Frederick III of Sicily
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{{for|the later king of Sicily|Frederick III the Simple}}
'''Frederick II''' or '''III''' ([[13 December]] [[1272]] – [[25 June]] [[1337]]) was the [[regent]] (from [[1291]]) and subsequently King of [[Sicily]] from [[1295]] until his death. He was the third son of [[Peter III of Aragon]] and served in the [[War of the Sicilian Vespers]] on behalf of his father and brothers, [[Alfonso III of Aragon|Alfonso]] and [[James II of Aragon|James]]. He was confirmed as King of [[Trinacria]] (another name for the island of Sicily) by the [[Peace of Caltabellotta]] in [[1302]]. His reign saw important constitutional reforms: the ''Constitutiones regales'', ''Capitula alia'', and ''Ordinationes generales''.
==Name==
Although the second Frederick of Sicily, he chose to call himself "Frederick III" (being one of the rare medieval monarchs who actually used a [[regnal number]]) — presumably because only some fifty years before, his well-known and remembered great-grandfather had reigned Sicily and also used an official ordinal: ''Fridericus secundus, imperator etc''. Thus, ''Fridericus tertius'' was better in line with the precedent of his ancestor's ordinal. However, an anecdote attributes Frederick's choice of numeral to him being the third son of Peter. The next man called Frederick to occupy the Sicilian throne was dubbed by later generations of historians as Frederick III: [[Frederick III the Simple]], though he himself did not use an ordinal.
==Biography==
===Early years===
Frederick was born in [[Barcelona]] to [[Peter III of Aragon]] and [[Constantia of Sicily]], daughter of King [[Manfred of Sicily]].
When his father died in [[1285]], he left the [[Kingdom of Aragon]] to his eldest son, Alfonso, and that of Sicily to his second son, James. When Alfonso died in [[1291]], James became king of Aragon and left Frederick as regent in Sicily. The war between the [[Angevin]]s, who contested the title to Sicily from their peninsular possessions centred around [[Naples]] (the so-called [[Kingdom of Naples]]), and the Aragonese for the possession of the island was still in progress, and although the Aragonese were successful in Italy, James’ position in [[Spain]] became very insecure due to internal troubles and [[France|French]] attacks. Peace negotiations were begun with [[Charles II of Naples]], but were interrupted by the successive deaths of two popes. At last, under the auspices of [[Pope Boniface VIII]], James concluded a shameful treaty, by which, in exchange for being left undisturbed in Aragon and promised possession of [[Sardinia]] and [[Corsica]], he gave up Sicily to the [[Papal States|Church]], for whom it was to be held by the Angevins ([[Treaty of Anagni]], [[10 June]] [[1295]]). The Sicilians refused to be made over once more to the hated French they had expelled in [[1282]] (in the [[Sicilian Vespers]]), and found a national leader in the regent Frederick. In vain the pope tried to bribe him with promises and dignities; he was determined to stand by his subjects, and was crowned king by the nobles at [[Palermo]] in [[1296]]. Young, brave, and handsome, he won the love and devotion of his people, and guided them through long years of storm and stress with wisdom and ability.
When Frederick heard that James was preparing to go to war with him, he sent a messenger, Montaner Pérez de Sosa, to Catalonia in an effort to stir up the barons and cities against James in 1298.<ref name="Riquer">Riquer, 1687–1688.</ref> Montaner carried with him an [[Occitan literature|Occitan poem]], ''Ges per guerra no.m chal aver consir'', intended as a communication with his supporters in Catalonia. This communiqué seems to have had in mind Ponç Hug as a recipient, for the count penned a response (under the title ''con d'Enpuria''), ''A l'onrat rei Frederic terz vai dir'', in which he praised Frederick's tact and diplomacy, but told him bluntly that he would not abandon his sovereign.<ref name="Riquer"/> This poetic transaction is usually dated to January–March, Spring, or August 1296, but [[Gerónimo Zurita]] in the seventeenth century specifically dated the embassy of Montaner to 1298.
===Reign===
Frederick reformed the administration and extended the powers of the Sicilian [[parliament]], which was composed of the [[baron]]s, the [[prelate]]s, and the representatives of the towns.
His refusal to comply with the pope's injunctions led to a renewal of the war. Frederick landed in [[Calabria]], where he seized several towns, encouraged revolt in [[Kingdom of Naples|Naples]], negotiated with the [[Ghibelline]]s of [[Tuscany]] and [[Lombardy]], and assisted the house of [[Colonna]] against Pope Boniface. In the meanwhile James, who received many favours from the Church, married his sister Yolanda to [[Robert]], the third son of Charles II. Unfortunately for Frederick, a part of the Aragonese nobles of Sicily favoured King James, and both [[John of Procida]] and [[Roger of Lauria]], the heroes of the [[war of the Vespers]], went over to the Angevins, and the latter completely defeated the Sicilian fleet off [[Cape Orlando]]. Charles’s sons Robert and Philip landed in Sicily, but after capturing [[Catania]] were defeated by Frederick, Philip being taken prisoner ([[1299]]), while several Calabrian towns were captured by the Sicilians.
For two years more the fighting continued with varying success, until [[Charles of Valois]], who had been sent by Boniface to invade Sicily, was forced to sue for peace, his army being decimated by the plague, and in August [[1302]] the [[treaty of Caltabellotta]] was signed, by which Frederick was recognized king of [[Trinacria]] (the name Sicily was not to be used) for his lifetime, and was to marry [[Eleanor of Anjou]], daughter of [[Charles II of Naples]] and [[Maria Arpad of Hungary]]; at his death the kingdom was to revert to the Angevins (this clause was inserted chiefly to save Charles’s face), and his children would receive compensation elsewhere. Boniface tried to induce King Charles to break the treaty, but the latter was only too anxious for peace, and finally in May [[1303]] the pope ratified it (with changes and additions), Frederick agreeing to pay him a tribute.
For a few years Sicily enjoyed peace, and the kingdom was reorganized. But on the descent of the emperor [[Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VII]], Frederick entered into an alliance with him, and in violation of the pact of Caltabellotta made war on the Angevins again ([[1313]]) and captured [[Reggio]]. He set sail for Tuscany to cooperate with the emperor, but on the latter’s death he returned to Sicily. Robert, who had succeeded Charles II in [[1309]], made several raids into the island, which suffered much material injury. A truce was concluded in [[1317]], but as the Sicilians helped the north Italian Ghibellines in the attack on [[Genoa]], and Frederick seized some Church revenues for military purposes, [[Pope John XXII]] [[excommunication|excommunicated]] him and placed the island under an [[Interdict (Roman Catholic Church)|interdict]] ([[1321]]) which lasted until [[1335]]. An Angevin fleet and army, under Robert's son [[Charles, Duke of Calabria|Charles]], was defeated at Palermo by [[Giovanni da Chiaramonte]] in [[1325]], and in [[1326]] and [[1327]] there were further Angevin raids on the island, until the descent into Italy of the emperor [[Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Louis the Bavarian]] distracted their attention. The election of [[Pope Benedict XII]] ([[1334]]), who was friendly to Frederick, promised a respite; but after fruitless negotiations the war broke out once more, and Chiaramonte went over to Robert, owing to a private feud. In [[1337]] Frederick died at [[Paternò]], and in spite of the [[peace of Caltabellotta]] his son [[Peter II of Sicily]] succeeded. Frederick’s great merit was that during his reign the Aragonese dynasty became thoroughly national and helped to weld the Sicilians into a united people.
{{cquote|''. . . Io son Manfredi,
nipote di Costanza imperadrice;
ond’io ti priego che, quando tu riedi,
vada a mia bella figlia, genitrice
de l’onor di Cicilia e d’Aragona,
e dichi ‘l vero a lei, s’altro si dice. . . .''
— [[Dante Alighieri]], probably referring to Frederick, ''Divina Commedia: Purgatorio'', III, 103-145.}}
==Family==
From his marriage ([[1303]]) with [[Eleanor of Anjou]] were born:
*Constance ([[1304]]), married in 1317 to [[Henry II of Cyprus]]; on December 29, 1331 to [[Leo V of Armenia]]; and in 1343 to John of Lusignan, brother of [[Peter I of Cyprus]]. She didn't have children from any of her marriages.
*[[Peter II of Sicily|Peter]] ([[1305]] – [[1342]]), successor
*[[Manfred, Duke of Athens and Neopatria|Manfred]] ([[1306]] – [[1317]]), [[Duke of Athens]] and [[Neopatria]]
*Roger, died young
*Elisabeth,([[1310]] – [[1349]]), married ([[1328]]) [[Stephen II of Bavaria]]
*[[William, Prince of Taranto|William]] ([[1312]] – [[1338]]), [[Prince of Taranto]], [[Duke of Athens]] and [[Neopatria]]
*[[Giovanni di Randazzo|John]] ([[1317]] – [[1348]]), Duke of [[Randazzo]], [[Duke of Athens]] and [[Neopatria]], Regent of Sicily (from [[1338]])
*Catherine ([[1320]] – [[1342]])
*Margaret ([[1331]] – [[1360]]), married ([[1348]]) [[Rudolf II of the Palatainate]]
To his mistress Sibilla Sormella were born:
*[[Alfonso Frederick]], ([[1294]] – [[1334]]), regent of [[Duchy of Athens|Athens]] and [[Neopatria]]
*[[Roland of Sicily|Roland]] ([[1296]] – [[1361]])
*Elisabeth (or Isabella) di Sicilia ([[1297]] – [[1341]])
*[[Sanciolo|Sancho]] ([[1300]] – [[1334]])
*Eleanor (born [[1298]])
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==Sources==
*{{1911}}
*Bozzo, S.V. ''Note storiche siciliano del secolo XIV''. Palermo, 1882.
*[[Riquer, Martín de]]. ''Los trovadores: historia literaria y textos''. 3 vol. Barcelona: Planeta, 1975.
{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Barcelona]]|1272||1337|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[James II of Aragon|James]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[King of Sicily]]|years=[[1296]] – [[1337]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Peter II of Sicily|Peter II]]}}
{{end}}
[[Category:Kings of Sicily]]
[[Category:Medieval poets]]
[[Category:Occitan poets]]
[[Category:Troubadours]]
[[Category:1272 births]]
[[Category:1337 deaths]]
[[ca:Frederic II de Sicília]]
[[cs:Fridrich II. Sicilský]]
[[de:Friedrich II. (Sizilien)]]
[[es:Federico II de Sicilia]]
[[fr:Frédéric II de Sicile]]
[[it:Federico III di Aragona]]
[[nl:Frederik II van Sicilië]]
[[ja:フェデリーコ2世]]
[[pl:Fryderyk II Sycylijski]]
[[ru:Федериго II (король Сицилии)]]
[[scn:Fidiricu II di Sicilia]]