Ludwig (Sicily)

Ludwig ( Ludovico ) (* 1337 in Catania ; † October 16, 1355 in Iacchi ), from the House of Barcelona-Aragón, was King of Sicily from 1342 to 1355 .

Life

Ludwig was the eldest son of King Peter II of Sicily from the House of Aragon and his wife Elisabeth of Carinthia. At the age of 5, he was proclaimed king in 1342 after the death of his father and was crowned in Messina on September 8, 1342 .

Ludwig was initially under the reign of his uncle Johann , Duke of Athens and Neopatra , who was able to push back the growing aristocratic faction, put down communal uprisings and achieve military success against Naples. After his death from the plague in 1348, Ludwig's mother called Matteo Palizzi to the government and after his murder, Ludwig's sister Konstanze became the de facto regent in 1353.

The young king was unable to defend himself against the growing barons, and royal power was almost completely dissolved. Ludwig died of the plague at the age of 18, unmarried and without legitimate offspring. His brother Friedrich followed him as King of Sicily .

literature

• Henri Bresc: Ludwig I . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 5, Artemis & Winkler, Munich / Zurich 1991, ISBN 3-7608-8905-0 , Sp. 2190.
• Salvatore Fodale:  Ludovico d'Aragona. In: Mario Caravale (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 60:  Grosso – Guglielmo da Forlì. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2003, pp. 401-402.

predecessor	Office	successor
Peter II	King of Sicily 1342–1355	Friedrich III.