Frederick II (Sicily)

Frederick II of Aragon (* around 1272; † June 25, 1337 ) was King of Sicily from 1296 until his death in 1337 . Although he was only the second Sicilian king named Friedrich, he called himself Friedrich III. with reference to Emperor Frederick II , who had also ruled the Kingdom of Sicily. At the same time, he wanted to point out his descent from the Staufer dynasty , with which the House of Aragón justified its claim to inheritance in Sicily.

Life

Friedrich was the third son of Peter of Aragon and Constance , the daughter of Hohenstaufen Manfred . After his brother James I , King of Sicily, his older brother Alfons III in 1291 . Having succeeded to the throne of Aragon, Frederick was appointed governor in Sicily. In 1295, after the conclusion of the peace treaty of Anagni, at the urging of Pope Boniface VIII , King Jacob renounced his rights in Sicily in favor of Charles II of Anjou . However, Frederick, who resided in Palermo , was elected king by the Sicilians, who feared the return of a ruler from the house of Anjou . He managed to defend the island against an alliance between Charles II of Naples , Pope Boniface VIII and, for a time, even his brother James II of Aragon. In the peace of Caltabellotta in 1302 he achieved the recognition of his crown and from then on bore the title "rex Trinacriae " . Charles II retained the title of King of Naples and Sicily, but his power was limited to the possessions on the Italian mainland. With a few brief exceptions, this division of the Kingdom of Sicily continued into the 19th century. Frederick II subsequently tried to eradicate the severe destruction of his country by the previous looting and wars by promoting trade and handicrafts and succeeding in preventing uprisings by the nobility.

During the Roman procession of Emperor Henry VII he was his loyal ally and was appointed Imperial Admiral by him . In addition, Friedrich's son Peter was betrothed to Heinrich's daughter Beatrix. Frederick II died in 1337 and was buried in Catania Cathedral.

During his lifetime he made his eldest son co-regent, who then succeeded him as Peter II on the throne.

family

Friedrich married Eleonore , the daughter of Charles II of Anjou (1289-1341) , in May 1303 as part of the Peace of Caltabellotta . The couple had nine children:

• Peter II of Sicily (1305–1342) ∞ (1323) Elisabeth of Carinthia, daughter of Duke Otto III. of Carinthia
• Roger (* 1305; † young)
• Manfred , Duke of Athens (1306-1317)
• Konstanze (* around 1307; † after 1344) ∞ I. (1317) King Heinrich II. (1271–1324) ∞ II. (1330) King Leon V of Armenia (1310–1341) ∞ III. (1343) Johann von Lusignan († 1375)
• Elisabeth (1310–1349) ∞ (1328) Duke Stephan II of Lower Bavaria-Landshut (1319–1375)
• Wilhelm II , Duke of Athens (1312–1338) ∞ Maria Alvarez de Aragon († around 1363)
• John II , Duke of Athens (1317-1348)
• Katharina (1320–1342), abbess of Santa Chiara Messina
• Margarete (1331–1377) ∞ (1348) Count Palatine Rudolf II (1306–1353)

literature

• Clifford R. Backman: The Decline and Fall of Medieval Sicily. Politics, religion, and economy in the reign of Frederick III, 1296-1337 . UP, Cambridge 1995.
• Salvatore Fodale: Friedrich III. (II.) From Aragón . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 4, Artemis & Winkler, Munich / Zurich 1989, ISBN 3-7608-8904-2 , Sp. 944 f.
• Salvatore Fodale:  Federico III (II) d'Aragona, re di Sicilia (Trinacria). In: Fiorella Bartoccini (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 45:  Farinacci – Fedrigo. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1995, pp. 682-694.

predecessor	Office	successor
Jacob I.	King of Sicily 1296–1337	Peter II