| Alfonso III | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Medieval miniature of Alfonso III,c. 1315–1325 | |
| King of Aragon andValencia Count of Barcelona | |
| Reign | November 1285 – 18 June 1291[1] |
| Coronation | 2 February 1286,Valencia 9 April 1286,Zaragoza |
| Predecessor | Peter III |
| Successor | James II |
| Born | 4 November 1265 Valencia,Kingdom of Valencia |
| Died | 18 June 1291 (aged 25) Barcelona,Principality of Catalonia |
| Burial | Barcelona Cathedral; prev. Convent de Sant Francesc, Barcelona |
| House | House of Barcelona |
| Father | Peter III of Aragon |
| Mother | Constance II of Sicily |
Alfonso III (4 November 1265 – 18 June 1291), calledthe Liberal (el Liberal) andthe Free (also "the Frank", fromel Franc), was king ofAragon andValencia, and count ofBarcelona (asAlfons II) from 1285 until his death. He conquered theKingdom of Majorca between his succession and 1287.
Alfonso was the son of KingPeter III of Aragon andConstance, daughter and heiress of KingManfred of Sicily.[2]
Soon after assuming the throne, he conducted a campaign to reincorporate theBalearic Islands into theCrown of Aragon, which had been lost due to the division of the realm by his grandfather,James I of Aragon. Thus in 1285 he declared war on his uncle,James II of Majorca, and conquered both Majorca (1285) and Ibiza (1286), effectively reassuming suzerainty over theKingdom of Majorca. He followed this with the conquest ofMenorca – until then an autonomousMuslim state (Manûrqa) within the Kingdom of Majorca – on 17 January 1287, the anniversary of which now serves as Menorca's national holiday.
Alfonso initially sought to maintain Aragonese control over Sicily by supporting the claims of his brother James II to the island. However, he later retracted his support for his brother shortly before his death and instead tried to make peace with thePapal States and withFrance.[1]
His reign was marred by a constitutional struggle with the Aragonese nobles, which eventually culminated in the articles of theUnion of Aragon – the so-called "Magna Carta of Aragon", which devolved several key royal powers into the hands of lesser nobles. His inability to resist the demands of his nobles was to leave a heritage of disunity in Aragon and further dissent amongst the nobility, who increasingly saw little reason to respect the throne, and brought the Kingdom of Aragon close to anarchy.
During his lifetime a dynastic marriage withEleanor, daughter of KingEdward I of England, was arranged. However, Alfonso died before meeting his bride, at the age of 25 in 1291, and was buried in the Franciscan convent in Barcelona; since 1852 his remains have been buried in Barcelona Cathedral.[3][4]
Dante Alighieri, in theDivine Comedy, recounts that he saw Alfonso's spirit seated outside the gates ofPurgatory with the other monarchs whom Dante blamed for the chaotic political state ofEurope during the 13th century.[5]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Alfonso III of Aragon Born: c. 1265 Died: 18 June 1291 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Aragon andValencia Count of Barcelona 1285–1291 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | King of Majorca disputed withJames the Prudent 1286–1291 | |
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