Geoffrey II of Villehardouin

Who was Geoffrey II of Villehardouin?

Geoffrey II of Villehardouin was the third prince of Achaea. From his accession to the princely throne, he was a powerful and respected person, and even from France knights came to the principality to enter his service. Geoffrey II emerged as the most powerful vassal of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, the person around whom the crusaders' states in modern Greece gradually regrouped themselves. He came to the rescue of the imperial capital three times. As a reward of his services to the Latin Empire, he was granted suzerainty over the island of Euboea by his brother-in-law, Emperor Baldwin II of Constantinople. He was also a humane prince, benevolent and just, solicitous for the condition of the common people.