Eleanor of Sicily

Eleanor of Sicily
Queen consort of Aragon
Tenure 1349–1375
Born 1325
Sicily
Died 1375 (aged 4950)
Lleida, Spain
Spouse Peter IV of Aragon
Issue John I of Aragon
Martin of Aragon
Eleanor, Queen of Castile
House House of Aragon
Father Peter II of Sicily
Mother Elisabeth of Carinthia
Religion Roman Catholic

Eleanor of Sicily (1325–1375) was Queen of Aragon from 1349 until 1375 as the third wife of King Peter IV.

Early life and family

Eleanor was the daughter of Peter II of Sicily and Elisabeth of Carinthia. She was the second of eight children, six of whom survived to adulthood.

Marriage

Coat of arms of Queen Eleanor

Eleanor married in Valencia on 27 August 1349 to Peter IV of Aragon, on the condition that he renounce all rights to any Sicilian Crown. He was twice-widowed, had two surviving daughters: Constance and Joanna but no surviving sons.

Eleanor became a powerful influence at the Aragonese court, replacing Bernardo de Cabrera as Peter's chief adviser.[1]

Eleanor's brother Frederick III the Simple, married Constance of Aragon (Eleanor's stepdaughter). Frederick and Constance had a daughter, Maria, but no sons. Then in 1357 Frederick proposed to transfer the duchies of Athens and Neopatria to Eleanor in return for military help from her husband in Sicily, but was refused.[2]

Eleanor and Peter had four children:

In 1373 Eleanor's eldest son John married Martha of Armagnac, a calm and conciliatory woman. Eleanor treated Martha as her own daughter.[3]

Upon a royal stay at her home in Empordà, Eleanor made Sibila of Fortia her lady-in-waiting. This led to an eventful future for the girl.

In Lérida on 20 April 1375, Eleanor died leaving her husband a widower and her three surviving children. Her husband remarried to Sibila, a girl that was over thirty years his junior. Most of the family, including Eleanor's children, came into conflict with Sibila.[4]

Ancestry

References

  1. Cawley, Charles, SICILY, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, retrieved August 2012,
  2. Medieval Lands
  3. Translations from Catalan Wikipedia ca:Mata d'Armanyac
  4. Cawley, Charles, ARAGON, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, retrieved August 2012,
Preceded by
Eleanor of Portugal
Queen consort of Aragon
13491375
Succeeded by
Sibila of Fortia
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