| Constance II of Sicily | |
|---|---|
| Queen consort of Aragon, Valencia and Sicily and Countess consort of Barcelona Queen regnant of Sicily | |
 Constance II depicted in a miniature | |
| Queen consort of Aragon and Valencia Countess consort of Barcelona | |
| Tenure | |
| Queen consort of Sicily | |
| Tenure | |
| Queen regnant of Sicily | |
| Tenure | |
| Born | c. 1249 Kingdom of Sicily |
| Died | 9 April 1302 (aged 52-53) Barcelona, Crown of Aragon |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Peter III of Aragon |
| Issue | Alfonso III of Aragon James II of Aragon Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal Frederick III of Sicily Yolande, Duchess of Calabria Peter of Aragon |
| House | Hohenstaufen |
| Father | Manfred of Sicily |
| Mother | Beatrice of Savoy |
| Religion | Catholic Christianity |
Constance II of Sicily (c. 1249 - 9 April 1302) was Queen consort of Aragon as the wife of Peter III of Aragon and a pretender to the Kingdom of Sicily from 1268 to 1285.[1] She was the only daughter of Manfred of Sicily and his first wife, Beatrice of Savoy.
Life
Constance was largely raised by Bella d'Amichi, who remained her favorite and confidante as queen.[2] On 13 June 1262, Constance married Peter, eldest son of James I of Aragon. Her father was killed in the Battle of Benevento (26 February 1266) while fighting against his rival, Charles of Anjou. She inherited his claim to the Sicilian throne.
James I died on 27 July 1276 and Peter succeeded to the throne, with Constance as queen. During the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282-1302), Peter and then their sons claimed the throne of Sicily in her right. The war resulted in the partition of the Kingdom of Sicily and the creation of the Kingdom of Trinacria under her heirs and the Kingdom of Naples under the heirs of Charles of Anjou.
Peter III died on November 1285. Constance died as a nun in Barcelona.
Children
Constance and Peter III of Aragon had six children:
- Alfonso III of Aragon (4 November 1265 – 18 June 1291).
- James II of Aragon (10 August 1267 – 2 November 1327).
- Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal (c. 1271 – 4 July 1336). Married Denis of Portugal.
- Frederick III of Sicily (13 December 1272 – 25 June 1337).
- Yolande, Duchess of Calabria (c. 1273 – August 1302). Married Robert of Naples.
- Peter of Aragon (c. 1275 – 25 August 1296). Married Guillemette of Béarn, daughter of Gaston VII, Viscount of Béarn.
Ancestry
| Constance II of Sicily | Father: Manfred of Sicily |
Paternal grandfather: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor |
Paternal great-grandfather: Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor |
| Paternal great-grandmother: Constance of Sicily | |||
| Paternal grandmother: Bianca Lancia |
Paternal great-grandfather: Unknown | ||
| Paternal great-grandmother: Unknown | |||
| Mother: Beatrice of Savoy |
Maternal grandfather: Amadeus IV of Savoy |
Maternal great-grandfather: Thomas I of Savoy | |
| Maternal great-grandmother: Margaret of Geneva | |||
| Maternal grandmother: Marguerite of Burgundy |
Maternal great-grandfather: Hugh III of Burgundy | ||
| Maternal great-grandmother: Béatrice of Albon |
References
- ^ Steven Runciman, The Sicilian Vespers: A History of the Mediterranean World in the Later Thirteenth Century (Cambridge: University Press, 1958), 202.
- ^ «Diccionari Biogràfic de Dones: Bella, d'Amichi»
| Preceded by Violant of Hungary |
Queen consort of Aragon and Valencia Countess consort of Barcelona 1276–1285 |
Succeeded by Isabella of Castile |
| Preceded by Margaret of Burgundy |
Queen consort of Sicily 1282–1285 |
Succeeded by Isabella of Castile |
| Preceded by Conrad II |
Queen regnant of Sicily 1268–1285 |
Succeeded by James I |
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