Peter of Aragon ( ca, Pere d'Aragó, es, Pedro de Aragón; 1305 – 4 November 1381) was an ''
infante
''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to t ...
'' (royal prince) of the
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of B ...
who served three successive kings as a soldier, diplomat and counsellor before joining the
Franciscans
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
in 1358.
Peter was the
Count of Ribagorza
The County of Ribagorza or Ribagorça ( an, Condato de Ribagorza, ca, Comtat de Ribagorça, la, Comitatus Ripacurtiae) was a medieval county on the southern side of the Pyrenees, including the northeast of modern Aragón and part of the northwes ...
(1322–1358),
Count of Empúries
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
(1325–1341) and
Count of Prades (1341–1358). He was the most important counsellor of
Alfonso IV and
Peter IV, and was regent during the absence of the latter (1354–1356). He took part in most of the major military conflicts of their reigns down to his death.
Peter was also an author and patron of letters. As a Franciscan, he advocated an end to the
Avignon Papacy
The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven successive popes resided in Avignon – at the time within the Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles, Kingdom of Arles, part of the Holy Roman Empire; now part of France – rather than i ...
and wrote a prophetic tract to that effect.
Younger son
Peter was born in 1305 in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, the eighth child of King
James II of Aragon
James II (Catalan: ''Jaume II''; Spanish: ''Jaime II;'' 10 April 1267 – 2 or 5 November 1327), called the Just,, an, Chaime lo Chusto, es, Jaime el Justo. was the King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. He ...
and
Blanche of Anjou
Blanche of Anjou (1280 – 14 October 1310) was Queen of Aragon as the second spouse of King James II of Aragon. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou, she is also known as Blanche of Naples. She served as Regent or "Queen-Lieutenant" o ...
. In the opinion of , he was James's favourite son.
When his oldest brother,
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
, became a monk in 1319, Peter was declared second in line to throne after his brother, the future
Alfonso IV. The birth to Alfonso of a son, the future
Peter IV, later that year soon displaced him. In 1322, his father granted him the
County of Ribagorza
The County of Ribagorza or Ribagorça ( an, Condato de Ribagorza, ca, Comtat de Ribagorça, la, Comitatus Ripacurtiae) was a medieval county on the southern side of the Pyrenees, including the northeast of modern Aragón and part of the northwes ...
and the baronies of
Gandia
Gandia ( es, Gandía) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, eastern Spain on the Mediterranean. Gandia is located on the Costa del Azahar (or ''Costa dels Tarongers''), south of Valencia and north of Alicante. Vehicles can acce ...
and
Pego in the
Kingdom of Valencia
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
. In 1323, he asked his father to again name him as Alfonso's heir in the event that Alfonso died during his
expedition to Sardinia. James refused.
Peter had a reputation as a man of culture. He wrote in prose and verse on topics moral, political and historical. He attracted
Occitan Occitan may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain.
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France.
* Occitan language
Occitan (; o ...
authors to Catalonia. In 1324, the
troubadour
A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...
Raimon de Cornet
Raimon de Cornet (, also spelled ''Ramon de Cornet''; floruit, fl. 1324–1340) was a fourteenth-century Toulousain priest, friar, Philologist, grammarian, poet, and troubadour. He was a prolific author of verse; more than forty of his poems su ...
dedicated to him his ''Doctrinal de trobar'' and
Joan de Castellnou
Joan de Castellnou (; floruit, fl. 1341–1355) was a troubadour of the Consistori del Gay Saber active in Toulouse. He left behind five or six ''Canso (song), cansos'', three ''Verse (poetry), vers'', a ''dansa'', a ''conselh'', and a ''sirven ...
dedicated to him his ''Glossari'' in 1341.
During 1323–1324, Peter served as procurator general of the
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of B ...
. In 1325, in a meeting of the
''Cortes'' of Aragon, James confirmed Alfonso's son Peter as next in line to the throne and granted Peter of Ribagorza the
County of Empúries
The County of Empúries ( ca, Comtat d'Empúries, ), also known as the County of Ampurias ( es, Condado de Ampurias), was a medieval county centred on the town of Empúries and enclosing the Catalan region of Peralada. It corresponds to the his ...
. Peter fortified Empúries against Muslim pirate attacks, enlarged the comital palace and the parish church in
Castelló and granted privileges to merchants.
Following the death of King
Henry II of Cyprus
Henry II (June 1270 – 31 August 1324) was the last crowned King of Jerusalem (after the fall of Acre on 28 May 1291, this title became empty) and also ruled as King of Cyprus. He was of the Lusignan dynasty.
He was the second surviving so ...
in 1324, Peter was mooted as a possible husband for his widow,
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 ...
, but the requisite
papal dispensation
In the jurisprudence of the canon law of the Catholic Church, a dispensation is the exemption from the immediate obligation of law in certain cases.The Law of Christ Vol. I, pg. 284 Its object is to modify the hardship often arising from the ...
was refused.
In 1325, Peter was dispatched on an embassy to negotiate an exemption from the annual census (tax) that James was required to pay the papacy for the
Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica
The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...
. In 1327, Peter was present at the inauguration of the
monastery of Pedralbes
The Monastery of Pedralbes is a Gothic monastery in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is now a museum, housing permanent exhibitions on its own art and legacy as well as third-party special exhibitions from time to time. The Chapel of St. Michael w ...
and at the ceremony where
James III of Majorca
James III ( – ), known as James the Rash (or the Unfortunate), was King of Majorca from 1324 to 1344. He was the son of Ferdinand of Majorca and Isabella of Sabran.
Life
James was born in Catania, Sicily. Margaret of Villehardouin, James's ...
swore fealty to Alfonso IV, who had succeeded James that year. In 1328, Peter assisted at Alfonso's coronation. While Alfonso placed the crown on his own head, his brothers—Archbishop
John of Toledo John of Toledo (died 1275) was an English Cistercian and Cardinal.
Little is known about John before 1244: He was born in England, had studied medicine in Toledo and acquired theological skills at an unknown place. He became a Cistercian monk in ...
, Count
Ramon Berenguer of Prades and Peter—adjusted it. The chronicler
Ramon Muntaner
Ramon Muntaner () (1265 – 1336) was a Catalan people, Catalan mercenary and writer who wrote the ''Crònica'', a chronicle of his life, including his adventures as a commander in the Catalan Company. He was born at Peralada.
Biography
T ...
provides a detailed account of the coronation. He calls Peter "most gracious and wise ... among the most subtle in the world".
Elder statesman
When Peter IV succeeded Alfonso IV in 1336, Peter of Ribagorza presented him with a
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
mirror for princes
Mirrors for princes ( la, specula principum) or mirrors of princes, are an educational literary genre, in a loose sense of the word, of politics, political writings during the Early Middle Ages, the High Middle Ages, the late middle ages and the Re ...
entitled ''De vita, moribus et regimine principum''. He became one of the young king's most influential counsellors, drawing him away from the influence of Archbishop
Pedro López de Luna
Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter.
The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...
.
Early in the reign, Peter acted as a peacemaker. When Peter IV was on the verge of open conflict with his stepmother,
Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile (1241 – 28 November 1290) was Queen of England as the first wife of Edward I, whom she married as part of a political deal to affirm English sovereignty over Gascony.
The marriage was known to be particularly close, and ...
, over the rights of his half-brothers,
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...
and
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
, it was the Count of Ribagorza who dissuaded him from invading Castile, where they had taken refuge, and from attacking
Pere de Xèrica, Eleanor's ally.
In May 1331, Peter married Joan, daughter of Count
Gaston I of Foix
Gaston I of Foix or Gaston VIII of Foix-Béarn (1287 – Maubuisson, 13 December 1315) was the 9th Count of Foix, the 22nd Viscount of Béarn and Co-Prince of Andorra.
Biography
He was a son of Roger-Bernard III, Count of Foix and Margaret ...
, in Castelló in his County of Empúries. In 1341, he exchanged Empúries with his brother Ramon Berenguer for the . Within his new county, in the place then called Les Fonts del Perelló, he founded the coastal hospital today known as
L'Hospitalet de l'Infant
L'Hospitalet de l'Infant, Catalonia, Spain is coastal suburb of Tarragona, inside the municipality of Vandellòs i l'Hospitalet de l'Infant and southwest of Baix Camp.
The town center is on a rocky promontory flanked by an extensive beach ("L'Are ...
on 8 November 1344. The town of
Vandellòs i l'Hospitalet de l'Infant
Vandellòs i l'Hospitalet de l'Infant () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Baix Camp in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the south-west of the ''comarca'', between the Serra de Llaberia range and the coast. The town of Vandellòs ...
arose around the hospital. With Prades, Peter also acquired the
barony of Entença. He was also appointed
seneschal
The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
of the
Principality of Catalonia
The Principality of Catalonia ( ca, Principat de Catalunya, la, Principatus Cathaloniæ, oc, Principat de Catalonha, es, Principado de Cataluña) was a Middle Ages, medieval and early modern state (polity), state in the northeastern Iberian P ...
.
Although he advocated peace, Peter took an active part in
Peter IV's conquest of Majorca (1343–1349). He participated in the invasion of
Mallorca
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean.
The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...
in 1343, the invasion of
Roussillon
Roussillon ( , , ; ca, Rosselló ; oc, Rosselhon ) is a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the reg ...
in 1343–1344 and the defence of
Cerdagne
Cerdanya () or often La Cerdanya ( la, Ceretani or ''Ceritania''; french: Cerdagne; es, Cerdaña), is a natural comarca and historical region of the eastern Pyrenees divided between France and Spain. Historically it was one of the counties ...
and
Conflent
Conflent () is a historical Catalan comarca of Northern Catalonia, now part of the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales. In the Middle Ages it comprised the County of Conflent.
The capital of this ''pays'' is Prades ( ca, Prada de Conf ...
from the counter-invasion of James III in 1347. In 1353, his 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 ...
married
Peter
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
, heir to the Cypriot throne. In 1354–1356, he served as head of the regency council during
Peter IV's expedition to Sardinia. He tried to prevent the
War of the Two Peters
The War of the Two Peters ( es, La Guerra de los Dos Pedros, ca, Guerra dels dos Peres) was fought from 1356 to 1375 between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Its name refers to the rulers of the countries, Peter of Castile and Peter IV of ...
between Peter IV and King
Peter of Castile
Peter ( es, Pedro; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for ...
. On 20 August 1356, the king wrote to him ordering him to raise cavalry for two months' service on the frontier. In 1356–1357, he defended the Kingdom of Valencia against a Castilian invasion.
Franciscan friar
When Joan died in 1358, Peter made his will (dated 10 November 1358), renounced his counties in favour of his sons and entered the
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
(12 November). His decision to join the Franciscans greatly enhanced that order's standing in the Crown of Aragon. His retirement from worldly affairs, however, was only partial.
In 1364–1365, with Peter IV unable to leave Aragon, the Franciscan left his convent to assist Peter IV's young son, the future
John I John I may refer to:
People
* John I (bishop of Jerusalem)
* John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople
* John of Antioch (died 441)
* Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526
* John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna
* John I o ...
, in the defence of Valencia against a Castilian invasion. Using his contacts at Avignon, the Franciscan helped arrange in 1365 for the
free company of soldiers under
Bertrand du Guesclin
Bertrand du Guesclin ( br, Beltram Gwesklin; 1320 – 13 July 1380), nicknamed "The Eagle of Brittany" or "The Black Dog of Brocéliande", was a Breton knight and an important military commander on the French side during the Hundred Years' W ...
, the so-called
White Company
The White Company ( it, Compagnia Bianca del Falco) was a 14th-century English mercenary Company of Adventure ( it, Compagnia di ventura), led from its arrival in Italy in 1361 to 1363 by the German Albert Sterz and later by the Englishman John H ...
, to assist Count
Henry of Trastámara
Henry II (13 January 1334 – 29 May 1379), called Henry of Trastámara or the Fratricidal (''el Fratricida''), was the first King of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara. He became king in 1369 by defeating his half-brother Peter the ...
in his revolt against Peter of Castile.
Peter's final years were occupied by his great concern for the peace and unity of the church. He was highly regarded in the
papal ''curia''. He penned his ''Revelations'', a prophetic tract in a
Joachimite vein and influenced by
Jean de Roquetaillade
:''Johannes de Rupescissa may also refer to Cardinal Jean de La Rochetaillée''
Jean de Roquetaillade, also known as John of Rupescissa, (ca. 1310 – between 1366 and 1370) was a French Franciscan alchemist and eschatologist.
Biography
Aft ...
, in an effort to end the
"Babylonian captivity" of the papacy in Avignon. He was forced to defend his work before Pope
Urban V
Pope Urban V ( la, Urbanus V; 1310 – 19 December 1370), born Guillaume de Grimoard, was the head of the Catholic Church from 28 September 1362 until his death in December 1370 and was also a member of the Order of Saint Benedict. He was the on ...
in Avignon, but it was condemned in 1365. It was during this stay at Avignon that he met
Francesc Eiximenis
Francesc Eiximenis (; died 1409) was a Franciscan Catalan writer who lived in the 14th-century Crown of Aragon. He was possibly one of the more successful medieval Catalan writers since his works were widely read, copied, published and translated ...
.
In 1369, Peter's son-in-law, King Peter of Cyprus, was assassinated. In June 1371, Pope
Gregory XI
Pope Gregory XI ( la, Gregorius, born Pierre Roger de Beaufort; c. 1329 – 27 March 1378) was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1370 to his death in March 1378. He was the seventh and last Avignon pope and the most recent French pop ...
wrote to
John of Lusignan
John of Lusignan ( French: ''Jean de Lusignan''; c. 1329 or 1329/1330 – 1375) was a regent of the Kingdom of Cyprus and titular Prince of Antioch. He was son of King Hugh IV of Cyprus and his second wife Alix of Ibelin. He was a member of the Hou ...
, the regent for Peter's grandson, King
Peter II, informing him that the elder Peter was on his way to Cyprus and that the crown should pay his expenses. The pope also ordered the
Knights of Rhodes to render Peter assistance. There is, however, no record confirming that Peter of Ribagorza ever got to Cyprus or played any role in his grandson's minority. He was certainly at the papal ''curia'' in February 1373, when his daughter sent
John Laskaris Kalopheros there to convey a message to him. In August, Alfonso Ferrand was also instructed to bring a message to Peter. Eleanor sought through Peter to gain papal support for the
Genoese intervention that would unseat the regent. Eleanor's machinations involving her father were recorded by
Leontios Makhairas
Leontios Machairas or Makhairas (Greek: Λεόντιος Μαχαιράς, French: Léonce Machéras; about 1380 - after 1432) was a historian in medieval Cyprus.
The main source of information on him is his chronicle, written in the medieval ...
.
During the
Western Schism
The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Vatican Standoff, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon bo ...
that resulted in 1378, Peter broke with the king of Aragon and openly supported the Roman pope,
Urban VI
Pope Urban VI ( la, Urbanus VI; it, Urbano VI; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death in October 1389. He was the most recent pope to be elected from outside the ...
. The future John I, using secret channels, managed to block Urban from making Peter a
cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
in 1380. He died at
Pisa
Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
on 4 November 1381 while on his way to Rome. He was buried in the local Franciscan convent, but his body was moved to the in 1391.
Children
By his marriage to Joan, Peter had four children:
*
Alfonso
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...
, who inherited Ribagorza and later became
duke of Gandia
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...
*
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
, who inherited Prades, Entença and the seneschalcy of Catalonia and was a candidate for the Aragonese crown before the
Compromise of Caspe
The 1412 Compromise of Caspe (''Compromís de Casp'' in Catalan) was an act and resolution of parliamentary representatives of the constituent realms of the Crown of Aragon (the Kingdom of Aragon, Kingdom of Valencia, and Principality of Catal ...
[; .]
*
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
, who became a bishop and later a cardinal
*
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 ...
, who married King
Peter I of Cyprus
Peter I (9 October 1328 – 17 January 1369) was King of Cyprus and titular King of Jerusalem from his father's abdication on 24 November 1358 until his death in 1369. He was invested as titular Count of Tripoli in 1346. As King of Cyprus, ...
Notes
Bibliography
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{{refend
1305 births
1381 deaths
People from Barcelona
Aragonese infantes
Counts of Ribagorza
Counts of Empúries
Spanish Franciscans
Sons of kings