Individual Details
Pedro II "the Catholic" King of Aragon
(1176 - 1213)
Pedro was born in 1176, the son of Alfonso II of Aragón and Sancha of Castile. He succeeded his father as king of Aragón in 1196. In 1205 he acknowledged the feudal supremacy of the Papacy and was crowned in Rome by Pope Innocent III, swearing to defend the Catholic faith (hence his epithet 'the Catholic'). He was the first king of Aragón to be crowned by the pope.
On 5 June 1204 he married (as her third husband) Marie de Montpellier, dame de Montpellier, dame de Muret, daughter and heiress of Guillem VIII de Montpellier, seigneur de Montpellier, Castries et Castelnau, and Eudokia Komnena. In 1208 she gave him a son Jaime, but Pedro soon discarded her. Pedro II was one of those royal personalities who crop up from time to time 'delighting in low company'. He conceived a great aversion to Marie, although she appears to have been quite blameless, and sought an annulment of his marriage to her both before and after the birth of Jaime. His antipathy also extended to his son and he wished to proclaim his brother Alfonso, comte de Provence, heir to the crown. The queen went to Rome to plead her cause with Pope Innocent III and obtained a judgement enjoining Pedro to live in peace with her and treat her with affection. Marie was popularly venerated as a saint for her piety and marital suffering, but was never canonised; she died in Rome in 1213.
Pedro led the Christian forces to defeat the Moors at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212. He returned from Las Navas in autumn 1212 to find that Simon de Montfort had conquered Toulouse, exiling Count Raymond VI of Toulouse, who was Pedro's brother-in-law and vassal. Pedro crossed the Pyrenees and arrived at Muret in September 1214 to confront Montfort's army. He was accompanied by Raymond of Toulouse, who tried to persuade Pedro to avoid battle and instead starve out Montfort's forces. This suggestion was rejected as cowardly and unknightly.
The Battle of Muret began on 12 September 1213. The Aragónese forces were disorganised, and disintegrated under the assault of Montfort's squadrons. Pedro himself was caught in the thick of fighting, and being clad in ordinary armour, he was mistaken for a common knight. He was thrown to the ground and killed. The Aragónese forces broke in panic when their king was slain and the crusaders of Montfort won the day.
Upon Pedro's death the kingdom passed to his son Jaime, the future Jaime 'the Conqueror'.
Source: Leo van de Pas
On 5 June 1204 he married (as her third husband) Marie de Montpellier, dame de Montpellier, dame de Muret, daughter and heiress of Guillem VIII de Montpellier, seigneur de Montpellier, Castries et Castelnau, and Eudokia Komnena. In 1208 she gave him a son Jaime, but Pedro soon discarded her. Pedro II was one of those royal personalities who crop up from time to time 'delighting in low company'. He conceived a great aversion to Marie, although she appears to have been quite blameless, and sought an annulment of his marriage to her both before and after the birth of Jaime. His antipathy also extended to his son and he wished to proclaim his brother Alfonso, comte de Provence, heir to the crown. The queen went to Rome to plead her cause with Pope Innocent III and obtained a judgement enjoining Pedro to live in peace with her and treat her with affection. Marie was popularly venerated as a saint for her piety and marital suffering, but was never canonised; she died in Rome in 1213.
Pedro led the Christian forces to defeat the Moors at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212. He returned from Las Navas in autumn 1212 to find that Simon de Montfort had conquered Toulouse, exiling Count Raymond VI of Toulouse, who was Pedro's brother-in-law and vassal. Pedro crossed the Pyrenees and arrived at Muret in September 1214 to confront Montfort's army. He was accompanied by Raymond of Toulouse, who tried to persuade Pedro to avoid battle and instead starve out Montfort's forces. This suggestion was rejected as cowardly and unknightly.
The Battle of Muret began on 12 September 1213. The Aragónese forces were disorganised, and disintegrated under the assault of Montfort's squadrons. Pedro himself was caught in the thick of fighting, and being clad in ordinary armour, he was mistaken for a common knight. He was thrown to the ground and killed. The Aragónese forces broke in panic when their king was slain and the crusaders of Montfort won the day.
Upon Pedro's death the kingdom passed to his son Jaime, the future Jaime 'the Conqueror'.
Source: Leo van de Pas
Events
| Birth | 1176 | ||||
| Death | 1213 | ||||
| Marriage | Dame Marie de Montpellier |
Families
| Spouse | Dame Marie de Montpellier (1180 - 1213) |
| Child | Jaime I "the Conqueror" King of Aragon and Valencia (1205 - 1276) |
| Father | Alfonso II King of Aragon (1152 - 1196) |
| Mother | Sancha Infanta de Castilla (1154 - 1208) |