• Born: 1239
• Married (1): 13 Jun 1262, Montpellier, Herault, Languedoc, France
• Died: 2 Nov 1285, Villafranca del Penedés, Catalonia, Spain

  Research Notes:

Under the testament of "Jacobus…Rex Aragoniæ, Majoricarum et Valenciæ, Comes Barchinonæ et Urgelli, et Dominus Montispessulani", dated 26 Aug 1272, the king made bequests to "…filium nostrum primogenitum Infantem P…". He was promised the succession of the Balearic Islands, Valencia and Montpellier 1241, and received Roussillon and Cerdaña after the death of Nuño Sancho de Aragón in 1242. A new projected partition was agreed 1244, under which Pedro would receive Catalonia on the death of his father. Appointed procurator of Catalonia 1257. Under a further projected partition 1262, Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia were destined for Pedro.

He succeeded his father in 1276 as PEDRO III "el Grande" King of Aragon, Conde de Barcelona and King of Valencia, crowned at Zaragoza Nov 1276. He suppressed the revolt in Valencia, ending with the capture of Montesa in 1277. He confirmed his protectorate over Tunis. He landed at Trapani in Sicily 31 Aug 1282, after the Sicilian revolt against the Angevins, and declared himself PIETRO I King of Sicily. He was excommunicated by Pope Martin IV, who supported the Angevins, in Nov 1282. In the course of the escalating dispute, Philippe III King of France was persuaded to accept the Kingdom of Aragon for his second son Charles in Feb 1284. In Sep 1284, Pedro crushed the rebellion of Juan Núñez de Lara who attempted to establish an independent lordship of Albarracín. King Philippe III invaded Aragon in early 1285 and briefly captured Girona 7 Sep 1285. The French retreated to Perpignan (where King Philippe III died 5 Oct) after their fleet was destroyed in the Bay of Roses 3-4 Sep by admiral Ruggiero di Loria. On his deathbed, Pedro renounced Sicily as the price of his peace with the church.

The Crónica de San Juan de la Peña records the death "III Id Nov" in 1285 of King Pedro and his burial "en el monasterio de Santas Cruçs del Orden de Cistells". The Chronicle of Ramon Muntaner records the death "le jour de Saint-Martin" in 1285 of "le roi Pierre" and his burial "au monastère de Sainte-Croix". A manuscript chronicle records the death "circa festum S. Martini" in 1285 of "Petrus rex Aragonum" and his burial "in ecclesia beatæ Mariæ sanctarum Crucum ordinis Cisterciensis". ¹