James of Baux

Who was James of Baux?

James of Baux or James of les Baux, hereditary Duke of Andria, was Prince of Taranto and the last titular Latin Emperor of Constantinople from 1374 to 1383, and Prince of Achaea from 1382 to 1383.

James was the son of Francis of Baux by Margaret of Taranto, daughter of Prince Philip I of Taranto and his second wife, Catherine of Valois. Margaret was thus sister of Robert of Taranto and Philip II of Taranto, both of whom reigned as princes of Achaea and titular emperors of Constantinople.

On the childless death of Philip II of Taranto in 1373, most of the barons in the principality of Achaea recognized as his heir Queen Joanna I of Naples. When in 1376 or 1377 she leased the territory to the Knights Hospitaller for five years at four thousands ducats a year, Philip II's relatives put forward a rival candidate, James of Baux.

James met with some success in 1380 but did not have complete control until Joanna's death in 1382, when he became the only legitimate claimant to Achaea. In his attempt to reclaim his inheritance, James hired the services of the Navarrese Company, which had originally been hired by the Hospitallers, with whom James was at war.