Peter III of Aragon

Peter the Great (Catalan: Pere el Gran, Aragonese: Pero lo Gran; 1239, in Valencia – 11 November 1285) was the King of Aragon (as Peter III) of Valencia (as Peter I), and Count of Barcelona (as Peter II) from 1276 to his death. At the invitation of some rebels, he conquered Sicily and became its king in 1282, pressing the claim of his wife, Constance. He was one of the greatest of medieval Aragonese monarchs.

Youth and succession

Peter was the eldest son of James I of Aragon and his second wife Violant of Hungary. Among (opportunistic) betrothals of his youth, he was betrothed to Eudoxia Laskarina, the youngest daughter of Emperor Theodoros II of Nicaea, in or before 1260. This contract was dissolved, however, after Eudoxia's brother lost the imperial throne in 1261, and Eudoxia was instead married to the Count of Tenda. On 13 June 1262, Peter married Constance, daughter and heiress of Manfred of Sicily. During his youth and early adulthood, Peter gained a great deal of military experience in his father's wars of the Reconquista against the Moors.

Aragon

Aragon (/ˈærəɡɒn/ or /ˈærəɡən/, Spanish and Aragonese: Aragón [aɾaˈɣon], Catalan: Aragó [əɾəˈɣo] or [aɾaˈɣo]) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to south): Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza (also called Saragossa in English). The current Statute of Autonomy declares Aragon a nationality of Spain.

Aragon's northern province of Huesca borders France and is positioned in the middle of the Pyrenees. Within Spain, the community is flanked by Catalonia to the east, Valencia and Castile–La Mancha to the south, and Castile and León, La Rioja, and Navarre to the west.

Covering an area of 47,719 km² (18,424 sq mi), the region's terrain ranges diversely from permanent glaciers to verdant valleys, rich pasture lands and orchards, through to the arid steppe plains of the central lowlands. Aragon is home to many rivers—most notably, the river Ebro, Spain's largest river in volume, which runs west-east across the entire region through the province of Zaragoza. It is also home to the Aneto, the highest mountain in the Pyrenees.

Aragon (disambiguation)

Aragon, or Aragón in Spanish, can refer to:

Places

Cuba

Europe

France

Spain

United States

Ships

People

Other

Aragón (river)

The Aragón (Spanish: Río Aragón; Basque: Aragon Ibaia) is a river in northern Spain, one of the left-hand tributaries of the river Ebro. It rises at Astún (province of Huesca) in the central Pyrenees Mountains, passes southwest through Jaca and Sangüesa (Navarre), and joins the Ebro at Milagro (Navarre), near Tudela. The name Aragón is related to the birth area of the former kingdom, which corresponds to the modern autonomous community of Aragón in Spain.

Watershed

The river, used for irrigation and hydroelectric power, is about 129 kilometres (80 mi) long; its chief tributary is the Arga River.

Ecology

Non-government sanctioned re-introduction of Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) in Spain around 2003 has resulted in tell-tale beaver signs documented on a 60-kilometre (37 mi) stretch on the lower course of the Aragon River and the area adjoining the Ebro River in Aragon, Spain.

References

See also

Coordinates: 42°36′23″N 1°03′29″W / 42.60648°N 1.05812°W / 42.60648; -1.05812