Alfonso IV of Aragon
Encyclopedia
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
– 24 January 1336) was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona (as Alfonso III) from 1327 to his death. He was the second son of James II
James II of Aragon
James II , called the Just was the King of Sicily from 1285 to 1296 and King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. In 1297 he was granted the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica...
and Blanche of Anjou
Blanche of Anjou
Blanche of Anjou was the second Queen consort of James II of Aragon. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou, she is also known as Blanche of Naples-Family:...
. His reign saw the incorporation of the County of Urgell, Duchy of Athens
Duchy of Athens
The Duchy of Athens was one of the Crusader States set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade, encompassing the regions of Attica and Boeotia, and surviving until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century....
, and Duchy of Neopatria
Duchy of Neopatria
The Duchy of Neopatria or Neopatras was one of the Crusader States set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade...
into the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
.
During the reign of his father, he was the procurator general of the Crown. He married Teresa d'Entença y Cabrera, heiress of Urgell
Urgell
The County of Urgell is one of the historical Catalan counties, bordering on the counties of Pallars and Cerdanya.The county was carved by the Franks out of a former section of the Mark of Toulouse when the Alt Urgell area became part of the Carolingian Empire between 785 and 790.The original...
, in 1314 in the Cathedral of Lerida. He is reputed to have been so liberal in the expenses during the wedding, that the local counsels imposed restrictions on how much he could spend. In 1323–1324, he undertook the conquest of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
. He became heir after his older brother James renounced his rights to become a monk. In 1329, he began a long war with the Republic of Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
. The city of Sassari
Sassari
Sassari is an Italian city. It is the second-largest city of Sardinia in terms of population with about 130,000 inhabitants, or about 300,000 including the greater metropolitan area...
surrenderd in 1323, but rebelled three more times and was contested by Genoa.
After being widowed in 1327, Alfonso married in February 1329 Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile (1307-1359)
Eleanor of Castile was the eldest child of Ferdinand IV of Castile by his wife Constance of Portugal. She was Queen of Aragon.-Family:...
(1308–1359), who was betrothed to his brother James, who had refused to consummate the marriage. She was the sister of Alfonso XI of Castile
Alfonso XI of Castile
Alfonso XI was the king of Castile, León and Galicia.He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ensued over who would hold regency, which were resolved in 1313...
. Because of some favoritism he showed towards his second wife, the last years of his life, he had to contend with the son of his first marriage, the future Peter IV
Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV, , called el Cerimoniós or el del punyalet , was the King of Aragon, King of Sardinia and Corsica , King of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona Peter IV, (Balaguer, September 5, 1319 – Barcelona, January 6, 1387), called el Cerimoniós ("the Ceremonious") or el del punyalet ("the one...
.
Children
By Teresa d'EntençaTeresa d'Entença
Teresa d'Entença was the eldest daughter of Gombald d'Entença and his wife Constance of Antillón. She was Queen consort of Aragon by her marriage to King Alfonso IV of Aragon and was Countess of Urgell in her own right; however control over her estate passed to her husband.- Life :Before dying at...
:
- Alfonso (1315–1317)
- ConstanceConstance of Aragon, Queen of MajorcaConstance of Aragon was the eldest daughter of Alfonso IV of Aragon and his first wife Teresa d'Entença. She was born into the House of Aragon...
(1318–1346), married in 1336 to James III of MajorcaJames III of MajorcaJames III , called the Rash or the Unfortunate, son of Ferdinand of Majorca and Isabelle de Sabran, heiress of Principality of Achaea, was the King of Majorca from 1324 to 1344. He was the last independent king of Majorca of the House of Barcelona.James was born at Catania...
. - Peter IVPeter IV of AragonPeter IV, , called el Cerimoniós or el del punyalet , was the King of Aragon, King of Sardinia and Corsica , King of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona Peter IV, (Balaguer, September 5, 1319 – Barcelona, January 6, 1387), called el Cerimoniós ("the Ceremonious") or el del punyalet ("the one...
(1319–1387), successor. - James I, Count of UrgellJames I of UrgellJames I , the eighteenth Count of Urgell, was the fourth son of Alfonso IV King of Aragon and Teresa d'Entença & Cabrera, 17th Countess of Urgell.-Biography:...
(1321–1347), also inherited Entença and Antillon. - Elizabeth (1323–1327).
- Fadrique (1325-died young).
- Sancho (1327), lived only a few days.
By Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile (1307-1359)
Eleanor of Castile was the eldest child of Ferdinand IV of Castile by his wife Constance of Portugal. She was Queen of Aragon.-Family:...
:
- Ferdinand (1329–1363), Marquis of Tortosa and Lord of Albarracín and Fraga.
- John (1331–1358), Lord of Elche, Biel and Bolsa, married in 1355 to Isabel Núñez de Lara and was killed by order of his cousin Pedro of CastilePedro of CastilePeter , sometimes called "the Cruel" or "the Lawful" , was the king of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. He was the son of Alfonso XI of Castile and Maria of Portugal, daughter of Afonso IV of Portugal...
.
Ancestors
Sources
- Diccionario universal de historia y de geografía, p. 152. By Lucas Alamán, Manuel Orozco y Berra
- Medieval Iberia: an encyclopedia, Ed. E. Michael Gerli, Samuel G. Armistead, Routledge, 2003.
- O'Callaghan, Joseph F.,A History of Medieval Spain, Cornell University Press, 1975.
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