Note: After the
Sicilian Vespers (1282) Sicily and Naples were ruled by different dynasties. Sicily (Aragonese line): •
Frederick III (r. 1296–1337) •
Peter II (r. 1337–1342) •
Louis (r. 1342–1355) •
Frederick IV (r. 1355–1377) •
Maria (r. 1377–1401) Naples (Angevin line): •
Robert of Anjou (r. 1309–1343) •
Joanna I (r. 1343–1382) — with
Louis of Taranto as co-king (1346–1362) •
Charles III of Naples (r. 1382–1386) •
Ladislaus (r. 1386–1414)
Background In the mid-fourteenth century Sicilian politics split into two loose camps. The “Catalan” party backed the Aragonese–Catalan crown (strongest in Catania and the east), while the older “Latin” baronage (rooted in the north and west) often aligned with Angevin interests from Naples after the
Sicilian Vespers. Among leading magnates of the period,
Artale I d'Alagona and
Guglielmo Peralta are usually classed with the Catalan party, while
Manfredi III Chiaramonte and Francesco II Ventimiglia are associated with the Latin barons; other Latin leaders included the Palizzi and Rosso families. (Alignments were fluid and not strictly geographic.)
Captivity and restoration (1338–1354) In January 1338, royal forces loyal to
King Peter II—backed by a faction from the Palizzi and Chiaramonte families—besieged Geraci; Francesco I, who had been condemned for treason, was killed while attempting to flee. The young Francesco was captured and held on the king’s orders; contemporary notices place his custody with the royal captain Ruggero Passaneto. In his later years he tightened control of the north-coast corridor: in 1385 he forced the bishop of
Cefalù to cede the fortified port of
Roccella and obtained a licence to export large quantities of grain free of customs dues. At his death in 1391, the Madonie dominion was at its widest extent. ==Patronage==