Peter II (Latin: Petrus II,Italian: Pietro II,Sicilian: Pietru; 1304 – 8 August 1342) was the King of Sicily from 1337 until his death, although he was associated with his father as co-ruler from 1321. Peter's father was Frederick III of Sicily and his mother was Eleanor, a daughter of Charles II of Naples.[1] His reign was marked by strife between the throne and the nobility, especially the old families of Ventimiglia, Palizzi and Chiaramonte, and by war between Sicily and Naples.[2]

Peter II
Peter kneeling before Christ, from a mosaic in the cathedral of Messina
King of Sicily
Reign25 June 1337 - 15 August 1342
PredecessorFrederick III
SuccessorLouis
Born1304
Altofonte, Kingdom of Sicily
Died(1342-08-15)15 August 1342
Calascibetta, Kingdom of Sicily
Burial
Cathedral of Palermo
SpouseElisabeth of Carinthia
Issue
more...
HouseBarcelona
FatherFrederick III of Sicily
MotherEleanor of Anjou

Contemporaries regarded Peter as feeble-minded. Giovanni Villani, in his Nuova Cronica, calls him "almost an imbecile" (Italianate Latin: quasi un mentacatto) and Nicola Speciale, in his Historia Sicula, calls him "pure and simple" (purus et simplex).[2]

Under Peter, the Neapolitans conquered the Lipari Islands and took the cities of Milazzo and Termini in Sicily itself.[2] He died after a short illness on 8 August 1342[2] in Calascibetta and was buried in the cathedral of Palermo. He was succeeded by Louis, his eldest son, who was only four years old.[3]

Marriage and children

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He married Elisabeth of Carinthia,[4] with whom he had nine children:

References

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  1. ^ a b c Grierson & Travaini 1998, p. 256.
  2. ^ a b c d Grierson & Travaini 1998, p. 268.
  3. ^ Grierson & Travaini 1998, p. 269.
  4. ^ Ritzerfeld 2015, p. 289.
  5. ^ Hulme 1915, p. 561.
  6. ^ Drees 2001, p. 428.

Sources

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  • Drees, Clayton J., ed. (2001). The Late Medieval Age of Crisis and Renewal, 1300-1500: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Press.
  • Grierson, Philip; Travaini, Lucia (1998). Medieval European Coinage: With a Catalogue of the Coins in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Vol. 14 (Italy) part 3 (South Italy, Sicily, Sardinia). Cambridge University Press.
  • Hulme, Edward Maslin (1915). The Renaissance: The Protestant Revolution and The Catholic Reformation in Continental Europe. The Century Co.
  • Ritzerfeld, Ulrike (2015). "The Language of Power: Transgressing Borders in Luxury Metal Object of the Lusignan". In Rogge, Sabine; Grünbart, Michael (eds.). Medieval Cyprus: a Place of Cultural Encounter. Waxmann Verlag GmbH.
Peter II of Sicily
Born: July 1305 Died: 15 August 1342
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Sicily
1337–1342
Succeeded by