Thetreaty of Ágreda, sometimes erroneously called thetreaty of Torrellas,[1] was signed on 9 August 1304 between theCrown of Castile and theCrown of Aragon resolved the disputed succession to Castile following the death of KingAlfonso X in 1284 and demarcated the disputed border in theKingdom of Murcia.[1]
Negotiations took place near the border of the two kingdoms, atÁgreda on the Castilian side andTarazona on the Aragonese. KingFerdinand IV of Castile and KingJames II of Aragon were present with their courts. The negotiations were mediated by KingDenis of Portugal, who issued an arbitral decision atTorrellas, near Tarazona in Aragonese territory, on 8 August.[1]
In his last will and testament, Alfonso X had given the king of France the right to defend the rights of inheritance of Alfonso's grandsons, the sons of his late heir,Fernando de la Cerda. In 1288, however, Alfonso's second son,Sancho IV, negotiated theTreaty of Lyon with KingPhilip IV of France whereby the latter dropped his support for Sancho's nephews. The elder of the nephews,Alfonso de la Cerda, then sought the support of KingAlfonso III of Aragon, who had him crowned in opposition to Sancho IV. The young king in exile then ceded Murcia to James, whoconquered it between 1296 and 1301.[1] He also invaded lands of theLordship of Villena.[2] The resolution of the war over Murcia was dependent on a resolution of the disputed Castilian succession.[1]
TheinfanteJohn of Valencia de Campos, the younger brother of Sancho IV and uncle of Alfonso de la Cerda, could claim a share of the kingdom through his father's will. In 1295, he was recognzied asKing of León by King Denis of Portugal. The result was an alliance between Portugal, John of Valencia de Campos, Aragon and Alfonso de la Cerda against Ferdinand IV. In 1300, however, John made peace with Ferdinand and became his close ally.[1]
The treaty, originally drawn up in theCastilian language, was eventually copied into theLivro Quinto, acartulary of King Denis's chancery, where it is accompanied by six subsidiary documents. These documents trace the progress of the negotiations that culminated in the treaty. On 20 February 1304, Ferdinand IV appointed his uncle, John of Valencia de Campos, as his representative. John met with James II and Alfonso de la Cerda, who claimed the throne of Castile, on 20 April for preliminary negotiations.[1] There were six separate agreements negotiated before the finally treaty as part of the process:
On 1 August 1304, Ferdinand IV appointed his chancellors, Ferrench Gómez and Diego García, to act as his proxies at Ágreda for the Murcian dispute. He empowered theinfante John to act as his proxy in the case of Alfonso de la Cerda. He himself did not cross the border.[1]
As a result of these agreements, two arbitral tribunals handed down decisions in two separate suits on 8 August. King Denis, John of Valencia and Bishop Jimeno demarcated the border between the two crowns in Murcia, while King Denis and King James decided the fate of Alfonso de la Cerda. A record of the latter sentence still exists, but no record of the former sentence has been preserved.[1]
Following the sentences handed down in Torrellas (Torrijos) in Aragon, the final peace treaty between the sovereigns was signed at Ágreda in Castile. James II, Ferdinand IV, Denis and John of Valencia de Campos were the signatories.[1] In the words of the treaty:
...in order to secure loyalty between us, King of Castile and King of Aragon, and better secure what has been established, agreed and signed by us, we decide, for our good and advancement, to include in this agreement the said King of Portugal and Prince Don Juan, so as to be closer to each other, as well as our successors, in loyalty and peace, thus remaining friends of our friends and foes of our foes.[1]
In the treaty, Aragon was awarded many cities north of theSegura,[3] and James retained a portion of Villena.[2] However, the treaty did not establish a definitive border, something only finalized the following year by theTreaty of Elche.[4] According to theCrónica ofRamon Muntaner:
And the king of Aragón restored the kingdom of Murcia to King Don Fernando, except for the part he had conquered, that his grandfather, King James I, had given as a dowry forhis daughter to DonManuel, the brother of King Alfonso [X] of Castile. And since that lady died without children, the land had to be returned to the king of Aragón and because of King James's great friendship with his son-in-law, King Alfonso, and with Infante Don Manuel, who was also his son-in-law, he allowed Don Manuel to keep the land. And now the king of Aragón wants it back and by rights and with reason; and thus in this peace treaty, he will recover it, that is,Alicante,Elche,Aspe,Petrer, the Valley ofElda andNovelda, andla Mola [es],Crevillente,Abanilla,Callosa,Orihuela, andGuardamar.[5]