Maria, Queen of Sicily

Queen Regnant of Sicily
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroQueen Regnant of Sicily
A.K.A.Maria of Aragon Mary of Siciliy Mary of Aragon Unhappy queen Infelicitous queen
A.K.A.Maria of Aragon Mary of Siciliy Mary of Aragon Unhappy queen Infelicitous queen
PlacesItaly
wasPolitician
Work fieldPolitics
Gender
Female
Religion:Christianity
Birth2 July 1363, Catania
Death25 May 1401Lentini (aged 37 years)
Family
Mother:Constance of Aragon, Queen of Sicily
Father:Frederick III the Simple
Siblings:William of Aragon Count of Malta
Spouse:Martin I of Sicily
Children:Peter of Aragon Heir of Sicily
The details

Biography

Maria (2 July 1363 – 25 May 1401) was Queen of Sicily and Duchess of Athens and Neopatria from 1377 until her death.

Accession

Born in Catania, she was the daughter and heir of Frederick the Simple by his first wife Constance of Aragon. As she was very young at the time of her father's death in 1377, her government was effectively taken over by four baronial families who styled themselves "vicars".

Unrest

The regent named by Maria's father, Artale Alagona, was initially forced to form a government with other three Vicars, including Francesco II count of Ventimiglia, Manfredi III Chiaramonte, count of Modica, and Guglielmo Peralta, count of Caltabellotta, with a parity of exponents of the "Italian" and "Aragonese" parties. However, the four men ruled in their separate baronial lands alone. In 1379 she was kidnapped by count William Raymond of Montcada, Sicilian nobleman and member of the Aragonese House of Montcada, to prevent her marriage with Giangaleazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan, and imprisoned for two years at Licata. Montcada's move had been approved by her grandfather King Peter IV of Aragon. In 1382 Maria was rescued by an Aragonese fleet; she was taken first to Sardinia, then, in 1384, to Aragon, where she was married to Martin the Younger, the grandson of Peter IV (1389).

Co-reign

In 1392 Maria and Martin returned with a military force and defeated the opposing barons, ruling jointly until Maria's death in 1401. At that time, Martin repudiated the Treaty of Villeneuve (1372) and ruled Sicily alone. She also survived their only son, Peter (1398–1400). The kingdom remained without a crown prince and it caused a succession crisis for Martin, who ruled by right of his wife. Frederick the Simple named his illegitimate son, William, Count of Malta, as heir presumptive in this case of the extinction of his daughter's line; although William died in c. 1380, he had a daughter, Joan, wife of the Sicilian nobleman Pietro di Gioeni, but she must not have contested her uncle's claim since Martin continued to rule until his death.

Maria of Sicily died at Lentini in 1401.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Maria, Queen of Sicily
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16. Peter III of Aragon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8. Frederick III of Sicily
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17. Constance of Sicily
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4. Peter II of Sicily
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18. Charles II of Naples
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9. Eleanor of Anjou
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19. Maria of Hungary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Frederick III the Simple
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20. Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10. Otto III, Duke of Carinthia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
21. Elisabeth of Bavaria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5. Elisabeth of Carinthia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22. Henry V, Duke of Legnica
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11. Euphemia of Legnica
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
23. Elisabeth of Kalisz
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1. Maria of Sicily
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
24. James II of Aragon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12. Alfonso IV of Aragon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25. Blanche of Anjou
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6. Peter IV of Aragon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
26. Gombaldo, Baron of Enteça
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13. Teresa d'Entença
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
27. Constanza de Antillòn
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3. Constance of Aragon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
28. Louis, Count of Évreux
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14. Philip III of Navarre
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
29. Margaret of Artois
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7. Maria of Navarre
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
30. Louis X of France
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15. Joan II of Navarre
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
31. Margaret of Burgundy
 
 
 
 
 
 

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