Editing Peter III of Aragon (section)

==Wars abroad==
===Tunisia===
When [[Muhammad I al-Mustansir]], the [[Hafsid]] Emir of Tunisia who had put himself under [[James I of Aragon]], died in 1277, [[Tunisia]] threw off the yoke of Aragonese suzerainty.{{Sfn|Chaytor|1933|p=101}} Peter first sent an expedition to [[Tunis]] in 1280 under Conrad de Llansa designed to re-establish his suzerainty.{{Sfn|Chaytor|1933|p=97}} In 1281, he himself prepared to lead a fleet of 140 ships with {{formatnum:15000}} men to invade Tunisia on behalf of the governor of [[Constantine, Algeria|Constantine]].{{Sfn|Chaytor|1933|p=102}} The fleet landed at [[Collo|Alcoyll]] in 1282. It was these Aragonese troops that received a Sicilian embassy after the [[Sicilian Vespers|Vespers]] of 30 March asking Peter to take their throne from [[Charles I of Anjou]].

===War of the Sicilian Vespers===
{{Main|War of the Sicilian Vespers}}
[[File:Nuova cronica. f.123r.jpg|thumb|Peter III gives audience to ambassadors of [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor]] and [[Michael VIII Palaiologos]], demanding Peter to intervene in the war against [[Charles I of Anjou]]. ''[[Nuova Cronica]]''.]][[File:Nuova cronica. f.123v.jpg|thumb|Peter III preparing his trip to Sicily. The king receives the visit of two Dominican friars, envoyes of [[Pope Martin IV]] trying to convince him not to sail to Sicily. ''[[Nuova Cronica]]''.]][[File:Nuova cronica. f.127r.jpg|thumb|Peter III's fleet landing at [[Trapani]]. The king is depicted directing the landing, next to his wife Constance. ''[[Nuova Cronica]]''.]]

In 1266, [[Charles I of Naples]], with the approval of [[Pope Clement IV]], invaded the [[Kingdom of Sicily]], governed by the [[house of Hohenstaufen]], which was the house of Peter's wife, [[Constance II of Sicily]], daughter of [[Manfred of Sicily]] and rightful heir to the throne of Sicily after the deaths of her father and cousin [[Conradin]] fighting against Charles's invading forces. This made Peter the heir of [[Manfred of Sicily]] in right of his wife.

The Italian physician [[John of Procida]] acted on behalf of Peter in Sicily. John had fled to Aragon after Charles' success at the [[Battle of Tagliacozzo]]. John travelled to Sicily to stir up the discontents in favour of Peter and thence to Constantinople to procure the support of [[Michael VIII Palaiologos]].{{Sfn|Chaytor|1933|p=103}} Michael refused to aid the Aragonese king without papal approval, and so John voyaged to Rome and there gained the consent of [[Pope Nicholas III]], who feared the ascent of Charles in the [[Mezzogiorno]]. John then returned to Barcelona but the Pope died, to be replaced by [[Pope Martin IV]], a Frenchman and a staunch ally of [[Charles I of Anjou|Charles]] and the [[Capetian House of Anjou|Anjou dynasty]]. This set the stage for the upcoming conflict.

Constance thus claimed to her father's throne, supported by her husband, but the claim was fruitless, as Charles was supported by the Papacy and his power remained stronger. The election of a new [[Pope Nicholas III]] in 1277 gave the King of Aragon a glimpse of hope, but Nicholas died in 1280 and a pro-French [[Pope Martin IV]] dissipated hopes.

Peter nevertheless had begun making strategic alliances with his neighbouring monarchs. Peter made his brother [[James II of Majorca]] sign the treaty of Perpignan in 1279, in which he recognized the [[Kingdom of Majorca]] as a feudal kingdom of Peter III (making the Crown of Aragon an indissoluble unity). Peter pressed his advantage and by February 1283 had taken most of the Calabrian coastline. Charles, perhaps feeling desperate, sent letters to Peter demanding they resolve the conflict by personal combat. Peter accepted and Charles returned to France to arrange the duel. Both kings chose six knights to settle on places and dates, and a duel was scheduled for 1 June at [[Bordeaux]]. A hundred knights would accompany each side and [[Edward I of England]] would adjudge the contest; the English king, heeding the pope, however, refused to take part. Peter left John of Procida in charge of Sicily and returned via his own kingdom to Bordeaux, which he entered in disguise to evade a suspected French ambush. Needless to say, no combat ever took place and Peter returned to find a very turbulent Aragon.{{Sfn|Harris|2003|p= 104}}

He also had a long-lasting friendly relationship with the [[Kingdom of Castile]], establishing a strong alliance between realms by signing the treaties of Campillo and Ágreda in 1281 with [[Alfonso X of Castile]] and infant [[Sancho IV of Castile|Sancho]].

With the [[Kingdom of Portugal]], Peter established a marital alliance by which his eldest daughter [[Elizabeth of Aragon]] married [[Denis I of Portugal]]. Peter also made alliance with the [[Kingdom of England]], engaging his heir [[Alfonso III of Aragon|Alfonso III]] with [[Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar|Eleanor of England]], daughter of [[Edward I of England]]. Despite all these alliances, Peter kept his bad relationship with the Kingdom of France.

On 30 March 1282 there was a popular uprising in the Kingdom of Sicily called the [[Sicilian Vespers]], against the government of Charles I of Anjou. The noble sicilian rebels asked for Peter for help and offered him the crown as they considered his wife Constance their rightful Queen, and after receiving an embassy from the people of [[Palermo]] at [[Alcoy]], Peter landed at [[Trapani]] on 30 August 1282.{{Sfn|Chaytor|1933|p=103}} He was proclaimed King in Palermo on 4 September.{{sfn|Aurell|2020|p=246}} Charles was forced to flee across the [[Straits of Messina]] and be content with his [[Kingdom of Naples]]. [[Pope Martin IV]] excommunicated both Peter and [[Michael VIII Palaiologos]] for providing Peter with {{formatnum:60000}} gold pieces to invade Sicily.{{Sfn|Harris|2003|p=180}}

Catalan ground troops were commanded by Guillem Galceran de Cartellà, and were formed by the famous and feared [[almogavars]], [[Arbalest|crossbowmen]], and [[lance]]rs. Peter's powerful fleet was commanded by [[Roger of Lauria]], and constantly repelled Angevin attacks to the island. Roger de Lauria defeated the French forces at the [[Battle of Malta]], and at the [[Battle of the Gulf of Naples|Gulf of Naples]] in 1284, where [[Charles of Salerno]], son of Charles I, was made prisoner.

The conquest of Sicily was financed by Jewish contributions and taxes charged to the ''[[aljama]]s.'' The infant Alfonso demanded them an allowance of {{formatnum:200000}} ''sous'' in 1282. The ''aljamas'' from the [[Kingdom of Valencia]] gave {{formatnum:25000}} ''sous,'' the [[Kingdom of Aragon|Aragonese]] {{formatnum:75000}} and {{formatnum:100000}} were charged to the [[Principality of Catalonia|Catalan]] ''aljamas''. The [[Kingdom of Sicily]] was to be a tenaciously pursued inheritance for the Aragonese royal house and its heirs for the next five centuries.