Louis of Sicily
Encyclopedia
Louis the Child was King of Sicily
(as king of Trinacria
) 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 until 1347. In that year, the plague
called the Black Death
arrived. In 1348, just before his death, Giovanni designed the Catalan Blasco II Alagona as regent. This act spurred rivalry between the Italian nobility (the families of Chiaramonte, Palizzi, and Scaloro degli Uberti; called the filoangioini) and that of Catalan origin (the families of Peralta, Alagona, and Ventimiglia; called the filoaragonesi), eventually degenerating into civil war
. Louis sent the royal army after against the Chiaramonte at Milazzo
. Only in 1350 did peace arrive.
In 1355, the king's cousin Frederick, lord of Aci and son of the duke of Randazzo, died. In an attempt to avoid the plague, Louis left the fortress Agira
for the castle of Aci in an attempt to escape the plague. He however died in the Acese fortress on 16 October in that year, of the plague, only seventeen years of age. He was buried in the catania Cathedral
, next to Frederick III
and John of Randazzo.
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
(as king of Trinacria
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
) from 1342 to 1355.
Born 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...
, he was the son 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....
, whom he succeeded at the age of five, and his mother was Elisabeth of Carinthia
Elisabeth of Carinthia
Elisabeth or Elizabeth was the daughter of Otto III of Carinthia by his wife Euphemia of Silesia-Liegnitz. She was born in Gorizia.-Family:...
. His reign began under the joint regency of his uncle John, Duke of Randazzo, and his mother.
He lived at Randazzo until 1347. In that year, the plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
called the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
arrived. In 1348, just before his death, Giovanni designed the Catalan Blasco II Alagona as regent. This act spurred rivalry between the Italian nobility (the families of Chiaramonte, Palizzi, and Scaloro degli Uberti; called the filoangioini) and that of Catalan origin (the families of Peralta, Alagona, and Ventimiglia; called the filoaragonesi), eventually degenerating into civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
. Louis sent the royal army after against the Chiaramonte at Milazzo
Milazzo
Milazzo is a town and comune in the province of Messina, Sicily, Italy.The city is situated between two bays, one of Milazzo and the east to the west of Patti, in a strategic place in the north-eastern Sicily.Located 43 km from the provincial capital, is part of the metropolitan area of the Strait...
. Only in 1350 did peace arrive.
In 1355, the king's cousin Frederick, lord of Aci and son of the duke of Randazzo, died. In an attempt to avoid the plague, Louis left the fortress Agira
Agira
Agira is a town and comune in the province of Enna, Sicily . It is located in the mid-valley of the River Salso, 35 km from Enna...
for the castle of Aci in an attempt to escape the plague. He however died in the Acese fortress on 16 October in that year, of the plague, only seventeen years of age. He was buried in the catania Cathedral
Catania Cathedral
The Cathedral of Catania, entitled to St. Agatha, is a church in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy.-History:The church has been destroyed and rebuilt several times due earthquakes and eruptions of the nearby volcano Etna...
, next to Frederick III
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...
and John of Randazzo.