Blasco II de Alagona called the Young, was a very influential nobleman in fourteenth century Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

. He was probably born in Sicily, of an Aragonese

Aragon

Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...

 family. He succeeded his father Blasco I.

Blasco was very close to the ruling house, also of Aragonese origin, and received many favours from them. The Alagona family was the most powerful in Catania

Catania

Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...

 at first and then eastern and eventually, under Blasco II, all of Sicily. In 1320, Frederick II of Sicily

Frederick III of Sicily

Frederick II was the regent and subsequently King of Sicily from 1295 until his death. He was the third son of Peter III of Aragon and served in the War of the Sicilian Vespers on behalf of his father and brothers, Alfonso and James...

 ceded the Castle of Aci, expropriated from Margherita, descendant of the Admiral

Admiral

Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...

 Roger of Lauria

Roger of Lauria

Roger of Lauria, Loria or de Llúria in Catalan , was an Sicilian-Aragonese admiral, who was the commander of the fleet of Aragon during the War of the Sicilian Vespers. He was probably the most successful and talented naval tactician of the medieval period...

, to Blasco. In 1326, Blasco defended the city of Palermo

Palermo

Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...

 from the Angevins

Capetian House of Anjou

The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...

. While there, Beltrando del Balzo pillaged Aci.

During the reign of Peter II

Peter II of Sicily

Peter II was crowned King of Sicily in 1321 and gained full sovereignty when his father died in 1337....

, Blasco was the Grand Justiciar

Justiciar

In medieval England and Ireland the Chief Justiciar was roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister as the monarch's chief minister. Similar positions existed on the Continent, particularly in Norman Italy. The term is the English form of the medieval Latin justiciarius or justitiarius In...

 of the realm. Giovanni of Randazzo

Giovanni of Randazzo

John, Duke of Randazzo was duke of Randazzo, Athens, and Neopatria, Count of Malta and regent of Sicily .The fourth son of Frederick III of Sicily and Eleanor of Anjou, he was the most powerful nobleman in Sicily during the reigns of his brother Peter and his nephew Louis, during whose minority he...

, brother of Peter, appointed him regent

Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...

 for his nephew, the young King Louis

Louis of Sicily

Louis the Child was King of Sicily from 1342 to 1355.Born in Catania, he was the son of Peter II, whom he succeeded at the age of five, and his mother was Elisabeth of Carinthia. His reign began under the joint regency of his uncle John, Duke of Randazzo, and his mother.He lived at Randazzo...

. As regent, Blasco was opposed by Matteo Palizzi, lord of Tripi

Tripi

Tripi is a town and comune in the province of Messina . It is located on the site of Abacaenum, an ancient Greek colony....

 and Saponara

Saponara

Saponara is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 180 km east of Palermo and about 10 km west of Messina. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,040 and an area of 26.0 km².Saponara borders the following municipalities: Messina,...

 and vicar of the realm. He was killed in a revolt of Messina in 1355. He was succeeded by his son Artale I.