| Peter III | |
|---|---|
| |
| Peter III | |
| King of Aragon | |
| Reign | 10th May 1301 - 29th September 1320 |
| Predecessor | James II |
| Successor | James III |
| King of Majorca | |
| Reign | 18th July 1290 - 29th September 1320 |
| Predecessor | James II |
| Successor | James III |
| Born | 30th April 1272 Valencia, Aragon |
| Died | 29th September 1320 Barcelona, Aragon |
| Spouse | Luisa Barazza |
| Issue | James III John I |
| House | Barcelona |
| Father | James II |
| Mother | Maria of Murcia |
Peter III was ruler of the Kingdoms of Aragon and Majorca during the early 14th Century. His reign is chiefly remembered for the war against France and the extension of Aragonese power over the Languedoc which the conflict sealed.
Peter was born into a period of chaos in Aragon. His grandfather James I's reign was stuttering to a close with defeats in Italia which triggered various revolts across the kingdoms. His own father James II would spend much of his early putting down these revolts and slowly building relations with his nobles. Only when Aragon was internally peaceful did he contemplate returning to the conquest of Naples. Initially he concentrated on Sardinia, grabbing half of the island by 1290.
Peter would be active during this campaign, impressing his father with raids on Sardinian positions and seizing resources and equipment. He would attend the signing of the Treaty of Grosseto in 1290. It was also at this point that his father appointed him King of Majorca, which included the Baleric islands captured from Islamic rule in the 1220s as well as the county of Rousillion on the mainland. Peter would quickly establish his own power and was regarded as a competent administrator. During this time the 28 year old Peter sired a son who he named James. It was unclear who exactly the mother was and the ensuing scandal forced Peter to return to his father's court to pay him homage. James II forced his son to marry Luisa Barazza, a noblewoman from a Neapolitan family, forced out by John I of Naples. Following this the young James was acknowledged and legitimised however Peter was not allowed to return to Majorca and instead administered his kingdom from Barcelona. He was eventually allowed to return to Majorca in Winter of 1300, however this return would be short-lived. In May 1301, King James II of Aragon died, leaving the realm to his eldest surviving son.
The new king's nobles immediately encouraged him to pursue to his father's and grandfather's conflicts in the Mediterranean, yet Peter seemed to be much more focused to the North, specifically the Languedoc or Gothia region which paid nominal fealty to Barcelona, although there were many lords who wished for independence or collusion with other larger states such as France, Aquitaine or Arles. Much of Peter's efforts as King of Majorca had been focused on the issue of Cathar heresy which had spread out from the city of Albi since the 11th century. Peter urged his vassals to eradicate, either through conversion or expulsion and indeed seized land from some lords who refused. However he could only press so much without causing revolt. Tension also bubbled with the King of France, Louis X, who greatly desired to add Languedoc to his lands.
Things would finally spill over thanks to the Papacy. Pope Boniface VIII had supported King Charles Bezier in his conflict against Aragon. This bias led him to accuse Peter of not persecuting the Cathars enough, and worse, of invading Sicily which was a papal fief. Though Peter had never ordered any attacks against Sicily during his reign, the pope nevertheless excommunicated him from the Catholic Church on 17th May 1304. Louis X was 'invited' by the Pope into a crusade against the Aragonese and Louis readily accepted. Louis and his armies had learned from their defeat in the Albigensian War and marched through Aquitaine rather than hostile Auvergne. Aquitaine, eager to share the spoils gathered a large force and lent its navy as well. Compared to his northern rivals Peter was slow at mustering an army, mostly due to his nobles dithering over how much support they should give to an excommunicate. France therefore held the upper hand in several battles, culminating in the Siege of Rousillon.
Louis X being crowned as King of Majorca by his allies
Roussillon, the capital of Majorca, fell in May 1305 and Louis would receive the Majorcan crown, back-dating his rule to Peter's excommunication. However this would be Louis' high point of the war. Enraged by the coronation Peter went on the offensive. Firstly, the much more experienced Aragonese Navy confronted the Aquitanian navy at Les Formigues crushing it. Then the French army was firmly routed at Battle of Perpignan. Louis was lucky enough to escape the carnage and thus the two Kings continued in hostility, fighting several skirmishes across the Languedoc whilst Louis abandoned all the gains made over the previous year. Finally, in 1307, Pope Boniface accepted the inevitable (though he did try and get Castile to attack Aragon first) conciliatory and papal diplomats ended the 3 year struggle between France and Aragon. Peace was made and the pope cancelled the excommunication on Peter in return for a cessation of all hostilities against Naples.
With no internal revolts, and with Louis focused on a great famine in his kingdom, the now peaceful-minded Aragonese King would reign the next decade in peace without any major issues. This portion of his reign also saw him have a natural son with Luisa named John. Peter would peacefully die on 29th September 1320 leaving the throne to his son James. James III would continue the conflict with Naples like his predecessors and would achieve much success.
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