Isabella of Majorca
| Isabella | |
|---|---|
| Queen of Majorca | |
| Tenure | 1375–1406 (In pretendence) |
| Born | 1337 |
| Died |
1406 (aged 68-69) Montpellier |
| Spouse |
John II, Marquess of Montferrat Konrad of Reischach and Jungnau |
| Issue |
Otto III of Montferrat John III of Montferrat Theodore II of Montferrat William of Montferrat Margaret, Countess of Urgell Michael of Reischach and Jungnau |
| House | House of Barcelona |
| Father | James III of Majorca |
| Mother | Constance of Aragon |
Isabella of Majorca (Catalan: Elisabet) (1337–1406) was the last titular Queen of Majorca and Countess of Roussillon and Cerdanya from 1375 to her death.
Family
She was the daughter of James III and his first wife, Constance of Aragon. Her maternal grandparents were Alfonso IV of Aragon and his first wife Teresa d'Entença. Her paternal grandparents were Ferdinand of Majorca and his wife Isabelle de Sabran.
After the death of her mother, Isabella's father remarried to Violante of Vilaragut, who gave Isabella a half-sister named Esclaramunda, who died young.
Life
She succeeded to the titles and pretensions for the Kingdom of Majorca, as well as the actual lands, of her brother James IV on his death in 1375. Their father had lost the kingdom (1343) and he died in the Battle of Llucmajor (1349) by Peter IV of Aragon. Isabella was captured with her brother and stepmother by her uncle King Peter after the battle in which her father was killed, and confined to the convent of the Clarissans at Valencia with her stepmother. She was freed in 1358/59, thanks to the efforts of her stepmother,[1] on the condition that she renounce her rights to Majorca.[2]
On 4 September 1358, Isabella married John II Palaiologos, Marquess of Montferrat, in Montpellier. Her marriage was arranged by her stepmother, who was then living at the Court of Monferrato.
Isabella was unable at any point to mount a serious attempt to regain her claimed territories. In her attempt to reclaim the throne, Isabella adopted Louis I, titular king of Sicily and Jerusalem, as her heir and co-regent in 1375. Louis's goal was to annex Roussillon to provide a buffer against Aragonese expansion. Louis's successors continued to include Majorca among their titles although they never attempted a conquest of the island kingdom.[3]
In 1375, Isabella remarried (John died in 1372) to Konrad of Reischach and Jungnau in secret. The marriage produced a son Michael; they later separated.[4]
Her children did not want to be kings of Majorca, but her only daughter, Margaret, accepted to reclaim her rights to Aragon of being the mother of the future king of Majorca, for her son, Count James II of Urgell.
Isabella died in France around 1406.
Children
With John she had five children:
- Otto III of Montferrat (1358–1378)
- John III of Montferrat (1360–1381)
- Theodore II of Montferrat (1364–1418)
- William (1365–1400)
- Margaret (c. 1365-1420), married in 1375 to Peter II of Urgell
With Konrad she had a son:
- Michael of Reischach and Jungnau
References
- ↑ Rüdt-Collenberg (1963), p. 90.
- ↑ Sturdza (1999), p. 502
- ↑ Jean Favier. Le Roi René. Paris: Fayard, 2008.
- ↑ ARAGON, Medieval Lands
| Titles in pretence | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James IV |
— TITULAR — Queen of Majorca 1375–1406 |
Claim abandoned |