charles' father, philip, was invested with the principality of achaea in southern greece in 1307. however, there existed a rival claim to the principality in the person of matilda of hainaut, the wife of guy ii de la roche, duke of athens. guy was made philip's "bailli" in achaea, but he died in 1308 without children, leaving matilda a widow. in 1309, the fifteen-year-old matilda was betrothed to the twelve-year-old charles, in an attempt to reconcile the competing claims to achaea. the ceremony took place at thebes on 2 april, in the presence of the latin archbishop of athens, the angevin "bailli" and the assembled nobility of achaea and the duchy of athens.