Blasco I D'Alagona
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Blasco I Alagona or d'Alagona (died 1301), called the Elder, was an
Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
ese nobleman and soldier in the service of the
Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily (; ; ) was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula, Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in Kingdom of Africa, Northern Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was ...
after 1285. His family was originally from Alagón. As a military commander, he was noted for his adept use of mobile infantry against heavy cavalry.


Biography

Blasco was born in the first half of the 13th century. He probably served
Peter III of Aragon Peter III of Aragon (In Aragonese, ''Pero''; in Catalan, ''Pere''; in Italian, ''Pietro''; November 1285) was King of Aragon, King of Valencia (as ), and Count of Barcelona (as ) from 1276 to his death. At the invitation of some rebels, he con ...
(died 1285) in the conquest of Sicily (1282), since he was already established there in November 1285, when he witnessed the sale by Peter's heir, Alfonso III, of his right to Sicily to his brother
James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...
. He was entrusted with important military and administrative tasks by James. In 1291, he captured Montalto in Calabria and made its
Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and High ...
commander, Guidone da Primerano, a prisoner. At the end of the year, he was summoned to Aragon by James, who had succeeded Alfonso in the interim, to answer charges of embezzlement. He returned to Sicily and was preparing another campaign when he was recalled a second time to Aragon in 1294. When James renounced his claim on Sicily in the
Treaty of Anagni The Treaty of Anagni was an accord between the Pope Boniface VIII, James II of Aragon, Philip IV of France, Charles II of Naples, and James II of Majorca. It was signed on 20 June 1295 at Anagni, in central Italy. The chief purpose was to confirm t ...
the following year (1295), Blasco left his court without permission and returned to Sicily. In 1296, Frederick III, who had been proclaimed king by the Sicilians in opposition to the Treaty of Anagni, appointed Blasco a captain in the army. He took part in the king's invasion of Calabria later that year. When James returned to Sicily he left Blasco as his lieutenant in Calabria. In 1297, Blasco was recalled to Sicily under suspicion of treason but was quickly sent back. The Neapolitan admiral
Roger of Lauria Roger of Lauria (''c''. 1245 – 17 January 1305), was a Calabrian knight who served the Crown of Aragon as admiral of the Aragonese navy during the War of the Sicilian Vespers. He was probably the most successful and talented naval tacticia ...
having occupied
Catanzaro Catanzaro (; or ; ), also known as the "City of the two Seas" (), is an Italian city of 86,183 inhabitants (2020), the capital of the Calabria region and of its province and the second most populated comune of the region, behind Reggio Calabr ...
in the meantime, Blasco led a small force against the city in the latter half of September and, although outnumbered, won a major victory. In January 1299, Frederick rewarded Blasco for his service with the castle and lands of
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, confiscated from the traitors Giovanni and Matteo Barresi. At the Battle of Capo d'Orlando (4 July 1299), in which Frederick's navy defeated a combined Neapolitan–Aragonese fleet trying to enforce the Treaty of Anagni, Blasco's actions were credited with saving the king's flagship. At the
Battle of Falconaria The Battle of Falconaria (also La Falconara or Falconeria) was fought in the latter days of the War of the Sicilian Vespers. Fought on 1 December 1299 between the forces of Frederick II of Sicily and Philip I of Taranto of the Kingdom of Naples ...
(1 December 1299), he commanded the left wing and was given credit for the victory. In 1300, his infantry defeated the Neapolitan cavalry at the
Battle of Gagliano The Battle of Gagliano was a military engagement between the forces of the Kingdom of Sicily and the Angevin Kingdom of Naples. Fought in early 1300 during the War of the Sicilian Vespers, the battle involved the entrapment and routing of a Ang ...
, capturing
Walter V, Count of Brienne Walter V of Brienne (; – 15 March 1311) was Duke of Athens from 1308 until his death. Being the only son of Hugh of Brienne and Isabella de la Roche, Walter was the heir to large estates in France, the Kingdom of Naples, and the Peloponnese. ...
. The following year he died during the Siege of Messina, possibly from consuming rotten food.


Notes


Sources

* {{Authority control 1301 deaths 13th-century people from the Crown of Aragon