 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 had backed the young Angevin queen Joanna I of Naples when John II, Marquess of Montferrat sought to take advantage of her youth and inexperience to gain broader lands in northern Italy starting in 1344.After the Angevin defeat at the Battle of Gamenario in 1345, John and his allies moved next to attack Chieri, a town loyal to James.