Marriage and the Politics ofFriendship : The Family of Charles II ofAnjou. King ofNaples (1285-1309) Stephen Rhys Davies History PhD University College London 0 MARRIAGE AND THE POLITICS OF FRIENDSHJP:THE FAMILY OF CHARLES 11 OF ANJOU. KiNG OF NAPLES (1285-1309). Stephen Davies. History PhD, Unjversjtv College London. This thesis aims to reassert the importance of the supranational dynasties of Europe in medieval history by considering the so-called Angevins of Naples, and specifically Charles 11(1285-1309), whose matrimonial policies led to the end of the first phase of the Sicilian War and to the peace of Caltabellotta (1302). In particular, the study emphasizes the fact that the Angevins were part of the Capetian French royal house and thus refocusses the role of the Capetians within Christendom at that time, as their previous histotiography has concentrated on their role within France. It investigates the the part that the various znaniage combinations played in the Sicilian peace process and how they connected with Charles 11s internal family strategies, demonstrating how his plans to keep most of the patrimony for his primogenitus was compromised by deals that meant that large parts of the inheritance had to be passed to daughters instead. The following chapter shows how Charles was prepared to relegate other dynastic interests to achieve these deals and how his unbalanced provision for his sons led to conflict within the dynasty. Moving on to a discussion of the legal side of marriage, the thesis discusses how Charles II was able to work within the canon law on consent, consanguinity and divorce to achieve his aims and how far the aristocratic ideas of the Duby model still conflicted with the Church. Taking the discussion of political marriage beyond the marriage treaties themselves, using the extensive correspondence between the Angevins and the royal house of Aragon, it is argued that the importance of dynastic marriage lay as much in the bonds of friendship forged between houses that were the basis of reciprocal duties and favours that were the warp and weft of medieval political life. To my late father, Mr. T.T.C. Davies 1924-199 4 Contents Abbreviations 6 List of Tables 7 Preface 8 Note on names 9 Chapter One: Introduction 10 Chapter Two: Marriage and the Political World of Charles II: The Capetian Expansion into the Mediterranean and the Sicilian War 22 The Capetians to Charles of Anjou 22 Charles II: a battered inheritance 35 From Cefalu to Anagni: marriage and peace with Aragon 1285-1295 40 The road to Caltabellotta and the Majorca marriages 1295-1304 69 Conclusion 93 Chapter Three :Marriage and the Political World of Charles II:: Beyond the Sicilian War 94 Fleur-de-lis entwined: alliances between French and Sicilian Capetians 94 Provence and the Kingdom of Aries 112 Piedmont and northern Italy 124 The Balkans 137 Jerusalem and Hungary 146 Conclusion 163 Chapter Four: Marriage and Law 164 Divorce 165 Consanguinity 167 Consent 177 Conclusion 189 Amor and Amicifia: Love, Friendship and Politics I: Family Contact and Correspondence 190 Marriage and the family 190 5 The family correspondence of the houses of A.njou and Barcelona 195 Who is involved in the correspondence? 196 The man power-brokers 197 The role of women 198 The role of younger sons and child pnnces 207 The role offam:liares 209 Amor and Aniiciiia: Love, Friendship and Politics II: Family correspondence and the bonds of friendship 215 Expressions of family affection 215 Gift-vthg 229 The importance of news 230 Military and financial assistance 235 Mediation in family quarrels 247 Arrangement of marriages 250 Dowries and financial settlements 254 Interventions for others 255 Care for junior family members 258 Amicitia beyond the grave 266 Conclusion 270 Conclusions 272 Appendix: Angevin marriage projects 128S-1309 276 Genealogical Tables 281 Consanguinity Tables 290 Bibliography 293 6 Abbreviations ACA = Archivo de Ia Corona dAragón I Arxiu de Ia Corona d'Aragó AN = Archives Nationales ASN= Archivio di Stab. Naples ASV = Archivio Segreto Vaticano Bouquet, Recueil = M Bouquet, Recueil des historiens des Gaulles et de la France, 24 vols, Paris, 1737-1904 CRD Cartas Reales Diplotnáticas DBI = Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, 47 vols to date, Rome, 1960- RIS = L.A.Muratoii, Rerum Italicarum Scriptores, 24 vols, Milan, 1727-52 7 Genealogical Tables L The Capetian Dynasty - The Angevin Kings of Sicily (Naples) 282 II. The Capetian Dynasty - The Royal House of France 283 IlL The House of Barcelona - Kings of Aragon, Tiinacria and Majorca 284 1V. Savoy, Montfeffat and Viennois 285 V. The Kings of Hungaiy 286 VI. The Hohenstaufen, the Dukes of Cazinthia and the Habsburgs 287 VII.The Royal House of Castile 288 V11L The Ducal House of Burgundy 289 Consanguinity Tables i. Charles Martel - Cleinentia of Habsburg. 290 ii.Blanche of Anjou - John of Montferrat. 290 iii.Charles of Valois - Margaret of Anjou - Cathenne of Courtenay. 290 iv.Philip of Taranto / Catherine of Valois - Charles of Taranto / Joanna of Valois 290 v. Raymond Berengar - Margaret of Clermont. 291 vi. Blanche of Anjou/ James II of Aragon -Yolande of Aragon/Robert of Calabria - Frederick of Aragon I Eleanor of Anjou - Sancho of Majorca / Maria of Anjou - Sancia of Majorca I Robert of Calabria - Isabella of Castile I Robert of Calabiia. 291 S Preface For the research done on this thesis, I am strongly indebted to the British Academy and the British School at Rome for the financial support that allowed me to conduct research both at home and abroad and to the staff of the archives and libraries that I used in the course of my work, especially the British Library, the British School at Rome, the Archivio Segreto Vaticano, the Biblioteca Nazionale in Naples, the Archi'io di Stato in Naples, the ArchMo di Stato in Modena, the Archivo de la Corona de Aragón and the Biblioteca de Catalunya in Barcelona, the Archives Nationales in Paris, the Archives des Bouches-du-Rhône in Marseilles, and the National Archive in Budapest. I owe an enormous amount to my supervisor, Professor D.L. d'Avray, whose advice, encouragement and patience have been invaluable. I would also like to thank Dr Fay Glinister and Dr Guy Bradley for their kind last-minute hospitality that was a saviour in an hour of great need. Last, but not at all least, I would like to thank my parents Mr and Mrs T.T.C. Davies, without whose kind support, this thesis would never have been completed. Unfortunately, my father died before I was examined although he was able to see the thesis in submitted form. It is a testament to his enduringly selfless nature that even on his deathbed, he continued to advise me and put my needs before his own. I dedicate this thesis to his memory. I acknowledge that any mistakes I have made are my own and especially, apologize for any shortcomings in the foothotes which the final deadline did not give me time to check fully, but which I intend to review thoroughly before any publication. Stephen Davies September 1997/March 1998 9 Note on names Given the problems of linding an adequate name for someone called Challes, Caries. Karolus or Carlo even in the source mateiial, let alone the secondary literature, is difficult. Thus, I have used English equivalents where at all possible: Charles for Chales/Carles/CarlosiCarlo/Károly, James for JaumeiJaiine, Philip for Philippe, Joanna for Ciiovanna/Jeanne, although with some names, I have stuck to the local form or left the Latin version of the name untranslated. One of the main problems with the 'Angevm kings of Naples' is that they never termed themselves Angevms or kings of Naples. On the first point, I have had to concede, although I have prefelTed to terms them Capetians to emphasize their connections with the French royal house if at all possible, or call them the royal house of Sicily. Of course, this gives rise to confusion, given the fact that there were two rival kings of Sicily in this period, but when talking of James or Frederick, I try to use the term 'of Aragon', used by popes and Angevins to describe them and after 1302 I use the term Trinacria, another contemporary term for Frederick's island kingdom employed by the papacy at the time, even if Frederick himself was not keen on it. l0 Chapter One: LWRODUCTZOV Who were the Angevzns? The histoiy of vestem Europe in the Middle Ages has tended in the past to be viewed in three ways: by region or nation; by general thematic topic, such as death, women or the economy; or by two over-arching institutions, the Holy Roman Empire and the Church. In such a schema, one type of political unit has largely been ignored - the supranational dynasty. From the post-Carolingian age up to the modem era, an international elite of royal, ducal and comital dynasties were able to use war, diplomacy and marriage to 'take over' rights to lands and terntories on a large scale, often in different geographical areas of the continent For example, in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the house of Hohenstaufen was able to acquire the county of Burgundy and the kingdoms of Sicily and Jerusalem by marrying heiresses. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, the Habsburgs emerged as the most powerful family in Europe by inheriting a wide array of lands through marriage, while in the seventeenth! eighteenth centuries, the kingdoms of Scotland and England came together through inheritance as a consequence of the marriage of Margaret Tudor and James 1V of Scotland. At the same time, international marriage went hand-in-hand with trans-European diplomacy as faniilies strove to improve their situations by forging kin relationships with possible Mends and allies among the elite; a king like Henry II of England numbered the Duke of Bavaria and the kings of Castile and Sicily among his sons-in-law.