 The Madrice complex in Caltabellotta, near which stood the castle where the signing took place | |
| Type | Peace treaty |
|---|---|
| Context | War of the Sicilian Vespers |
| Signed | August 31, 1302 |
| Location | Caltabellotta |
| Mediators |  Pope Boniface VIII |
| Original signatories | |
| Signatories |  Charles II of Naples |
ThePeace ofCaltabellotta, signed on 31 August 1302,[1] was the last of a series of treaties, including those ofTarascon andAnagni, designed to end theWar of the Sicilian Vespers between the Houses ofAnjou andBarcelona for ascendancy in theMediterranean and especiallySicily and theMezzogiorno.
The peace divided the oldKingdom of Sicily into an island portion and a peninsular portion. The island, called theKingdom of Trinacria, went toFrederick III, who had been ruling it;[2] theMezzogiorno, called the Kingdom of Sicily contemporaneously but the Kingdom of Naples by modern scholarship, went toCharles II, who had been ruling it. Thus, the peace was formal recognition of an uneasystatus quo.
The treaty also stipulated that Trinacria would pass to the Angevins on Frederick's death, but until then, Charles paid a tribute of 100,000 ounces of gold in exchange to Frederick.[2] Immediately, in exchange, Frederick handed over all his possessions inCalabria and elsewhere on the mainland and released Charles' sonPhilip,Prince of Taranto,[3] from his prison inCefalù. As well, the marriage of Charles' daughter Eleanor to Frederick was arranged.
The consequences of the treaty meant thatRoger de Flor and hisAlmogavars of theCatalan Company had to seek pay elsewhere. They took up service withByzantine EmperorAndronicus II Palaeologus.[4]Bernat de Rocafort, an Almogàvar, did not want to return to Charles his two castles in Calabria until he was compensated with pay. He was captured and left to eventually die in anoubliette ofRobert the Wise, Charles' successor, in 1309.
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