Martin the Younger

Martin I of Sicily, known as the Younger (1374-Cagliari, Sardinia, July 25, 1409), was king of Sicily between 1390 and 1409, III Count of Luna and V Lord of Segorbe.

Biography

He was the first of the four children of Martin I of Aragon and his first wife, María de Luna, daughter and heiress of the Count of Luna. He was, therefore, grandson of Peter the Ceremonious and nephew of John I of Aragon.

In 1390 he married Mary of Sicily to whom he returned the kingdom of Sicily, recovering it through military force against a group of rebellious barons. He reigned jointly with her wife until her death in 1401. He then rejected the 1372 treaty signed by the previous king, Frederick III of Sicily, and ruled alone. From this first marriage a son was born, the infant Peter of Sicily (1394-1400).

In 1398, he was declared his father's successor by the Cortes, after the sovereign accepted that the prince appeared at the opportune moment to swear the statute of union of the kingdoms of Aragon and Valencia and the county of Barcelona, as well as their privileges.

Martín the Younger remarried Blanca de Navarra, heiress of the Evreux family and future queen of Navarre. From this marriage he had another son, the infant Martín de Aragón (1403-1407).

He led the troops in the conquest of Sardinia and in 1409 he definitively defeated the authorities of Arborea in the battle of Sanluri, just before his death from illness in the city of Cagliari. His tomb is located in the cathedral of this city.

From his first marriage he had a son, Pedro, but he died in 1400. With Blanca de Navarra he had another son, Martín, born on December 17, 1406 and died in August 1407. The only descendant he left He was an illegitimate son, Fadrique de Aragón. Martin I of Aragon attempted to name his illegitimate grandson as successor to the Crown of Aragon but he did not obtain enough support in time, before dying in the process. In the commitment of Caspe, his candidacy was definitively rejected in favor of that of Ferdinand I of Aragon.

Ancestors

Predecessor: Mary of Sicily	King of Sicily 1390-1409 With Mary of Sicily until 1402	Successor: Martín II
Predecessor: Mary of the Moon	Count of Moon and Lord of Segorbe 1406-1409	Successor: Fadrique de Aragón

Links

• Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia gallery on Martin the Young.