Frederic, Count of Luna

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Frederick
admiral
Coat of arms of the House of Barcelona
Count of Luna
Bornc. 1401
Died29 May 1438 (aged 36–37)
Noble familyof Barcelona
Spouse(s)Violante Luisa de Mur
FatherMartin I of Sicily
MotherTarsia Rizzani

Frederic, Count of Luna (Spanish: Fadrique; c. 1401 – 29 May 1438), was a contender for the crown of Aragon.

Early life

Frederic was one of two illegitimate children recognised by King Martin the Younger of Sicily. His mother was his father's concubine, the Sicilian noblewoman Tarsia Rizzani. In 1403, Frederic and his likewise illegitimate paternal half-sister Violant were declared wards of the Crown of Aragon by their paternal grandfather, King Martin the Elder of Aragon. The royal councilor Francesc de Casasaja was ordered to bring them to Barcelona and to care for them until the King and his wife, Maria de Luna, decided "how to deal with the said son and daughter".[1] Queen Maria, the children's grandmother, assumed the responsibility for their upbringing and education. Their illegitimate status notwithstanding, Frederic and his half-sister were the only grandchildren of the King and Queen of Aragon. The Queen died in 1406.[1]

Succession prospects

King Martin the Elder

In 1409, King Martin the Younger died. His father's death, following the deaths of his legitimate half-brothers, left Frederic as the only living male descendant of Martin the Elder, now also king of Sicily. Martin the Elder was very fond of his grandson, but was nevertheless aware that his illegitimacy rendered his claim to the thrones of the Crown of Aragon significantly weaker, especially when compared to that of the closest legitimate agnate, Count James II of Urgell.[2] The old king intended to ensure Frederic's accession at least to the throne of Sicily.[3] He thus sought to have Frederic legitimated by the pope,[4] but died from laughter a year after Martin the Younger.[5] The question of succession not being settled yet, an interregnum ensued. In 1412, Frederic's cousin, Ferdinand of Castile, became king according to the Compromise of Caspe. The nobility of Sicily preferred Frederic to Ferdinand, but the proposal to make the former into king of an independent Sicily failed.[6]

Military career

Frederic was created Count of Luna and made an admiral. As such, he took part in an expedition to the island of Djerba, commanded by Infante Peter, Count of Alburquerque, in 1425. He also accompanied the army of King Alfonso the Magnanimous to Castile in order to liberate the King's brother, Infante Henry, Duke of Villena.[7]

Frederic resumed his claim to the throne in the 1430s, for which he was imprisoned and all his lands, including the County of Luna and the city of Segorb, were confiscated. He died as a prisoner.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Earenfight, Theresa (2005). Queenship And Political Power In Medieval And Early Modern Spain. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 075465074X.
  2. ^ Allmand, Christopher (1998). C. 1415 - c. 1500. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521382963.
  3. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica. 1973.
  4. ^ Rábade Obradó, María del Pilar; Ramírez Vaquero, Eloísa; Utrilla Utrilla, Juan F. (2005). Dinámica política. Ediciones Akal. ISBN 8470904337.
  5. ^ Paul N. Morris, Patronage and Piety Montserrat and the Royal House of Medieval Catalonia-Aragon, October 2000
  6. ^ Grierson, Philip; Travaini, Lucia (1998). Medieval European Coinage: Volume 14, South Italy, Sicily, Sardinia: With a Catalogue of the Coins in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521582318.
  7. ^ Sáiz Serrano, Jorge (2011). Caballeros del rey: Nobleza y guerra en el reinado de Alfonso el Magnánimo. Universitat de València. ISBN 978-8437084336.

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