Charles I of Naples
Also known as Charles of Anjou
King of Sicily (1226-1285)
AI overview
Charles I was a medieval European king who ruled Sicily from 1226 to 1285 and played a major role in shaping power dynamics in southern Italy and the Mediterranean region during that era. His reign matters historically because his conflicts with rival powers and his policies significantly influenced the political map of medieval southern Europe.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 21 Mar 1226
- Died
- 7 Jan 1285
- Works
- 3
Top works
- Actes et lettres de Charles Ier
- Actes et lettres concernant la France
- Actes et lettres de Charles Ier, roi de Sicile, concernant la France (1257-1284)
via Open Library + Wikidata
Recent publications · Crossref
5 total works indexed
- SciPy 1.0: fundamental algorithms for scientific computing in Python
· 2020 · cited 34,740x
- The Pittsburgh sleep quality index: A new instrument for psychiatric practice and research
· 1989 · cited 28,518x
~40 min read
Article
Charles I (Italian: Carlo; early 1226/1227 – 7 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 and 1285, he was Count of Provence and Forcalquier in the Holy Roman Empire and Count of Anjou and Maine in France. In 1272, he was proclaimed King of Albania; in 1277, he purchased a claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem; and in 1278, he became Prince of Achaea after the previous ruler, William of Villehardouin, died without heirs.
The youngest son of Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile, Charles was destined for a church career until the early 1240s. He acquired Provence and Forcalquier through his marriage to Beatrice. His attempts to restore central authority brought him into conflict with his mother-in-law, Beatrice of Savoy, and the nobility. He relinquished control of Forcalquier to his mother-in-law in 1248, although she returned it to him in 1256. Charles received Anjou and Maine from his brother, Louis IX of France, in appanage. He accompanied Louis during the Seventh Crusade to Egypt. Shortly after he returned to Provence in 1250, Charles forced three wealthy autonomous cities—Marseille, Arles and Avignon—to acknowledge his suzerainty.