Brancaleone Doria was the husband of Eleanor of Arborea

Eleanor of Arborea

Eleanor ; 1347 – 1404) was the giudicessa of Arborea from 1383 to her death. She was one of the last — and most powerful and significant — Sardinian judges; as well as the island's most renowned heroine....

. He was a scion of an influential family (the Doria

Doria

Doria, originally de Auria , meaning "the sons of Auria", and then de Oria or d'Oria, is the name of an old and extremely wealthy Genoese family who played a major role in the history of the Republic of Genoa and in Italy, from the 12th century to the 16th century.-Origins:According to legend, a...

) of the Republic of Genoa

Republic of Genoa

The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....

, the son of the elder Brancaleone and a woman named Giacomina. On 16 March 1357, he became a vassal of Peter IV of Aragon

Peter IV of Aragon

Peter IV, , called el Cerimoniós or el del punyalet , was the King of Aragon, King of Sardinia and Corsica , King of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona Peter IV, (Balaguer, September 5, 1319 – Barcelona, January 6, 1387), called el Cerimoniós ("the Ceremonious") or el del punyalet ("the one...

, the nominal King of Sardinia, to legitimate the possessions of his father on the island.

When Hugh III of Arborea

Hugh III of Arborea

Hugh III was the eldest son and successor of Marianus IV of Arborea and Timbor of Rocabertí. He succeeded in 1376 as Giudice of Arborea and Count of Goceano. In most ways he continued and augmented the policies of his father...

, Eleanor's brother, sought out a matrimonial alliance with Genoa, his choice for a brother-in-law fell on Brancaleone. The marriage took place in 1376, a political alliance only, for the Bas-Serra family of Eleanor was opposed to the royal pretensions of the House of Barcelona

House of Barcelona

The House of Barcelona was a medieval dynasty that ruled the County of Barcelona continuously from 878 and the Crown of Aragon from 1137 . From the male part they descend from the Bellonids, the descendants of Wifred the Hairy...

, to which Brancaleone was affiliated. Already at the time of his marriage, he had illegitimate children, Giannettino and Nicholas, by an anonymous woman.

When Hugh was assassinated in 1383, Eleanor and Brancaleone's young son Frederick

Frederick of Arborea

Frederick was the Judge of Arborea from 1383 until his death. His surname was Doria Cappai de Baux, the last part being a corruption of Bas-Serra...

 succeeded to the Giudicato of Arborea. At that time, Brancaleone was in Catalonia

Catalonia

Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...

 to receive the honorific title of "Count of Monteleone and Baron of Lower Marmilla." As soon as Peter IV heard of the election of Frederick, he arrested Brancaleone and sent him to Cagliari

Cagliari

Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships : Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu...

, to be imprisoned first in the tower of Pancrazio and then in that of Elefante. Arborea was governed in the meantime by Eleanor.

Frederick, later seized and imprisoned by Peter himself, died young and in captivity. He was succeeded by Brancaleone's second son, Marianus V

Marianus V of Arborea

Marianus V was the Judge of Arborea from 1387 until his death. His surname was Doria Cappai de Baux, the last part being a corruption of Bas-Serra...

. Brancaleone was finally liberated only on 1 January 1390. His fidelity to the Aragonese crown was by then broken.

On 1 April 1391, Brancaleone marched on Castel di Cagliari and, on 16 August, occupied Sassari

Sassari

Sassari is an Italian city. It is the second-largest city of Sardinia in terms of population with about 130,000 inhabitants, or about 300,000 including the greater metropolitan area...

 and Osilo

Osilo

Osilo is a comune in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 170 km north of Cagliari and about 10 km east of Sassari...

 with his son Marianus. In September, he conquered the castles of Fava, Galtellì

Galtellì

Galtellì is a comune in the Province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 140 km northeast of Cagliari and about 25 km northeast of Nuoro...

, Bonvehì, and Pedreso. Only Alghero

Alghero

Alghero , is a town of about 44,000 inhabitants in Italy. It lies in the province of Sassari in northwestern Sardinia, next to the sea.-History:The area of today's Alghero has been settled since pre-historic times...

 and Longosardo remained in Aragonese hands by then. On 3 October, he entered Villa di Chiesa. In a letter written at Sanluri

Sanluri

Sanluri is the capital town of the province of Medio Campidano, Sardinia, Italy....

 on 3 February 1392, he announced having repossessed all the territories lost to the Aragonese in 1388. On 16 March, a fleet under Martin of Aragon appeared off Capo San Marco, conducted from Sicily for the purpose of putting down Brancaleone's "rebellion." The attempt failed.

Following Marianus' death, Arborea passed to William III of Narbonne

William III of Narbonne

William III was the nominal Viscount of Narbonne and Judge of Arborea .He was the grandson of Beatrice, youngest daughter of Marianus IV of Arborea and Timbra de Rocabertí, and Aimery VI of Narbonne . When Marianus V, the youngest son of Beatrice' elder sister Eleanor, died in 1407, Arborea...

. Brancaleone retired to his estates at Monteleone. He disappears from the record mysteriously before the Battle of Sanluri

Battle of Sanluri

The Battle of Sanluri was fought on June 30, 1409 between the armies of the Giudicato of Arborea and the Catalan-Sicilian army of King Martin I of Sicily....

in 1409.