Catherine II of Valois until her death in 1346. At that point Robert inherited the throne of the Latin Empire, and was recognized as emperor by the Latin states of Greece. His actual power, such as it was, remained based upon his authority as prince of Achaea. In Naples, on 9 September 1347, Robert married Marie of Bourbon, the daughter of Louis I, Duke of Bourbon Constable of Cyprus, but the marriage was childless. He died on 10 September 1364 in Naples and was buried there. After he died, his widow attempted to keep the principality for herself and her son from her previous marriage. However, Robert's younger brother Philip II of Taranto succeeded as the legitimate heir.