Castle of Androusa

The Castle of Androusa stands in the Messenian countryside, some 21 kilometres from Kalamata, and owes its foundation to Guillaume II de Villehardouin, the Prince of Achaea, who raised it shortly after 1250. Its real claim to fame, however, came late in the following century, when it became the seat of the Navarrese Company, a band of mercenaries drawn largely from Navarre and Gascony. Hired to support James of Baux in his bid for the Achaean throne, they proved indifferent champions but effective opportunists, eventually ruling the Principality as de facto masters from this very castle. In its heyday, around 1400, Androusa ranked among the most significant fortresses in the Peloponnese. Frankish tenure ended in 1417, when the Byzantine Palaiologoi of the Despotate of Mystras took the place, and the Turks followed in 1462. What remains today is a castle in average condition, its walls still telling of a turbulent twilight.

Heritage data from Wikidata, compiled and verified in the Atika atlas.