Eleanor of Anjou
Encyclopedia
Eleanor of Naples was the Queen consort
of Frederick III of Sicily
. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou
by birth.
and Mary of Hungary.
Her paternal grandparents were Charles I of Sicily
and Beatrice of Provence
. Her maternal grandparents were Stephen V of Hungary
(died 1272) and his wife, queen Elisabeth, who was daughter of Zayhan of Kuni, a chief of the Cuman tribe and had been a pagan
before her marriage.
and Lucia of Tripoli
. Their marriage was dissolved on 17 January 1300 because they were related and had not sought permission from the pope to marry.
On 17 May 1302, Eleanor married secondly to Frederick III of Sicily
. Her father and her new husband had been engaged in a war for ascendancy in the Mediterranean Sea
and especially Sicily
and the Mezzogiorno
. The marriage was part of a diplomatic effort to establish peaceful relations which would lead to the Peace of Caltabellotta
(19 August 1302).
The peace divided the old Kingdom of Sicily
into an island portion and a peninsular portion. The island, called the Kingdom of Trinacria, went to Frederick, who had been ruling it, and the Mezzogiorno, called the Kingdom of Sicily contemporaneously, but called the Kingdom of Naples by modern scholarship, went to Charles II, who had been ruling it. Thus, the peace was formal recognition of an uneasy status quo
.
Eleanor and Frederick had nine children:
Eleanor died on the 9 August 1341 at the Monastery of San Nicolo di Arena (Catania
), she had been a widow since 1337. She was buried at a Franciscan monastery in Catania
.
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Frederick III of Sicily
Frederick III of Sicily
Frederick II was the regent 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 and James...
. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou
Capetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
by birth.
Family
She was the third daughter of Charles II of NaplesCharles II of Naples
Charles II, known as "the Lame" was King of Naples, King of Albania, Prince of Salerno, Prince of Achaea and Count of Anjou.-Biography:...
and Mary of Hungary.
Her paternal grandparents were Charles I of Sicily
Charles I of Sicily
Charles I , known also as Charles of Anjou, was the King of Sicily by conquest from 1266, though he had received it as a papal grant in 1262 and was expelled from the island in the aftermath of the Sicilian Vespers of 1282...
and Beatrice of Provence
Beatrice of Provence
Beatrice of Provence , was a countess regnant of Provence. She was also a Queen consort of Sicily by marriage to King Charles I of Sicily....
. Her maternal grandparents were Stephen V of Hungary
Stephen V of Hungary
Stephen V , was King of Hungary from 1270 to 1272.-Early years:...
(died 1272) and his wife, queen Elisabeth, who was daughter of Zayhan of Kuni, a chief of the Cuman tribe and had been a pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
before her marriage.
Marriage
Eleanor was firstly married in 1299 to Philip de Toucy, son of Narjot de ToucyNarjot de Toucy (died 1293)
Narjot de Toucy was the son of Philip of Toucy and of Portia de Roye. Narjot was therefore the grandson of his namesake who died in 1241....
and Lucia of Tripoli
Lucia of Tripoli
Lucia was the last countess of Tripoli.She was the daughter of Bohemund VI, Prince of Antioch and Sibylla of Armenia. Her brother was Bohemund VII of Tripoli. When Bohemund VII died in 1287, their mother appointed as regent Bertrand of Gibelet. He proved to be very unpopular with the commune of...
. Their marriage was dissolved on 17 January 1300 because they were related and had not sought permission from the pope to marry.
On 17 May 1302, Eleanor married secondly to Frederick III of Sicily
Frederick III of Sicily
Frederick II was the regent 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 and James...
. Her father and her new husband had been engaged in a war for ascendancy in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and especially Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
and the Mezzogiorno
Mezzogiorno
The Midday is a wide definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the southern half of the Italian state, encompassing the southern section of the continental Italian Peninsula and the two major islands of Sicily and Sardinia, in addition to a large number of minor islands...
. The marriage was part of a diplomatic effort to establish peaceful relations which would lead to the Peace of Caltabellotta
Peace of Caltabellotta
The Peace of Caltabellotta, signed on 31 August, 1302, was the last of a series of treaties, including those of Tarascon and Anagni, designed to end the conflict between the Houses of Anjou and Barcelona for ascendancy in the Mediterranean and especially Sicily and the Mezzogiorno.The peace divided...
(19 August 1302).
The peace divided the old Kingdom of Sicily
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
into an island portion and a peninsular portion. The island, called the Kingdom of Trinacria, went to Frederick, who had been ruling it, and the Mezzogiorno, called the Kingdom of Sicily contemporaneously, but called the Kingdom of Naples by modern scholarship, went to Charles II, who had been ruling it. Thus, the peace was formal recognition of an uneasy status quo
Status quo
Statu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...
.
Eleanor and Frederick had nine children:
- Peter II of SicilyPeter II of SicilyPeter II was crowned King of Sicily in 1321 and gained full sovereignty when his father died in 1337....
(1304–1342), successor - Roger (born 1305), died young
- Manfred, Duke of Athens and Neopatria (1306–1317), Duke of Athens and Neopatria
- Constance, married on December 29, 1331 to Leo IV of ArmeniaLeo IV of ArmeniaLeo III was a young king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, ruling from 1303 or 1305 to 1307, along with his uncle Hethum II...
- ElisabethElisabeth of Sicily (1310–1349)Elisabeth of Sicily was a daughter of Frederick III of Sicily and Eleanor of Anjou. Her siblings included: Peter II of Sicily and Manfred of Athens. She is also known as Isabel of Aragon....
(1310–1349), married (1328) Stephen II of Bavaria (also known as Isabella) - William, Prince of Taranto (1312–1338), Prince of Taranto, Duke of Athens and Neopatria
- Giovanni di Randazzo (1317–1348), Duke of RandazzoRandazzoRandazzo is a town and comune of Sicily, Italy, in the province of Catania. It is situated at the northern foot of Mount Etna, 70 km NW of Catania by rail. It is the nearest town to the summit of Etna, and is one of the points from which the ascent may be made.-History:In the 13th century the...
, Duke of Athens and Neopatria, Regent of Sicily (from 1338) - Catherine (1320–1342)
- Margaret (1331–1360), married (1348) Rudolf II of the Palatinate
Eleanor died on the 9 August 1341 at the Monastery of San Nicolo di Arena (Catania
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
), she had been a widow since 1337. She was buried at a Franciscan monastery in Catania
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
.