Elizabeth of Carinthia (1298–1352) was
Queen of Sicily
The monarchs of Sicily ruled from the establishment of the County of Sicily in 1071 until the "perfect fusion" in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1816.
The origins of the Sicilian monarchy lie in the Norman conquest of southern Italy which oc ...
by marriage to
Peter II of Sicily
Peter II (1304 – 8 August 1342) was the King of Sicily from 1337 until his death, although he was associated with his father as co-ruler from 1321. Peter's father was Frederick III of Sicily and his mother was Eleanor, a daughter of Charles II of ...
. She was the regent of Sicily during the minority of her son
Louis, King of Sicily
Louis the Child ( it, Ludovico or ; 4 February 1338 – 16 October 1355) was King of Sicily (also known as "Trinacria") from 15 September 1342 until his death. He was a minor upon his succession, and was under a regency until 1354. His actual rul ...
from 1348 until her death in 1352.
The daughter of the
Otto
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorded fro ...
, the penultimate
duke of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia (german: Herzogtum Kärnten; sl, Vojvodina Koroška) was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, and was the first newly created Imperial Sta ...
and
lord of Carniola from the
House of Gorizia
The Counts of Gorizia (german: Grafen von Görz; it, Conti di Gorizia; sl, Goriški grofje), also known as the Meinhardiner, were a comital, princely and ducal dynasty in the Holy Roman Empire. Named after Gorizia Castle in Gorizia (now in Ital ...
, she married
Peter II of Sicily
Peter II (1304 – 8 August 1342) was the King of Sicily from 1337 until his death, although he was associated with his father as co-ruler from 1321. Peter's father was Frederick III of Sicily and his mother was Eleanor, a daughter of Charles II of ...
in 1323 and became the Queen of Sicily. During her time as Queen, Elizabeth ensured that the royal lineage of the
Aragonese in Sicily continued. Two sons eventually ascended the throne,
Louis of Sicily
Louis the Child ( it, Ludovico or ; 4 February 1338 – 16 October 1355) was King of Sicily (also known as "Trinacria") from 15 September 1342 until his death. He was a minor upon his succession, and was under a regency until 1354. His actual rul ...
and
Frederick IV of Sicily
Frederick III (or IV) (1 September 1341 – Messina 27 July 1377Setton, Kenneth M. (1975) " Volume III: The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries", Edited by Harry W. Hazzard, page 214.), called the Simple, was King of Sicily from 1355 to 1377. H ...
. Elizabeth was the regent for her young son Louis from 1348 until her death in 1352.
Politically, the decades leading up to Elizabeth's reign were full of conflicts between
Frederick III, King of Sicily, and
Robert of Naples
Robert of Anjou ( it, Roberto d'Angiò), known as Robert the Wise ( it, Roberto il Saggio; 1276 – 20 January 1343), was King of Naples, titular King of Jerusalem and Count of Provence and Forcalquier from 1309 to 1343, the central figure of Ita ...
who had the backing of the
papacy in Avignon. Famine, warfare, and plague were widespread in Europe during the mid-fourteenth century, which had a devastating impact on Sicily in particular, due to its economic expansion and prosperity in the two centuries prior. Elizabeth's reign occurred during a period where Italian citizens were disheartened and anxious, which caused tension among the local populace. The island was also marked by turbulent relations between the throne and Sicily's noble families, eventually degenerating into a civil war. These internal rivalries between the noble families required the coming of age of Elizabeth's sons to resolve the fighting.
Biography
Early life
Elizabeth of Carinthia, born in 1298, was the second daughter to
Otto III of Carinthia
Otto III ( – 25 May 1310), a member of the House of Gorizia (''Meinhardiner'' dynasty), was Duke of Carinthia and Count of Tyrol from 1295 until his death. He ruled jointly with his younger brothers Louis and Henry VI.
Life
Otto was a son of ...
(also known as Otto II in
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
), who ruled
Carinthia
Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
, Tyrol and the
margravate
Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the Emp ...
s of
Carniola
Carniola ( sl, Kranjska; , german: Krain; it, Carniola; hu, Krajna) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region sti ...
and
Savinja
The Savinja () is a river in northeast Slovenia which flows mostly in the Upper and Lower Savinja Valley ( sl, Zgornja in Spodnja Savinjska dolina) and through the cities of Celje and Laško. The Savinja is the main river of the Savinja Alps (Sl ...
jointly with his younger brother
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
*Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
. Her mother was Euphemia of
Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
-Liegntiz. Otto and Euphemia had no male heirs. Unfortunately, little is known about Elizabeth's early life, prior to her marriage, as is the case with many medieval women, even noble medieval women. Since her father died when she was 12, it is very likely that she spent her teens under the tutelage of her uncle
Henry of Bohemia
Henry of Gorizia (german: Heinrich, cs, Jindřich; – 2 April 1335), a member of the House of Gorizia, was Duke of Carinthia and Landgrave of Carniola (as Henry VI) and Count of Tyrol from 1295 until his death, as well as King of Bohemia, Marg ...
and that her marriage was arranged through his help.
Elizabeth's family, the
House of Gorizia
The Counts of Gorizia (german: Grafen von Görz; it, Conti di Gorizia; sl, Goriški grofje), also known as the Meinhardiner, were a comital, princely and ducal dynasty in the Holy Roman Empire. Named after Gorizia Castle in Gorizia (now in Ital ...
, had been staunch supporters of the Emperor in the struggle against the papacy. In the 13th century, they had been loyal allies of the
Hohenstaufen
The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...
s against the
Spanheim
The House of Sponheim or Spanheim was a medieval German noble family, which originated in Rhenish Franconia. They were immediate Counts of Sponheim until 1437 and Dukes of Carinthia from 1122 until 1269. Its cadet branches ruled in the Imperial C ...
dukes of Carinthia who had sided with the papacy. Elizabeth's father and uncle were half-brothers of
Conradin
Conrad III (25 March 1252 – 29 October 1268), called ''the Younger'' or ''the Boy'', but usually known by the diminutive Conradin (german: link=no, Konradin, it, Corradino), was the last direct heir of the House of Hohenstaufen. He was Duke ...
, the last Hohenstaufen scion. The connection with the Aragonese rulers in Sicily was thus natural, even though they were too far apart to have a tangible common interest at the time of Elizabeth's betrothal. Perhaps, the marriage was aimed to check the rising Angevin influence in
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
after
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
's ascension to the
Hungarian throne, especially since the
Anjou allies in Croatia were in conflict with the Carinthian dukes.
Queenship
On 23 April 1323, Elizabeth married the Peter II of Sicily (Trinacria), son of Frederick III, King of Sicily
rinacria(1271- 25 June 1337) and
Eleanor of Anjou
Eleanor of Anjou (August 1289 – 9 August 1341) was Queen of Sicily as the wife of King Frederick II of Sicily. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou by birth.
She was the third daughter of King Charles II of Naples and Mary of Hungar ...
(1289- 9 August 1341) a little more than a year after his coronation. Speculation by Francesco Testa suggests that Elizabeth was not Frederick III's first choice for a daughter-in-law. Frederick wished to marry his heir to
Beatrice
Beatrice may refer to:
* Beatrice (given name)
Places In the United States
* Beatrice, Alabama, a town
* Beatrice, Humboldt County, California, a locality
* Beatrice, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Beatrice, Indiana, an unincorporated ...
, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor,
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
*Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
. Instead, Beatrice married Charles of Hungary, a nephew of king
Robert of Naples
Robert of Anjou ( it, Roberto d'Angiò), known as Robert the Wise ( it, Roberto il Saggio; 1276 – 20 January 1343), was King of Naples, titular King of Jerusalem and Count of Provence and Forcalquier from 1309 to 1343, the central figure of Ita ...
, Frederick's main enemy. In turn, Frederick married his eldest son and heir to Elizabeth of Carinthia, whose family was in fierce rivalry to
Beatrice's (
John of Luxembourg
John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of ...
, Beatrice's brother, had taken the Behemian crown from Elizabeth's uncle and caretaker Henry). The lavish ceremonies of the wedding and coronation served as reminders to Sicilian nobility of the power of the royalty, a struggle the Aragonese family had been battling for years. Elizabeth's reign as regent would be marked by the tensions created over these struggles.
As the queen, Elizabeth's primary occupation was the production of viable heirs for the Sicilian throne, as task she took up soon after marriage. Less than two years after their wedding, Peter II and Elizabeth had a son in Messina in February 1324, whom they named Frederick. Unfortunately, he died a few months after his birth. Following the death of their first born, Elizabeth and Peter II had seven more children, their first four daughters whom survived to maturity were;
Constance
Constance may refer to:
Places
*Konstanz, Germany, sometimes written as Constance in English
*Constance Bay, Ottawa, Canada
* Constance, Kentucky
* Constance, Minnesota
* Constance (Portugal)
* Mount Constance, Washington State
People
* Consta ...
(1324 – October 1355), regent of Sicily for her younger brother, Louis, from 1352 to 1354 following the death of her mother, Elizabeth. Constance never married. Their second daughter,
Eleanor
Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
The name was introd ...
(1325-1375), married
Peter IV of Aragon
Peter IV, ; an, Pero, ; es, Pedro, . In Catalan, he may also be nicknamed ''el del punyalet'': "he of the little dagger". (Catalan: ''Pere IV''; 5 September 1319 – 6 January 1387), called the Ceremonious (Catalan: ''el Cerimoniós''), w ...
, and was the mother of
John I of Aragon
John I (27 December 1350 – 19 May 1396), called by posterity the Hunter or the Lover of Elegance, but the Abandoned in his lifetime, was the King of Aragon from 1387 until his death.
Biography
John was the eldest son of Peter IV and his third ...
and
Martin the Humane
Martin the Humane (29 July 1356 – 31 May 1410), also called the Elder and the Ecclesiastic, was King of Aragon, Valencia, Sardinia and Corsica and Count of Barcelona from 1396 and King of Sicily from 1409 (as Martin II). He failed to secure ...
.
Beatrice
Beatrice may refer to:
* Beatrice (given name)
Places In the United States
* Beatrice, Alabama, a town
* Beatrice, Humboldt County, California, a locality
* Beatrice, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Beatrice, Indiana, an unincorporated ...
(1326–1365) their third daughter, married
Rupert II, Elector Palatine
Rupert II, Count Palatine of the Rhine () (12 May 1325, Amberg – 6 January 1398, Amberg). He was the Elector Palatine of the Rhine from the house of Wittelsbach in 1390–1398.
Life
Rupert was the elder son of Adolf, Count Palatine of the R ...
, and they had
Rupert of Germany
Rupert of the Palatinate (german: Ruprecht von der Pfalz; 5 May 1352 – 18 May 1410), sometimes known as Robert of the Palatinate, a member of the House of Wittelsbach, was Elector Palatine from 1398 (as Rupert III) and King of Germany from ...
. Their fourth surviving child,
Euphemia
Euphemia ( el, Εὐφημία; "well-spoken f), known as the All-praised in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was a virgin, who was martyred for her faith at Chalcedon in 303 AD.
According to tradition, Euphemia was arrested for refusing to offer ...
(1330–1359) was regent for her brother Frederick IV of Sicily from 1355 to 1357. Like her sister Constance, Euphemia never married.
Following their four daughters, Elizabeth gave birth to Louis on 4 February 1338. Louis became the heir to Peter II, his father. After successfully producing a male heir, Elizabeth and Peter II had Frederick, later Frederick IV of Sicily and his brother Louis's successor. Peter II and Elizabeth had three more children together; Violante, who was born in 1334, died young, John (1342- 22 June 1353) and Blanche (1342-1373), who married John, Count of Amphurias. Of their nine children, 5 daughters and 2 sons survived into adulthood.
The death of Frederick III in 1337 sparked the explosion of Sicilian tensions, created from the confluence of strain of political uncertainty, a bad economy, and unstable power imbalance between the divided feudal class. The death of her father-in-law began the solo reign of Peter II as King of Sicily.
King Frederick's reign, which ended in 1337 with the succession of his son Peter, was a tale of two types. The early years were an attempt at reconstruction from the fighting with Naples that ended in 1302. Frederick wanted to integrate the people of Sicily and unite them into a true Kingdom of Sicily. He attempted to do this by drawing on the people's hate of the Angevins and was largely successful. During this reconstruction process, the Sicilians saw improvement in their fortunes, both culturally and commercially, until around 1312. However, as invasions by the Angevins increased during the 1310s, Sicily was ravaged. Siding with the Ghibellines resulted in a loss of
Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...
trading partners in northern Italy. It appears that most Sicilians were ambivalent to the Guelph/Ghibelline conflict, which made Frederick's decision seem unreasonable. Various food crises also occurred between 1311 and 1335. After 1321, the economy was in ruins. Constant port blockades by Robert of Naples hurt Sicily further, and by 1325 its economy was destroyed. Frederick's government became increasingly hated and powerless. The economic burden of constantly being at war had taken its toll on the population. The king had also dispensed the majority of his personal wealth to churches and hospitals, so there was nothing left to give barons or ecclesiastical leaders. If all of this was not bad enough, eruptions of
Mount Etna
Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( it, Etna or ; scn, Muncibbeḍḍu or ; la, Aetna; grc, Αἴτνα and ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina a ...
in 1329 and 1333 signaled to Sicilians that God was punishing them for Frederick's sins. Once the decline started, it just got worse and worse. When Frederick died in 1337, civil war broke out in Sicily, with the barons feuding for control of the island. Peter II and Elizabeth were left with a kingdom that went from a high point in the early part of Frederick's reign, to a low point at his death when Sicily was in shambles. The decisions made by Frederick may have protected Sicily from the Angevins, but it came at a cost that would be a common theme when Elizabeth became Queen.
As it was easy to influence Peter II, Sicily would have been much more negatively impacted by his reign if it were not for Elizabeth.
In the struggles between the feuding groups, Elizabeth sided with the Palizzi, who won the favour of the king over Chiaramonte. Further from their home in Messina, the Aragonese interest warred the Angevins warred in Greece. With her mother-in-law, Eleanora of Naples, Elizabeth worked to support mediation and reconciliation between the two feuding houses.
Although very limited in actual power, Elizabeth used her influences to impact the governance of Sicily.
With the death of her husband Peter II in August 1342, Elizabeth lost the influence over the political management of the Kingdom of Sicily. At Elizabeth's insistence, however, Louis, her four-year-old son, was crowned King of Sicily, ensuring his rightful place on the throne. Peter II's brother, Duke John, acted as regent for the first six years of the young king's reign. During this time, Elizabeth kept a power balance with her brother-in-law. When Duke John died of plague in 1348, Elizabeth became the regent for ten-year-old Louis. Elizabeth's regency lasted from 1348, until her death. Her daughter Constance took over as regent for Louis.
It is unclear when exactly Elizabeth died. Some sources suggest that she died between 1349 and 1350,
while others date it later to 1352. She is buried in Messina in St. Francis. Her last son, King Frederick IV (d. 1377), is buried next to her.
Although little information remains on Elizabeth of Carinthia,Queen of Sicily, what little is known makes it clear that she worked to positively impact the decisions of those around her. Her influence over her husband Peter II ensured that the Kingdom of Sicily remain intact. Later, her delicate negotiations with Duke John, her brother-in-law and regent of Louis, helped to maintain the Kingdom of Sicily. Elizabeth's agency ensured that her children did inherit the Sicilian throne. Elizabeth's action exhibits how queens were able to exert influence, not just as wives, but as mothers of the future generation.
Elizabeth's regency
The period of Elizabeth's regency was marked by a continuing growth in feudalism and a consequent loss of royal control of areas of the island of Sicily. This had begun with
Frederick III. He succeeded in the agglomeration of so-called "lands" along the coasts in domains such as
Trapani
Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an impor ...
,
Marsala
Marsala (, local ; la, Lilybaeum) is an Italian town located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth in Sicily.
The town is famous for the docking of Gius ...
,
Sciacca
Sciacca (; Greek language, Greek: ; Latin: Thermae Selinuntinae, Thermae Selinuntiae, Thermae, Aquae Labrodes and Aquae Labodes) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Agrigento on the southwestern coast of Sicily, southern Italy. It has vi ...
,
Licata
Licata (, ; grc, Φιντίας, whence la, Phintias or ''Plintis''), formerly also Alicata (), is a city and ''comune'' located on the south coast of Sicily, at the mouth of the Salso River (the ancient ''Himera''), about midway between Agr ...
,
Terranova,
Lentini
Lentini ( scn, Lintini, historically Liuntini; la, Leontīnī; grc, Λεοντῖνοι) is a town and in the Province of Syracuse, South East of Sicily (Southern Italy).
History
The city was founded by colonists from Naxos as Leontini in 72 ...
,
Taormina
Taormina ( , , also , ; scn, Taurmina) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on ...
,
Milazzo
Milazzo ( Sicilian: ''Milazzu''; la, Mylae; ) is a town (''comune'') in the Metropolitan City of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy; it is the largest commune in the Metropolitan City after Messina and Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto. The town has a p ...
and
Termini, and also in the hinterland in domains such as
Nicosia
Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...
,
Randazzo
Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta.
Randazzo ( scn, Rannazzu) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It is situated at the northern foot of Mount Etna, c. northwest of Catania. It is the nearest to ...
,
Troina
Troina ( Sicilian: ''Traina'') is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Enna, Sicily, southern Italy. It is located in the Nebrodi Park.
History
Excavations have proved that the area of Troina was settled as early as the 7t ...
and
Castrogiovanni,
Caltagirone
Caltagirone (; scn, Caltaggiruni ; Latin: ''Calata Hieronis'') is an inland city and ''comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administ ...
,
Noto
Noto ( scn, Notu; la, Netum) is a city and in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. It is southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains. It lends its name to the surrounding area Val di Noto. In 2002 Noto and i ...
,
Corleone and Biovna,
Polizza and Monte San Giuliano. Yet despite this consolidation of control, Sicily overall experienced an increase of domains under feudal control, either through the creation or the restoration of numerous baronies, such as the domains of
Geraci,
Mineo
Mineo ( scn, Minìu, Greek: ''Menaion'' and ''Μεναί'', Latin: ''Menaeum'' and ''Menaenum'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania, part of Sicily. It lies southwest of Catania, from Ragusa, from Gela, and from ...
,
Modica
Modica (; scn, Muòrica) is a city and ''comune'' of 54,456 inhabitants in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. The city is situated in the Hyblaean Mountains.
Modica has neolithic origins and it represents the historical capital ...
,
Adernò
Adrano (, scn, Ddirnò), ancient ''Adranon'', is a town and in the Metropolitan City of Catania on the east coast of Sicily.
It is situated around northwest of Catania, which was also the capital of the province to which Adrano belonged, no ...
,
Aidone
Aidone (Gallo-Italic of Sicily: ''Aidungh'' or ''Dadungh''; scn, Aiduni) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Enna, in region of Sicily in southern Italy. The extensive archaeological site of Morgantina is on a ridge close to the town.
...
,
Collesano
Collesano ( grc, Κολασσαέων, translit=Kolassaéon; el, Κολεσάνο, Kolesáno Sicilian: ''Culisanu'') is a small town in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily. It is situated roughly from the provincial capital of Palermo.
It ...
, and
Augusta. During her regency,
Alcamo
Alcamo (; scn, Àrcamu, italic=no) is the fourth-largest town and commune of the Province of Trapani, Sicily, with a population of 44.925 inhabitants. It is on the borderline with the Metropolitan City of Palermo at a distance of about 50 kilo ...
notably passed to the control of the military aristocracy, in 1349, and other barons enclosed within their walls fiefdoms such as
Buscemi
Buscemi (IPA: / buʃˈʃɛmi /; Buxema / buʃˈʃɛma / in Sicilian) is an Italian town of 968 inhabitants of the free municipal consortium of Syracuse in Sicily.
Origin of the name
The origin of the present name is traced back to ar, قَلْع ...
,
Pettineo
Pettineo (Sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Pittineu'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italy, Italian region Sicily, located about east of Palermo and about west of Messina.
Pettineo is a beautifully rest ...
and
Luppino
Lupino, or Luppino, is a surname of Italian origin, meaning ''little wolf'', which is derived from the Latin ''lupus''.
The name may refer to:
*The Lupino family of British and American actors:
**Ida Lupino (1918–1995), Anglo-American film actr ...
, along with constructing numerous fortresses. All of Sicily eventually came into contact with the military power of the aristocracy through the duties of military service and the carrying out of justice possessed by the nobility. This influence of local power was, beyond the simple creation or re-establishment of baronies, another way in which the aristocracy gained power and threatened the authority of the Sicilian throne. The two sides of the struggle to come between the baronies and the throne had thus been outlined before the beginning of Elizabeth's regency and continued along the same course during it, eventually flaring up into civil war.
In this atmosphere of increasing feudalisation, the goal of the Sicilian throne to maintain the dynasty from the
House of Barcelona
The House of Barcelona was a medieval dynasty that ruled the County of Barcelona continuously from 878 and the Crown of Aragon from 1137 (as kings from 1162) until 1410. They descend from the Bellonids, the descendants of Wifred the Hairy. The ...
after the death of Frederick III in 1337 was soon to deteriorate. Elizabeth's coat of Arms was shared by the competing baronial factions, yet several powerful and power-hungry figures emerged to challenge royal power, serving as the heads of competing family lines. These included the families of the
Chiaramonte
The Chiaramonte are a noble family of Sicily. They became the most powerful and wealthy family in Sicily. In the 13th century the marriage of Manfredi Chiaramonte to Isabella Mosca, united the two Sicilian counties of Modica and Ragusa. Aroun ...
, the Palizzi, the Scaloro degli Uberti, the Peralta, the Alagona and the Ventimiglia. As historian Henri Bresc describes, several dynastic "war cries" were heard from these families around Sicily in the years of Elizabeth's regency and beyond, in places such as
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
in 1348,
Fontanarossa in 1349,
Noto
Noto ( scn, Notu; la, Netum) is a city and in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. It is southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains. It lends its name to the surrounding area Val di Noto. In 2002 Noto and i ...
in 1349,
Vizzini
Vizzini is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania, on the island of Sicily, southern Italy. It is located from Catania in the Hyblaean Mountains, on the most northwesterly slopes of Monte Lauro.
The commune territory is bou ...
in 1353,
Polizzi in 1354, and
Naso in 1356. Yet the causes of this threat to the throne's rule did not arise, in these families of the Sicilian aristocracy, from factors such as inter-familial agreements and solidarity, but personal ambition and the goal of maintaining it for a family's posterity, through the bestowing of rule to their children. As a result, betrayals in this brew of competing families were common, and any agreement or coalition between them had ill-defined borders, easily liable to be crossed breached.
When Elizabeth's husband,
Peter II of Sicily
Peter II (1304 – 8 August 1342) was the King of Sicily from 1337 until his death, although he was associated with his father as co-ruler from 1321. Peter's father was Frederick III of Sicily and his mother was Eleanor, a daughter of Charles II of ...
took to the throne after the death of Frederick III of Sicily in 1337, the Palizzi were expelled from Sicily. However his reign lasted for merely five years, as Peter II died in 1342. Thereupon Elizabeth and Peter's son Louis, King of Sicily (Ludovico or Luigi in Italian) took to the throne, Louis being only a child of five years of age. He was to be the object of the competing intrigues of Sicily's baronial families.
Now a civil war between Sicily's aristocratic families took shape and they each formed battle camps under their respective familial flags. Although there was a large factor of personal ambition at play, as already stated, the parties' principal objective was the domination and control of the crown of Sicily. To this end, each family vied for a friendly ear of the queen-regent Elizabeth. The two groups of families in this war have come to be known respectively as the local "Latin" faction, the Chiaramonte, the Palizzi and the Scaloro degli Uberti, with whom Elizabeth sided, and the "Catalans", whose members included the families of foreign origin, the Peralta, the Alagona and the Ventimigilia. The "Catalans" found favour with Elizabeth's brother in law, the nobleman
John, Duke of Randazzo
John, Duke of Randazzo (1317–1348) was duke of Randazzo, Athens, and Neopatria, Count of Malta and regent of Sicily (1342–1348).
The fourth son of Frederick III of Sicily and Eleanor of Anjou, he was the most powerful nobleman in Sicily dur ...
(also known as the Infant John), until John made the bold and unexpected decision to seek reconciliation with his brother Peter II, who had been so far on the side of the "Latins", and who had feared the ambition of his nobleman brother. As a result, the Palizzi were exiled from the island and the "Catalans" thus gained the upper hand thanks to their favor with the Sicilian throne. This division among the descendants of King Frederic III of Sicily had thus even split up Elizabeth's family for a time, as Elizabeth remained favorable to the Palizzi faction, yet royal control remained with Duke John through his co-regency in the name of his nephew Louis II, still a minor, and therefore the Catalans remained with the upper hand. However, the opposing "Latin" faction encountered a reversal of their negative fortunes when John succumbed, presumably, to the plague and died in 1348, leaving Elizabeth as the sole regent in the name of her son Louis. Thereupon the "Latin" party allied to the Queen Mother seized control of the Sicilian state and recalled the exiled Palizzi.
Economic and sociopolitical concerns
Sicily experienced one of the most significant population collapses in Europe in the fourteenth century, falling from approximately 850 thousand in 1277 to approximately 350 thousand in 1376. The population was therefore at an unusually low point at the time of Elizabeth's reign. The most significant contributor to this was the bubonic plague, which ravaged Sicily in the second half of the century. Although the lower population due to the bubonic plague undoubtedly benefited the lower class in the long term, its immediate effects were widespread attitudes of defeatism and uneasiness.
The
Black Death
The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
reached Sicily in 1347, before it affected mainland Italy. This was during Elizabeth's reign, and was likely one of her prime concerns throughout the remainder of her time in power. Outbreaks of the Black Death had occurred in Italy before in the thirteenth century, but they were generally localized and confined to one or two towns. 1347 was the first severe case recorded in Sicily, and initiated the pandemic that would become an unfortunate and familiar aspect of European life for centuries. Elizabeth could do nothing to relieve the people, although she refrained from fleeing the country which was a common trend among those Italians who could afford to.
Gabriel de Mussis
Gabriel de Mussis (''ca.'' 1280 – ''ca.'' 1356) — in Italian, Gabriele de' Mussi — was a notary from Piacenza, Italy, who gave a vivid account of the start of the Black Death in the Black Sea city of Kaffa and its spread to Sicily and Piace ...
, an Italian notary in the fourteenth century, recounts an attitude of despondency in Sicily; occurrences such as heavy rainfalls, the birth of Siamese twins, and horses refusing to enter
Messina
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
were all considered signs that God had abandoned the people. The plague had drastic economic effects on Italy as well, and contributed to the first significant economic crisis in centuries.
Sicily's economy in the fourteenth century was turbulent, and marked a drastic departure from its success in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Fiscal revenue in Sicily was concernedly low during Elizabeth's reign, primarily relating to Europe's declining population. Domestically, the low population meant lower revenue from domestic taxation. The lower population abroad and in mainland Italy meant that there was a lower demand for Sicilian exports, namely grain. In addition, feudal revenues began to decline significantly in approximately 1330; total feudal revenue dropped from 20691 ''onze'' in 1336, to 14405 ''onze'' in 1343. It is probable that the aristocracy pressured Elizabeth and the monarchy to reduce feudal military duties, a pressure which increased after the death of Frederick III in 1337. This pressure likely had numerous contributing factors; Elizabeth's reign was also characterized by famine, with particularly low-yielding harvests in 1345 and 1346.
Increased military expenditure combined with the negative economic effects of the famine which provoked widespread debt among the aristocracy. The unstable equilibrium between the nobility and the throne characterized both Elizabeth's and her husband's reign, and resulted in a significant reduction in monarchical power. Economic historian
Stephan Epstein
Stephan R. Epstein (15 March 1960 – 3 February 2007), known as "Larry", was a British economic historian, and a professor at the London School of Economics.
Brought up in Switzerland, he studied at the University of Siena, and later receive ...
refers to mid to late fourteenth century Sicily as a period of aristocratic hegemony.
The nobility of this period were highly antagonistic towards each other, and caused problems for Elizabeth and the monarchy. Sicilian magnate families waged a civil war with one another between the 1330s and 1360s. The collective disquiet due to the declining aristocratic incomes culminated in a social and political conflict between them and the throne. Since the nobility controlled the majority of the military force in the kingdom, their rebellion had severe implications towards the throne. From the 1330s until the 1370s, the aristocracy took increasing control of demesne land and towns. The throne's attempts to reduce the power of the nobility was unsuccessful despite Elizabeth's efforts. She proposed a peaceful partition of the country among the most powerful magnate houses in 1350, but it failed after six months. A second attempt was made in 1352, but it too failed after only a year. No final settlement dividing Sicily's administration was reached until the 1360s, after Elizabeth's death. The conclusion was a division of power based on military supremacy between a few feudal states, with the throne retaining little practical influence.
There is little evidence of organized, premeditated peasant revolt in Sicily during the period of Elizabeth's reign, though small-scale insurrections did occur. During Peter II's reign in 1337 there was an uprising against the Count of Geraci, and another in 1350 against Scaloro degli Ubertini. Both of these men were individual nobles who claimed feudal jurisdiction, and in fact it is speculated by historian John Larner that the revolts were brought about by royal incitement. This is possible considering the tension between the royalty and the aristocracy during this period. Elizabeth of Carinthia's brief rule occurred during a period of social change and economic crisis. It was characterized by conflict between the throne and the aristocracy, and the socioeconomic, ideological, and behavioural changes brought about by the devastating effects of the Black Death.
Death and aftermath
Upon this success of the "Latin" faction, many urban Sicilian populations manifested what Henri Bresc has described as an "Anti-Catalan" Vespers, reminiscent of the famous Sicilian Vespers of several decades past. After the recalling of the Palizzi family, it was common, especially around Palermo, to hear calls for the expulsion of the noble families in the "Catalan" faction, "from their castles, their offices, their dignities and their honours", or chants of "May they leave the Kingdom!".
This sentiment was not new, as early as 1342, this popular anti-Catalan feeling found expression in chanting "Viva lu Re et lu Populu" in Messina (Long Live the King and the People: "Long live the King and the People" in the Medieval Sicilian).
The success of Elizabeth's chosen faction therefore appeared secure, despite all the challenges presented in internal and foreign intrigues, when Elizabeth succumbed, possibly to the plague, as late as 1352. For a time after her death, there existed a notable unity between the families of the "Latin" faction, yet all this unity was overturned when Louis himself succumbed to the plague in 1355 at the young age of 17, and the pro-Catalan
Frederick IV came to the throne, along with the Neapolitan invasion to restore Angevin influence on the island in 1354.
Ancestry
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Elisabeth of Carinthia, Queen of Sicily
1298 births
1352 deaths
13th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire
13th-century women of the Holy Roman Empire
14th-century people of the Holy Roman Empire
14th-century women of the Holy Roman Empire
14th-century women rulers
14th-century Sicilian people
14th-century Italian women
People from Gorizia
Royal consorts of Sicily
Regents of Sicily
House of Gorizia
People of Byzantine descent
Queen mothers