Ferdinand I (Aragon)

Coronation of Ferdinand I of Aragon

Ferdinand I of Aragon , also called Ferdinand of Antequera ( Fernando de Antequera ), Ferdinand of Trastámara ( Fernando de Trastámara ), Ferdinand the Just ( Fernando el Justo ) (born November 27, 1380 in Medina del Campo ; † April 2, 1416 in Igualada ), was king of Aragon , Sicily and Sardinia from 1412 .

Life

Ferdinand was born on November 27, 1380 as the second son of King John I of Castile and his wife Eleonore, daughter of Peter IV of Aragon . He received the title of Duke of Peñafiel and Count of Mayorga from his father in 1386 . After the death of his brother Heinrich III. In 1406 he knocked out the crown of Castile offered to him by the estates and shared the guardianship of his nephew John II with the queen-widow Catherine of Lancaster . In this position he maintained peace and quiet, fought happily against the Moors , whom he took over the fortress Antequera in 1410 , brought Castile to great renown and Ferdinand the honorary name "el de Antequera".

Differences with Catherine were settled by dividing the empire under both spheres of influence, with Ferdinand receiving New Castile, Estremadura, Andalusia and Murcia.

After the death of King Martin I of Aragon and after a two-year interregnum , Ferdinand was elevated to the throne in 1412 by the arbitration award of a commission set up by the Cortes ( compromise by Caspe ). A year later he defeated the pretender, Count Jacob II of Urgell , who was supported by an English army, and was crowned on January 15, 1414 in Saragossa . In the occidental schism he was on the side of Rome and Pope Benedict XIII. who thereby confirmed his rule over Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica. He put down rebellions there and in 1414 united the crowns of Aragon and Sicily. At the same time he was concerned about a compromise with the Kingdom of Morocco and the Emirate of Granada . Later he said of Benedict XIII. going on, who was not prepared to compromise in the Council of Constance .

Even after his elevation to King of Aragon, he retained the reign of Castile, supported by his son Heinrich. He passed on his Castilian goods to his younger sons.

Ferdinand died on April 2, 1416 in Igualada without being able to realize his grand plans. He was considered pious, just and wise as well as one of the more important kings of Aragon. He was buried in the Poblet Monastery.

progeny

Ferdinand married Eleonore Urraca of Castile (1374–1435), daughter of Sancho Alfonso, Count of Alburquerque (a granddaughter of King Alfonso XI of Castile ). The children from this marriage are referred to as Infantes de Aragón in Spanish historiography :

Cenotaphs of the kings of Aragon in the Poblet monastery

• Maria (1396–1445) ⚭ 1420 King John II of Castile
• Alfonso V (1396–1458), King of Aragon
• John II (1398–1479), King of Navarre , King of Aragon
• Heinrich (1400–1445), Duke of Villena, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago
• Sancho (approx. 1400–1416), Grand Master of the Order of Alcantara
• Eleonore (1400 / 2–1445) ⚭ 1420 King Edward of Portugal
• Peter (1406–1438), Duke of Noto

See also : House Trastámara

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Antonio Durán Gudiol: El rito de la coronación del rey de Aragón. (pdf) In: Argensola: Revista de Ciencias Sociales del Instituto de Estudios Altoaragoneses, ISSN 0518-4088, Nº 103, 1989. 1989, p. 34 , accessed on January 17, 2015 (Spanish). 

literature

• Ludwig Vones : Ferdinand I 'of Antequera' . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 4, Artemis & Winkler, Munich / Zurich 1989, ISBN 3-7608-8904-2 , Sp. 356-358.
• Ludwig Vones: History of the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages. Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Sigmaringen 1993, ISBN 978-3-7995-7113-5

Web links

Commons : Ferdinand I.  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

predecessor	Office	successor
Martin I.	King of Aragón Count of Barcelona King of Valencia 1412–1416	Alfons V./II.
Martin II./I.	King of Sicily 1412–1416	Alfons V./II.
Martin I.	King of Sardinia 1412-1416	Alfons V./II.