- James II of Majorca
James II ( _ca. Jaume) (died 1311) was
King of Majorca and Lord of Montpellier from 1243 until his death. He was the second son ofJames I of Aragon and his wife Violant, daughter ofAndrew II of Hungary . In 1279, by the Treaty ofPerpignan , he became a vassal of theKingdom of Aragon .James inherited from his father a vast realm including three of the
Balearic Islands (Majorca ,Ibiza andFormentera ), the counties of Roussillon andCerdanya , the dominion ofMontpellier , the barony of Aumelàs, and the viscounty of Carladès. He also gained tribute from the fourth Balearic island,Minorca , which remained underMuslim control throughout his life. His status as a vassal to the Kingdom of Aragon, which was, at the time, the other component kingdom of theCrown of Aragon and under the rule of his brother, Peter III, conflicted with his management of the Kingdom of Majorca, which spread over a greater amount of land than did Aragon.Fact|date=March 2007In the
Aragonese Crusade , James allied withPope Martin IV and kingPhilip III of France (the widower of his sister, Isabella) against his brother, but was defeated in theBattle of Les Formigues in 1285. His nephewAlfonso III of Aragon annexed the Balearic Islands to Aragon in the conquest, but they were returned by theTreaty of Anagni in 1295.Following this reversion, James made an effort to improve the viability of the kingdom on the domestic front. He devoted himself to running his kingdom by reforming urbanism, establishing agricultural policy, emphasising defense, and reforming the economy. He implemented a vast policy of agricultural colonisation with the creation of rural centres; increase royal rents; favoured the creation of consulates in
North Africa and theKingdom of Granada ; created a new monetary system for the kingdom; fomented the creation of textile industries; proceeded to increase the power of the crown over that of the nobility and the Church; and ordered the construction of several palaces and castles, including the palace at Perpignan, thePalace of Almudaina , the Cathedral of Santa María atPalma de Mallorca , known today asLa Seu , and, finally,Bellver Castle . The opening of criminal proceedings against theKnights Templar and their later suppression would allow the seizure of the tithes of the Templars on the islands.James wed Esclaramunda of Foix in 1275 through a marriage arranged by his own initiative and not that of his father's. Esclaramunda was a daughter of
Roger IV of Foix . They had six children including:
* Jaume - Became a Franciscan monk before his father's death.
* Sanç - Who succeeded James to the kingdom asSancho I of Majorca
*Sancha of Majorca . MarriedRobert of Naples .
* Felip
* Elisabet - Wife ofJuan Manuel, Duke of Penafiel .
* Ferran - Father of Jaume who succeeded Sancho I asJames III of Majorca .References
*1911
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.