About William II of Athens
Lived 1312 – 1338 (aged 25–26). William II of Athens was a Maltese monarch.
William II (1312 – 22 August 1338) was the third son of Frederick III of Sicily and Eleanor of Anjou. He inherited the Duchy of Athens after the death of his elder brother Manfred on 9 November 1317.
During his minority, his Greek possessions were governed by his illegitimate elder brother Alfonso Frederick, who in 1319 added the Duchy of Neopatria to the Catalan domains. In 1330, Alfonso returned from Greece and William ceded the counties of Malta and Gozo to him. Nicola Lanza replaced him in Greece.
In 1335, William married María Álvarez de Jérica, a descendant of Roger of Lauria, without papal dispensation, as both John XXII and Benedict XII wanted to check the power of Frederick his father. Two years later, his father willed him the Principality of Taranto, the county of Calatafimi, the honour of Monte Sant'Angelo, and various castles and lands in Noto, Spaccaforno, Capo Passero, and Avola when his mother, Eleanor, daughter of Charles II of Naples, died. She died in 1341, but William died first on 22 August 1338. He left his library to the Dominicans of Palermo and was buried in the cathedral there.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped William II of Athens's
Frequently asked questions
Who was William II of Athens?
Italian noble
When was William II of Athens born?
William II of Athens was born in 1312 in Catania.
When did William II of Athens die?
William II of Athens died on 22 August 1338 in Valencia.
What was William II of Athens's occupation?
William II of Athens was a monarch.
What nationality was William II of Athens?
William II of Athens was Maltese.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: William II of Athens
· DBpedia: William II of Athens
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). William II of Athens. https://biography.guide/william-ii-of-athens/
MLA: "William II of Athens." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/william-ii-of-athens/.
Chicago: "William II of Athens." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/william-ii-of-athens/.
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