James of Piedmont

Who was James of Piedmont?

James was the Lord of Piedmont from 1334 to his death. He was the eldest son of Philip I and Catherine de la Tour du Pin. While his father had abandoned his claim to the Principality of Achaea in 1307, James continued to use the princely title and even passed it on to his successors.

James opposed Robert of Taranto in Achaea in the 1340s. He began a war with Amadeus VI of Savoy, but was captured at Pinerolo and his territories confiscated. A treaty of 2 July 1362 returned them, however. James died at Pinerolo a few years later.

James married his first wife Beatrice d'Este in 1338, daughter of Rinaldo II d'Este, without having children. James remarried on 9 June 1339 to Sibyl, daughter of Raymond II of Baux and had a son Philip II.. Widowered for a third time, James remarried on 16 July 1362 to Margaret, daughter of Edward I of Beaujeu, They had two sons: Amadeus and Louis.