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James II of Majorca
| James II of Majorca | |
|---|---|
| King of Majorca | |
 Oath of the privileges of the kingdom by James II. | |
| Reign | 1276 – 1311 |
| Predecessor | James I of Aragon |
| Successor | Sancho I of Majorca |
| Born | 1243 Montpellier, Crown of Aragon |
| Died | 1311 (aged 68) City of Majorca, Kingdom of Majorca |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Esclaramunda of Foix |
| House | House of Majorca |
| Father | James I of Aragon |
| Mother | Violant of Hungary |
James II of Majorca (Montpellier, May 31, 1243 – City of Majorca, 1311) was the second son of James I the Conqueror and Violant of Hungary, and reigned between 1276 and 1311 with the titles of King of Majorca, Count of Roussillon and of Cerdanya, and Lord of Montpellier.
His dominions comprised the Kingdom of Majorca, made up of the islands of Majorca, Ibiza and Formentera; the counties of Roussillon and Cerdanya; the Lordship of Montpellier; the barony of Omeladès; and the viscounty of Carladès. Menorca, still inhabited by the Muslims, paid him vassalage.
These territories, widely scattered, were a very small portion compared to what had fallen to his elder brother Peter III the Great after the testamentary division made by their father.
Reign
Upon his father's death, he received the kingdom in full freedom by paternal will, according to the last testament of 1272, which divided the Crown of Aragon into two legally independent entities, representing the birth of a new kingdom within the international context under the protection of the papacy. On September 12, 1276, he swore the franchises of the kingdom in the church of Santa Eulalia and began his reign as an independent sovereign. His reign was hampered by his brother Peter III of Aragon who, through a secret protest, did not accept their father's testament. Finally, in the face of the papacy's inaction, he was forced to swear (1279) the pact of vassalage in the convent of the Preachers of Perpignan, after declaring before a notary his disagreement, citing the "potentia armorum" of his brother. This fact would condition the relations between the two throughout the entire existence of the Kingdom of Majorca.
After the conquest of Sicily by Peter III of Aragon, James II allied himself with Pope Martin IV and with Philip III Capet, King of France, when they invaded Catalonia. Once the invasion was repelled, following the defeat of the French fleet by the Aragonese fleet commanded by Admiral Roger of Lauria at the Battle of Les Formigues (1285), the Aragonese monarchs began the conquest of the Balearic Islands (1285). Alfonso III the Frank of Aragon took Majorca (1285) and Ibiza (1286) from him, and definitively took Menorca (1287) from the Muslims (the sovereign of Menorca had been a tributary since 1231, first of James I and then of James II).
The Balearic Islands would remain under the control of Aragon until 1295. The mainland territories of the kingdom (the counties of Roussillon and Cerdanya, the Lordship of Montpellier) remained in his possession throughout his reign.
Alfonso's successor, James II the Just of Aragon, finally accepted the decision of Pope Boniface VIII (Treaty of Anagni, 1295) and returned all the islands to James II of Majorca. However, the Aragonese King managed to have the Kingdom of Majorca remain a vassal of the King of Aragon, according to the conditions of the treaty of 1279. James of Majorca would only recognize this vassalage through the Treaty of Argilers (1298).
James II would reign over the islands for more than two decades and strove to guarantee the viability of the kingdom. He promoted a vast policy of agrarian colonization, with the creation of new population centers; increased the royal revenues; favored the creation of consulates in North Africa and in the Kingdom of Granada; created a new monetary system for the kingdom; encouraged the creation of textile industries; proceeded to increase royal power over the nobility and the Church; and promoted the construction of palaces and castles (the palace-castles of Perpignan and of the City of Majorca —La Almudaina—, the cathedral of the latter, Bellver Castle). The opening of proceedings against the Templars and the subsequent suppression of the order would allow the seizure of the Order's revenues in the islands. He was also a protector of Ramon Llull.
Marriage and issue
Something uncommon at the time, his father let him choose his wife, and in 1265 he married Esclaramunda of Foix, daughter of Roger IV, Count of Foix. Six children were born of this marriage:
- James (1272–1302), who professed as a Franciscan friar.
- Sancho I of Majorca (1276–1324), who died without issue and is currently buried in the Cathedral of Perpignan.
- Ferdinand of Majorca (1278–1316), whose son James III of Majorca succeeded his brother Sancho I of Majorca.
- Isabella of Majorca (1280–1301), who married Don Juan Manuel, son of the Infante Manuel of Castile and grandson of Ferdinand III of Castile.
- Sancia of Majorca (1285–Naples, 1345). She married Robert I of Naples, son of Charles II of Sicily. She was buried in Santa Chiara in Naples, as was her husband.
- Philip of Majorca (1288–1340). Regent of Majorca between 1324 and 1329.
King James II apparently had a single illegitimate daughter, Saura of Majorca, daughter of a lady known as Saura de Monreal.
Burial
Upon his death, the body of James II of Majorca was buried in the Royal Chapel of the Cathedral of Palma de Mallorca, and in the 18th century, Charles III ordered that his remains be placed in a sepulcher set in the center of the church, which, until the moment of its replacement, made a poor impression on visitors because of the bad taste that characterized it. It was possible for the general public to open the sepulcher to see the King's body directly. Many took the opportunity to carry off souvenirs such as his teeth, hair or pieces of skin. Queen Isabella II of Spain visited the coffin and upon seeing it ordered that it be covered with a glass lid for its protection and that the body be dressed in new clothes to dignify it.
The remains of King James II of Majorca currently rest, since the year 1947, after numerous transfers throughout history within the same building, in a Neo-Gothic alabaster stone sepulcher in the Chapel of the Trinity, in the company of the remains of his grandson, King James III of Majorca, who lies in another sepulcher located beside him.
The sepulcher where the King's remains rest is the work of the Catalan artist Frederic Marès, who also made that of James II's grandson, James III, located in the same chapel.
Bibliography
- Arco y Garay, Ricardo del (1945). Sepulcros de la Casa Real de Aragón (in español). Madrid: Instituto Jerónimo Zurita. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. OCLC 11818414.
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