'Alfonso IV', called 'the Kind' (also ''the Gentle'' or ''the Nice'',
Catalan: ''Alfons el Benigne'') (
1299 –
24 January 1336) was the
King of Aragon[1] and
Count of Barcelona[2] (as Alfonso III) from
1327 to his death. He was the second son of
James II and
Blanche of Anjou. His reign saw the incorporation of the
County of Urgell,
Duchy of Athens, and
Duchy of Neopatria into the
Crown of Aragon.
During the reign of his father, he was the procurator general of the Crown. He married
Teresa d'Entença, heiress of
Urgell, in
1314. In
1323–
1324, he undertook the conquest of
Sardinia. He became heir after his older brother James renounced his rights to become a monk. In
1329, he began a long war with the
Republic of Genoa. The city of
Sassari surrenderd in 1323, but rebelled three more times and was contested by Genoa.
After widowing, Alfonso married
Eleanor of Castile, who was betrothed to his brother James, who had refused to consummate the marriage. She was the sister of
Alfonso XI of Castile.
Ancestors
Children
By Teresa d'Entença:
★ Alfonso, lived only one year
★
Peter IV, successor
★
James I, Count of Urgell, also inherited Entença and Antillon
★ Fadrique, died young
★ Constance (1322-1346), married
James III of Majorca
★ Elizabeth, died young
★ Sancho (1327), lived only a few days
By Eleanor of Castile:
★
Ferdinand, Marquis of Tortosa
★ John, married
Isabel Núñez de Lara and was killed by order of his cousin
Pedro of Castile
Notes
1. He held the Crown of Aragon, which included not just Aragon, but also the kingdoms of Valencia, Sardinia, and Corsica.
2. He was also the holder of most of the Catalan counties.