Mary of Sicily

Infobox_Monarch | name =Mary
title =Queen of Sicily; Duchess of Athens


caption =
spouse =Martin of Aragon
reign =1139 – 25 May 1401
predecessor =Frederick III
successor =Martin I
issue =
royal house =Trinacria
father =Frederick III
mother =Constança of Aragon
date of birth =2 July 1363
place of birth =
date of death =25 May 1401
place of death =
place of burial =|

Mary of Sicily (Catania, Kingdom of Sicily, 2 July 1363 – Lentini, Kingdom of Sicily, May 25, 1401), Queen of Sicily, was the daughter and heir of Frederick III "The Simple" by his first wife Constança of Aragon.

As she was very young at the time of her father's death in 1377, her government was effectively taken over by four baronial families who styled themselves "vicars."

In 1382 Mary was taken first to Sardinia, then in 1384 to Aragon, where she was married to Martin "The Younger", the grandson of Peter IV of Aragon in 1389. In 1392 Mary and Martin returned with a military force and successfully defeated the opposing barons, ruling jointly until Mary's death in 1401. At that time, Martin repudiated the Treaty of 1372 and ruled Sicily alone. She also survived their only son, Pietro (1398 – 1400). The kingdom remained without a crown prince and it caused a succession crisis for Martin, who ruled by right of his wife. According to the last will of Frederick III, he named his illegitimate son, William of Aragon Count of Malta as heir presumptive in this case of the extinction of his daughter's line and although William died in c. 1380, he had a daughter, Joan of Aragon, wife of a Sicilain noble man, Pietro di Gioeni but she cannot have contested the claim of her aunt's husband and Martin's claim was confirmed and he continued to rule until his death.

References

*Maria Rita Lo Forte Scirpo: C'era una volta una regina ... : due donne per un regno: Maria d'Aragona e Bianca di Navarra, Napoli: Liguori, 2003. ISBN 882 073 527 X
*http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SICILY.htm#_Toc163556389
*http://www.mittelalter-genealogie.de/mittelalter/koenige/sizilien/maria_koenigin_1402.html