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 Frederick III of Sicily and his mother was Eleanor, a daughter of Charles II of Naples.[1] His reign was marked by strife between the throne and the nobility, especially the old families of Ventimiglia, Palizzi and Chiaramonte, and by war between Sicily and Naples.[2]

Peter II of Sicily
Peter kneeling before Christ, from a mosaic in the cathedral of Messina
King of Sicily
Tenure25 June 1337 - 15 August 1342
PredecessorFrederick III of Sicily
SuccessorLouis, King of Sicily
Born1304
Died(1342-08-15)15 August 1342
Calascibetta
Burial
Cathedral of Palermo
SpouseElisabeth of Carinthia
Issue
more...		Louis of Sicily
Frederick IV of Sicily
Constance of Sicily
Eleanor, Queen of Aragon
Beatrice, Electress Palatine
Euphemia of Sicily
HouseBarcelona
FatherFrederick III of Sicily
MotherEleanor of Anjou

Contemporaries regarded Peter as feeble-minded. Giovanni Villani, in his Nuova Cronica, calls him "almost an imbecile" (Italianate Latin: quasi un mentacatto) and Nicola Speciale, in his Historia Sicula, calls him "pure and simple" (purus et simplex).[2]

Under Peter, the Neapolitans conquered the Lipari Islands and took the cities of Milazzo and Termini in Sicily itself.[2] He died after a short illness on 8 August 1342[2] in Calascibetta and was buried in the cathedral of Palermo. He was succeeded by Louis, his eldest son, who was only four years old.[3]

Marriage and children

He married Elisabeth of Carinthia,[4] with whom he had nine children:

  • Constance (1324 – October 1355), regent of Sicily from 1352 to 1354, unmarried
  • Eleanor (1325–1375), married Peter IV of Aragon, mother of Martin II of Sicily[5]
  • Beatrice (1326–1365), married Rupert II, Elector Palatine, mother of Rupert of Germany.[6]
  • Euphemia (1330–1359), regent from 1355 to 1357, unmarried
  • Louis of Sicily (1338 - 1355), succeeded his father[1]
  • Frederick IV (1341 - 1377), successor of Louis[1]
  • Violante (born 1334), died young
  • John (1342 – 22 June 1353), died young
  • Blanche (1342–1373), married Count John I of Empúries, but had no issue

Ancestry

References
  1. Grierson & Travaini 1998, p. 256.
  2. Grierson & Travaini 1998, p. 268.
  3. Grierson & Travaini 1998, p. 269.
  4. Ritzerfeld 2015, p. 289.
  5. Hulme 1915, p. 561.
  6. Drees 2001, p. 428.

Sources
  • Drees, Clayton J., ed. (2001). The Late Medieval Age of Crisis and Renewal, 1300-1500: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Grierson, Philip; Travaini, Lucia (1998). Medieval European Coinage: With a Catalogue of the Coins in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. vol. 14 (Italy) part 3 (South Italy, Sicily, Sardinia). Cambridge University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Hulme, Edward Maslin (1915). The Renaissance: The Protestant Revolution and The Catholic Reformation in Continental Europe. The Century Co.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Ritzerfeld, Ulrike (2015). "The Language of Power: Transgressing Borders in Luxury Metal Object of the Lusignan". In Rogge, Sabine; Grünbart, Michael (eds.). Medieval Cyprus: a Place of Cultural Encounter. Waxmann Verlag GmbH.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Peter II of Sicily
Born: July 1305 Died: 15 August 1342
Preceded by
Frederick II		 King of Sicily
1337–1342		 Succeeded by
Louis
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