Constance of Sicily, Queen of Aragon

For other people named Constance of Sicily, see Constance of Sicily (disambiguation).

For other people named Constance of Aragon, see Constance of Aragon (disambiguation).

Constance of Sicily
Queen consort of Aragon, Sicily, and Valencia; Countess consort of Barcelona
Tenure	1276–1285
Spouse	Peter III of Aragon
Issue
Alfonso III of Aragon James II of Aragon Elisabeth, Queen of Portugal Frederick III of Sicily Yolanda, Duchess of Calabria Pedro of Aragon
House	Hohenstaufen Dynasty (by birth) House of Aragon (by marriage)
Father	Manfred of Sicily
Mother	Beatrice of Savoy
Born	1249 Sicily
Died	9 April 1302 (aged 52 or 53) Barcelona, Spain
Burial	Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, Barcelona

Constance (or Constantia) (1249 – 9 April 1302) was the Queen consort of Peter III of Aragon.

Family

She was the only daughter of Manfred of Sicily and his first wife Beatrice of Savoy. Her paternal grandparents were Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and his mistress Bianca Lancia. Her maternal grandparents were Amadeus IV of Savoy and his first wife Anne of Burgundy.

Marriage

On 13 June 1262, Constantia married Prince Peter of Aragon, eldest son of James I of Aragon and his second wife Violant of Hungary.

Manfred was killed in the Battle of Benevento (26 February 1266) while fighting against his rival Charles of Anjou, son of Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile. As his eldest daughter she could be considered his heiress but did not pursue her claim at this time.

James I died on 27 July 1276 and Peter succeeded to the throne. Constance became his Queen consort. With the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302), at first Peter and then their sons claimed the throne of Sicily in her right. The War resulted in the partition of the Kingdom of Sicily to the "Kingdom of Trinacria" (the island of Sicily) under her descendants and the Kingdom of Naples under the descendants of Charles of Anjou.

Peter III died on 2 November 1285 and Constantia remained a widow. She ended her days as a nun in Barcelona.

Children

Constantia and Peter III of Aragon had six children:

• Alfonso III of Aragon (1265 – 18 June 1291).
• James II of Aragon (10 August 1267 – 2 November 1327).
• Elizabeth of Aragon (1271 – 4 July 1336). Married Denis of Portugal.
• Frederick III of Sicily (13 December 1272 – 25 June 1337).
• Yolanda of Aragon (1273 – August, 1302). Married Robert of Naples.
• Infante Pedro of Aragon (1275 – 25 August 1296). Married Guillemette of Béarn, daughter of Gaston VII of Montcada, Viscount of Béarn.

Constantia's ancestors in three generations

Constantia of Sicily	Father: Manfred of Sicily	Paternal Grandfather: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor	Paternal Great-grandfather: Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Constance of Sicily
		Paternal Grandmother: Bianca Lancia	Paternal Great-grandfather: Unknown
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Unknown
	Mother: Beatrice of Savoy	Maternal Grandfather: Amadeus IV of Savoy	Maternal Great-grandfather: Thomas I of Savoy
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Marguerite of Geneva
		Maternal Grandmother: Anne of Burgundy	Maternal Great-grandfather: Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Béatrice of Albon

Constance of Sicily, Queen of Aragon House of Hohenstaufen Born: circa 1249 Died: 9 April 1302
Royal titles
Preceded by Teresa Gil de Vidaure	Queen consort of Aragon 1276–1285	Succeeded by Isabella of Castile
	Countess consort of Barcelona, Girona, Osona and Besalú 1276–1285
	Queen consort of Valencia 1276–1285
Preceded by Margaret of Burgundy	Queen consort of Sicily 1282–1285	Succeeded by Isabella of Castile

External links

• A listing of descendants of the Hohenstaufen Dynasty

Persondata
Name	Constantia Of Sicily
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1249
Place of birth	Sicily
Date of death	9 April 1302
Place of death	Barcelona, Spain