Maria, Queen of Sicily

Maria, queen of Sicily
File:Tomba reali di sicilia, duomo catania.jpg her tomb in St.Agatha's Cathedral, Catania
Queen of Sicily
Reign	27 July 1377 – 25 May 1401
Coronation	1377, Palermo
Predecessor	Frederick the Simple
Successor	Martin the Younger
Co-ruler	Martin the Younger
Born	(1363-07-02)2 July 1363 Catania, Kingdom of Sicily
Died	Lentini, Kingdom of Sicily
Burial	Cathedral of St Agatha, Catania, Kingdom of Sicily
Spouse	Martin the Younger
Issue	Peter of Sicily
House	House of Barcelona
Father	Frederick the Simple
Mother	Constance of Aragon
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Maria (2 July 1363 – 25 May 1401) was Queen of Sicily and Duchess of Athens and Neopatria from 1377 until her death.

Accession

Born in Catania, she was the daughter and heir of Frederick the Simple by his first wife Constance of Aragon. As she was very young at the time of her father's death in 1377, her government was effectively taken over by four baronial families who styled themselves "vicars".

Unrest

The regent named by Maria's father, Artale Alagona, was initially forced to form a government with other three Vicars, including Francesco II count of Ventimiglia, Manfredi III Chiaramonte, count of Modica, and Guglielmo Peralta, count of Caltabellotta, with a parity of exponents of the "Italian" and "Aragonese" parties. However, the four men ruled in their separate baronial lands alone. In 1379 she was kidnapped by count William Raymond of Montcada, Sicilian nobleman and member of the Aragonese House of Montcada, to prevent her marriage with Giangaleazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan, and imprisoned for two years at Licata. Montcada's move had been approved by King Peter IV of Aragon. In 1382 Maria was rescued by an Aragonese fleet; she was taken first to Sardinia, then, in 1384, to Aragon, where she was married to Martin the Younger, the grandson of Peter IV (1389).

Co-reign

In 1392 Maria and Martin returned with a military force and defeated the opposing barons, ruling jointly until Maria's death in 1401. At that time, Martin repudiated the Treaty of Villeneuve (1372) and ruled Sicily alone. She also survived their only son, Peter (1398–1400). The kingdom remained without a crown prince and it caused a succession crisis for Martin, who ruled by right of his wife. Frederick the Simple named his illegitimate son, William, Count of Malta, as heir presumptive in this case of the extinction of his daughter's line; although William died in c. 1380, he had a daughter, Joan, wife of the Sicilian nobleman Pietro di Gioeni, but she must not have contested her uncle's claim since Martin continued to rule until his death.

Maria of Sicily died at Lentini in 1401.

Ancestry

Family of Maria, Queen of Sicily

16. Peter III of Aragon               8. Frederick III of Sicily                       17. Constance of Sicily               4. Peter II of Sicily                             18. Charles II of Naples               9. Eleanor of Anjou                       19. Maria of Hungary               2. Frederick III the Simple                                   20. Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia               10. Otto III, Duke of Carinthia                       21. Elisabeth of Bavaria               5. Elisabeth of Carinthia                             22. Henry V, Duke of Legnica               11. Euphemia of Legnica                       23. Elisabeth of Kalisz               1. Maria of Sicily                                         24. James II of Aragon               12. Alfonso IV of Aragon                       25. Blanche of Anjou               6. Peter IV of Aragon                             26. Gombaldo, Baron of Enteça               13. Teresa d'Entença                       27. Constanza de Antillòn               3. Constance of Aragon                                   28. Louis, Count of Évreux               14. Philip III of Navarre                       29. Margaret of Artois               7. Maria of Navarre                             30. Louis X of France               15. Joan II of Navarre                       31. Margaret of Burgundy

External links

• http://www.mittelalter-genealogie.de/mittelalter/koenige/sizilien/maria_koenigin_1402.html

Maria, Queen of Sicily House of Aragon Cadet branch of the House of Barcelona Born: 2 July 1363 Died: 25 May 1401
Regnal titles
Preceded by Frederick the Simple	Queen of Sicily 1377–1401 With: Martin the Younger	Succeeded by Martin the Younger
	Duchess of Athens and Neopatria 1377–1388 With: Peter IV of Aragon	Succeeded by Nerio I Acciaioli