Infante Pedro, Count of Urgell
Encyclopedia
Peter I (February 23, 1187 - June 2, 1258) was the second son of King Sancho I of Portugal
and his wife Dulce, infanta of Aragon
, and would eventually become
Count of Urgell and Lord of the Balearic Islands
.
.
After the death of his father, Peter took the side of his sisters Mafalda
, Sancha and Theresa
, in their quarrel with his elder brother, now King Afonso II
, over inheritance of the castles of Seia
,
Alenquer
and Montemor-o-Novo
, Peter got the protection of his sister
Theresa, then Queen of León, from whose territory he launched several
inconclusive attacks on the Portuguese border province of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro
, but eventually had to concede defeat and perpetual exile from
Portugal.
Peter then left León to become a mercenary
in the service of Yusuf II
, the Almohad Caliph of Morocco, commanding a troop of Christian exiles
and adventurers. As such, he was in 1220 involved with the arrival in Morocco of Berard of Carbio
and four other Franciscan
missionaries. Prior to setting out to the Muslim lands, the Franciscans had met with Peter's sister, who told them that she had "a little piece of Morocco in her heart" and asked them to give Peter her love. Once arrived, the Franciscans started preaching in Marrakesh and strongly denouncing Islam
and the Prophet Muhammad
. The Caliph declared them "mad" and charged Peter and his Christian soldiers with escorting them out of his kingdom. However, the Franciscans managed to avoid Peter and his men, and repeated their act, highly sacrilegious in Muslim terms, in the market-place of Marrakesh - leading to their being decapitated by the Caliph personally.
Subsequently, Peter moved to Aragon
, his mother's homeland, where he
became involved in the schemes and campaigns of his relative, the young and ambitious King James I
. In 1229 Peter - continuing his family tradition of seeking a bride in Catalonia
- married Countess Aurembiaix of Urgell, who had long been exiled from Urgell
by the ururper Guerau IV de Cabrera
, and who had been James I's mistress. With Peter as her husband and co-ruler, James helped Aurembiaix regain Urgell under the Aragonese overlordship - after she and Peter agreed to hand over to the King the city of Lleida
(see James I of Aragon#Acquisition of Urgell).
In 1230, Peter helped the Bishop of Tarragona to conquer the Balearic island of Ibiza
from the Moors.
Following Aurembiaix's death in 1231, Peter continued as Count of Urgell in a titular capacity, but this position was disputed by his overlord James I.
In 1236 they came to an agreement by which Peter gave up Urgell, which was given over to the rule of the House of Cabrera
and was eventually annexed to Aragon. In exchange, Peter got the newly-conquered Balearic islands of Majorca, Ibiza
and Formentera
, as well as the castles of Pollença
, and Alaró
(also in the Baleares) and of Almudaina
(in Alicante
).
Peter ruled these Balearic possessions until his death there in 1258. As he left no legitimate issue, they then reverted to the Aragonese Crown, later becoming the core of Kingdom of Majorca
ruled by a minor branch of the Aragonese Royal Family.
Peter left two illegitimate sons, Rodrigo and Fernando.
Sancho I of Portugal
Sancho I , nicknamed the Populator , second monarch of Portugal, was born on 11 November 1154 in Coimbra and died on 26 March 1212 in the same city. He was the second but only surviving legitimate son and fourth child of Afonso I of Portugal by his wife, Maud of Savoy. Sancho succeeded his father...
and his wife Dulce, infanta of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
, and would eventually become
Count of Urgell and Lord of the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
.
Biography
Peter was born at CoimbraCoimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
.
After the death of his father, Peter took the side of his sisters Mafalda
Mafalda of Portugal
Infanta Mafalda of Portugal was a Portuguese infanta , later Queen consort of Castile for a brief period. She was the second youngest daughter of King Sancho I of Portugal and Dulce of Aragon....
, Sancha and Theresa
Teresa of Portugal
Theresa of Portugal was Queen of Léon as the first wife of King Alfonso IX of Léon...
, in their quarrel with his elder brother, now King Afonso II
Afonso II of Portugal
Afonso II , or Affonso , Alfonso or Alphonso or Alphonsus , nicknamed "the Fat" , third king of Portugal, was born in Coimbra on 23 April 1185 and died on 25 March 1223 in the same city. He was the second but eldest surviving son of Sancho I of Portugal by his wife, Dulce, Infanta of Aragon...
, over inheritance of the castles of Seia
Seia
Seia Municipality is located in Guarda District in Portugal. It has a total area of 435.7 km² and a total population of 27,574 inhabitants. Its urban population is about 7,000...
,
Alenquer
Alenquer
Alenquer is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 304.2 km² and a total population of 42,932 inhabitants. The municipality is composed of 16 parishes, and is located in the District of Lisbon....
and Montemor-o-Novo
Montemor-o-Novo
Montemor-o-Novo is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 1233.0 km² and a total population of 18,485 inhabitants. The city itself has a population of 12,000.The municipality is composed of 10 parishes, and is located in the District of Évora....
, Peter got the protection of his sister
Theresa, then Queen of León, from whose territory he launched several
inconclusive attacks on the Portuguese border province of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro
Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro
Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro is a historical province of Portugal located in the northeastern corner of the country. Vast plateaus, river valleys, mountains, and castles abound in Trás os Montes e Alto Douro....
, but eventually had to concede defeat and perpetual exile from
Portugal.
Peter then left León to become a mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
in the service of Yusuf II
Yusuf II, Almohad Caliph
Yusuf II was Caliph of Morocco from 1213 until his death. Son of the previous caliph, Muhammad an-Nasir, Yusuf assumed the throne following his father's death, at the age of only sixteen years....
, the Almohad Caliph of Morocco, commanding a troop of Christian exiles
and adventurers. As such, he was in 1220 involved with the arrival in Morocco of Berard of Carbio
Berard of Carbio
Saint Berard of Carbio is a thirteenth century saint and martyr. He was born into a noble family of Leopardi, and was a native of Carbio in Umbria, a province of Italy. He and Saints Peter, Otho, Accursius, and Adjutus are venerated as the Franciscan Protomartyrs.-Life:Berard was received into the...
and four other Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
missionaries. Prior to setting out to the Muslim lands, the Franciscans had met with Peter's sister, who told them that she had "a little piece of Morocco in her heart" and asked them to give Peter her love. Once arrived, the Franciscans started preaching in Marrakesh and strongly denouncing Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and the Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. The Caliph declared them "mad" and charged Peter and his Christian soldiers with escorting them out of his kingdom. However, the Franciscans managed to avoid Peter and his men, and repeated their act, highly sacrilegious in Muslim terms, in the market-place of Marrakesh - leading to their being decapitated by the Caliph personally.
Subsequently, Peter moved to Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
, his mother's homeland, where he
became involved in the schemes and campaigns of his relative, the young and ambitious King James I
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
. In 1229 Peter - continuing his family tradition of seeking a bride 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...
- married Countess Aurembiaix of Urgell, who had long been exiled from Urgell
Urgell
The County of Urgell is one of the historical Catalan counties, bordering on the counties of Pallars and Cerdanya.The county was carved by the Franks out of a former section of the Mark of Toulouse when the Alt Urgell area became part of the Carolingian Empire between 785 and 790.The original...
by the ururper Guerau IV de Cabrera
Guerau IV de Cabrera
Guerau IV de Cabrera was a claimant to the County of Urgel during the time that James I of Aragon was King of Aragon.In 1208 with the death of Armengol VIII Guerau claimed that Armengol's daughter, Aurembiax, could not inherit the land and so he should be made the ruler of the County. Aurembiax's...
, and who had been James I's mistress. With Peter as her husband and co-ruler, James helped Aurembiaix regain Urgell under the Aragonese overlordship - after she and Peter agreed to hand over to the King the city of Lleida
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...
(see James I of Aragon#Acquisition of Urgell).
In 1230, Peter helped the Bishop of Tarragona to conquer the Balearic island of Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
from the Moors.
Following Aurembiaix's death in 1231, Peter continued as Count of Urgell in a titular capacity, but this position was disputed by his overlord James I.
In 1236 they came to an agreement by which Peter gave up Urgell, which was given over to the rule of the House of Cabrera
House of Cabrera
The House of Cabrera was an important Catalan dynasty. It began to rule in the Viscounty of Girona, which would be called Viscounty of Cabrera, as well as the Viscounty of Àger, the Sicilian County of Modica and the County of Urgell.- Origin :...
and was eventually annexed to Aragon. In exchange, Peter got the newly-conquered Balearic islands of Majorca, Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
and Formentera
Formentera
Formentera is the smaller and more southerly island of the Pine Islands group , which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community .-Geography:...
, as well as the castles of Pollença
Pollença
Pollença is a town and municipality situated in the far north corner of the island of Majorca, near Cap de Formentor and Alcúdia. It lies about 6 km west of its port, Port de Pollença.-History:...
, and Alaró
Alaró
Alaró is a small municipality in the district of Raiguer on Majorca, one of the Balearic Islands, Spain.-History:Its origin dates back to the Islamic period. The documented history begins in the thirteenth century, during the reconquest of Mallorca, with its Castillo de Alaro being the center of this...
(also in the Baleares) and of Almudaina
Almudaina
Almudaina is a municipality in the comarca of Comtat in the Valencian Community, Spain....
(in Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
).
Peter ruled these Balearic possessions until his death there in 1258. As he left no legitimate issue, they then reverted to the Aragonese Crown, later becoming the core of Kingdom of Majorca
Kingdom of Majorca
The Kingdom of Majorca was founded by James I of Aragon, also known as James The Conqueror. After the death of his first-born son Alfonso, a will was written in 1262 which created the kingdom in order to cede it to his son James...
ruled by a minor branch of the Aragonese Royal Family.
Peter left two illegitimate sons, Rodrigo and Fernando.