Martin of Aragon
| Martin | |
|---|---|
Poblet Monastery | |
| Spouses | |
| Issue more... | Martin I of Sicily |
| House | Barcelona[1] |
| Father | Peter IV of Aragon |
| Mother | Eleanor of Sicily |
| Signature |  |
Martin the Humane (29 July 1356 – 31 May 1410), also called the Elder and the Ecclesiastic, was
Background
Martin was born in 1356, in either Girona or Perpignan, both then in the Principality of Catalonia. He was the second son of King Peter IV of Aragon and Eleanor of Sicily (Leonora), princess of the Sicilian branch of the House of Aragon.[2]
As a cadet prince of the Aragonese royal family, Martin was given the County of
In 1380 his father appointed him lord and
Kingship
In 1396, Martin succeeded his elder brother
Martin launched crusades against the Moors in North Africa in 1398 and 1399.
Aragon had been trying to subjugate Sardinia since the reign of James II, and gradually the Aragonese had conquered most of the island. However, in the 1380s, during the reign of Martin's father Peter IV, the remaining independent principality of Arborea became a fortress of rebellion and the Aragonese were rapidly driven back by Eleanor of Arborea, so that practically the whole of Sardinia was lost. King Martin sent his son Martin the Younger, by then king of Sicily through his marriage to Queen Maria, to reconquer Sardinia. The son won the Battle of Sanluri (San Luis, San Luigi) in 1409, drove away the Genoese allies of the Sardinians, and subjugated a vast number of Sardinian nobles. This soon caused Arborea's total loss of independence. Soon after the battle, however, Martin the Younger died suddenly, due to malaria. Martin of Aragon then succeeded his son as King of Sicily, taking the title of Martin II.
Overall, the Crown of Aragon enjoyed external peace during Martin's reign and he worked to quell internal strife caused by nobles, factions and bandits. He supported the
Issue
Martin had four legitimate children by Queen Maria:
Succession
Martin died, in the monastery of Valldonzella, outside the city walls of Barcelona on 31 May 1410. While the reason remains unclear, it is supposed [by whom?] that the cause was either plague (present in the area at the time), uremic coma (the king suffered from severe obesity that affected his health) or the possibility of having been poisoned, only supported by Renaissance chronicler Valla.[citation needed] The story of the king's death associated with laughter (following a joke told by Borra the jester while Martin was suffering from indigestion) although lacking in historical evidence, has been recorded.[4][5] Despite the demands to have an heir declared, the physical incapacity of the king prevented him from giving a clear name, and to the question of giving permission to give to the throne to the person who would be most legitimate for it he gave a terse "Hoc" (Yes).[citation needed]
All of Martin's legitimate descendants, born of his marriage with Queen Maria, were already dead, and his second marriage did not produce any children. Only an illegitimate grandson,
References
- ISBN 0-19-822530-X.
- ^ a b c Bisson 1986, p. 126.
- ISBN 84-393-3575-X.
- ^ Morris, Paul N. (October 2000). "Patronage and Piety Montserrat and the Royal House of Medieval Catalonia-Aragon" (PDF). p. 8. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ Doran, (John) (1858). The History of Court Fools. London: Richard Bently. pp. 317–318.
Sources
- Bisson, Thomas N. (1986). The Medieval Crown of Aragon: A Short History. Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-821987-3.
- Earenfight, Theresa (2016). "Partners in Politics". In Earenfight, Theresa (ed.). Queenship and Political Power in Medieval and Early Modern Spain. Routledge.