Peter II of Sicily

Peter II
Peter kneeling before Christ, from a mosaic in the cathedral of Messina
King of Sicily
Reign25 June 1337 - 15 August 1342
PredecessorFrederick III
SuccessorLouis
Born1304
Altofonte, Kingdom of Sicily
Died(1342-08-15)15 August 1342
Calascibetta, Kingdom of Sicily
Burial
Cathedral of Palermo
SpouseElisabeth of Carinthia
Issue
more...
HouseBarcelona
FatherFrederick III of Sicily
MotherEleanor of Anjou

Peter II (Latin: Petrus II,Italian: Pietro II,Sicilian: Pietru; 1304 – 8 August 1342) was the King of Sicily from 1337 until his death, although he was associated with his father as co-ruler from 1321. Peter's father was Frederick III of Sicily and his mother was Eleanor, a daughter of Charles II of Naples.[1] His reign was marked by strife between the throne and the nobility, especially the old families of Ventimiglia, Palizzi and Chiaramonte, and by war between Sicily and Naples.[2]

Contemporaries regarded Peter as feeble-minded. Giovanni Villani, in his Nuova Cronica, calls him "almost an imbecile" (Italianate Latin: quasi un mentacatto) and Nicola Speciale, in his Historia Sicula, calls him "pure and simple" (purus et simplex).[2]

Under Peter, the Neapolitans conquered the Lipari Islands and took the cities of Milazzo and Termini in Sicily itself.[2] He died after a short illness on 8 August 1342[2] in Calascibetta and was buried in the cathedral of Palermo. He was succeeded by Louis, his eldest son, who was only four years old.[3]