Sibila of Fortia
Encyclopedia
Sibila of Fortià Queen of Aragon, was daughter of Berenguer de Fortià and his wife, Francesca of Palau. Sibila belonged to the lineage of Fortià
, the lower nobility, with possessions in the rural Empordà
, in the county of Ampurias
. She was Queen consort of Aragon by her marriage to Peter IV of Aragon
. She was his fourth wife.
, during the royal couple's stay in Sibila's home of Empordà
. Eleanor died in 1375, she had left Peter two surviving sons and one daughter.
Sibila attracted the attention of the king, soon after Eleanor's death. Sibila was in her twenties and Peter was fifty six. The king's sons, Martin of Aragon and John of Aragon
soon found out what was happening. They were opposed the idea of their father marrying Sibila; the marriage could cause dynastic problems that could imperil their rights in the line of succession.
Indeed, the announcement of the marriage of the lovers lead to some tense relations between the king and his sons.
, Sibila married Peter IV of Aragon, thus becoming the fourth wife of the sovereign Aragon
. She was the fourth wife of Peter, his previous wives were: Maria of Navarre
, Eleanor of Portugal and Eleanor of Sicily
. It is believed that before the marriage, Sibila gave birth to a son, Alfonso, who only lived for a year. The child's birth has been doubted and some do not believe in the child's existence, the only evidence of his existence is in the Chronicle of Peter IV of Aragon.
The couple had at most three children:
Over time, things grew worse. Sibila's family were invited to court, the king became friends with Sibila's brother, Bernard. Peter, Sibila and her family made up one half of the court, the other half of the court was made up of Peter's son and heir, John, his infamous French wife Violante de Bar
and their followers.
. They wanted rid of Sibila. For her own safety, Sibila fled to Sant Martí Sarroca
; her stepdaughter, Eleanor of Aragon had lived there before her death. However, Sibila did not live there for long, she was forced to go back to Aragon
, on the command of John and Violant.
They however did not execute Sibila, she was sent to live in Barcelona
, but under close surveillance. She was however treated better in Barcelona than at the royal court.
John died in 1396, and Martin succeeded him. Sibila remained in Barcelona.
When the convent was demolished, in the nineteenth century, Sibila and others were buried on 20 April 1852, at the Cathedral of Barcelona. She was the first deposited in a box embedded in the wall of the chapel of the Martyrs of the cloister, covered by Isabella II of Spain
and on 13 October 1998, moved inside the temple, in a box placed on the wall to the left of the altar major.
Fortià
Fortià is a municipality in the comarca of Alt Empordà, Girona, Catalonia, Spain....
, the lower nobility, with possessions in the rural Empordà
Empordà
Empordà is a historical region of Catalonia divided since 1936 into two comarques, Alt Empordà and Baix Empordà....
, in the county of Ampurias
Ampurias
Ampurias may refer to:* Empúries in Catalonia, Spain* Castelsardo on Sardinia, Italy...
. She was Queen consort of Aragon by her marriage to 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...
. She was his fourth wife.
Early life
Sibila was said to be a natural beauty in her early adulthood. She married her first husband, Artal de Foces on an unknown date. Upon her widowhood, Sibila became a lady in waiting to Peter's third queen, Eleanor of SicilyEleanor of Sicily
Eleanor of Sicily was Queen Consort of Aragon . She was the daughter of Peter II of Sicily and Elisabeth of Carinthia. She was the third wife of Peter IV of Aragon.- Early life and family :...
, during the royal couple's stay in Sibila's home of Empordà
Empordà
Empordà is a historical region of Catalonia divided since 1936 into two comarques, Alt Empordà and Baix Empordà....
. Eleanor died in 1375, she had left Peter two surviving sons and one daughter.
Sibila attracted the attention of the king, soon after Eleanor's death. Sibila was in her twenties and Peter was fifty six. The king's sons, Martin of Aragon and John of Aragon
John I of Aragon
John I , called by posterity the Hunter or the Lover of Elegance , but the Abandoned in his lifetime, was the King of...
soon found out what was happening. They were opposed the idea of their father marrying Sibila; the marriage could cause dynastic problems that could imperil their rights in the line of succession.
Indeed, the announcement of the marriage of the lovers lead to some tense relations between the king and his sons.
Second Marriage: Queen of Aragon
On 11 October of 1377, in BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Sibila married Peter IV of Aragon, thus becoming the fourth wife of the sovereign Aragon
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...
. She was the fourth wife of Peter, his previous wives were: Maria of Navarre
Maria of Navarre
Maria of Navarre was the eldest child of Philip III of Navarre and Joan II of Navarre. She was Queen consort of Aragon by her marriage to Peter IV of Aragon, she was also the first of four wives. Maria of Navarre is also known as Marie d'Évreux .-Family:Maria was an elder sister of Charles II of...
, Eleanor of Portugal and Eleanor of Sicily
Eleanor of Sicily
Eleanor of Sicily was Queen Consort of Aragon . She was the daughter of Peter II of Sicily and Elisabeth of Carinthia. She was the third wife of Peter IV of Aragon.- Early life and family :...
. It is believed that before the marriage, Sibila gave birth to a son, Alfonso, who only lived for a year. The child's birth has been doubted and some do not believe in the child's existence, the only evidence of his existence is in the Chronicle of Peter IV of Aragon.
The couple had at most three children:
- Alfonso of Aragon (1376–1377), Count of Morella, died young
- Isabella of AragonIsabella of Aragon (1380–1424)Isabella of Aragon was a daughter of Peter IV of Aragon and his fourth wife, Sibila of Fortia. She was infanta of Aragon and Countess of Urgel.- Family :...
(1380–1424), married James II of UrgellJames II of UrgellJames II was the Count of Urgell , Viscount of Àger, and lord of Antillón, Alcolea de Cinca, and Fraga...
and was mother of Isabella of Aragon, Countess of Urgell. Through Isabella, Peter and Sibila are ancestors to Joana, Princess of Portugal and John II of PortugalJohn II of PortugalJohn II , the Perfect Prince , was the thirteenth king of Portugal and the Algarves...
. - Pedro of Aragon (1378–1379), died young
Over time, things grew worse. Sibila's family were invited to court, the king became friends with Sibila's brother, Bernard. Peter, Sibila and her family made up one half of the court, the other half of the court was made up of Peter's son and heir, John, his infamous French wife Violante de Bar
Violante de Bar
Violant of Bar , was queen of the medieval Iberian kingdom of Aragon.-Background:...
and their followers.
Widowhood
Peter died in 1387 and so John and Violant became King and Queen of AragonAragon
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...
. They wanted rid of Sibila. For her own safety, Sibila fled to Sant Martí Sarroca
Sant Martí Sarroca
Sant Martí Sarroca is a municipality in the comarca of Alt Penedès, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
; her stepdaughter, Eleanor of Aragon had lived there before her death. However, Sibila did not live there for long, she was forced to go back to Aragon
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...
, on the command of John and Violant.
They however did not execute Sibila, she was sent to live in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, but under close surveillance. She was however treated better in Barcelona than at the royal court.
John died in 1396, and Martin succeeded him. Sibila remained in Barcelona.
Death and burial
Sibila died in Barcelona on 24 November 1406. By order of King Martin she had a state funeral. She was buried in the convent of San Francisco (Framenors) in Barcelona, traditional burial place of kings and queens of Aragon. She was later transferred to the pantheon of Poblet.When the convent was demolished, in the nineteenth century, Sibila and others were buried on 20 April 1852, at the Cathedral of Barcelona. She was the first deposited in a box embedded in the wall of the chapel of the Martyrs of the cloister, covered by Isabella II of Spain
Isabella II of Spain
Isabella II was the only female monarch of Spain in modern times. She came to the throne as an infant, but her succession was disputed by the Carlists, who refused to recognise a female sovereign, leading to the Carlist Wars. After a troubled reign, she was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of...
and on 13 October 1998, moved inside the temple, in a box placed on the wall to the left of the altar major.