Beatrice Provence

She had 3 older sisters, of whom Margaret in 1234 married the elder brother of Charles, King of France of Louis IX the Holy One , Eleanor in 1236 for Henry III of England and Sanch in 1243 for the younger brother of Henry III, Richard Cornish , who became the future king of Germany. Raimund Berenger did not have sons, therefore, according to feudal custom, he had to divide his possessions among all his daughters. However, he, considering that the older daughters were sufficiently rewarded by a rich dowry, and not wanting to crush their possessions, bequeathed all of their lands to Beatrice. Since the dowry was not paid to the end, the older daughters considered themselves deprived. In addition, Beatrice’s mother, Beatrice of Savoy, claimed part of the inheritance.

Initially, the king of Aragon, Jaime I , who wanted to return Provence into the possession of his home, claimed the hand of Beatrice, who had become a very profitable bride. But under the influence of France, Pope Innocent IV forbade this marriage. Also on her hand claimed the king of Germany Conrad IV Hohenstaufen and Count of Toulouse Raimund VII . But as a result, in 1245, the widowed queen of France, Blanca of Castile, arranged a marriage between Beatrice and her younger son, Charles I of Anjou . It was also stipulated that Provence should not have gone to the king of France: if Beatrice had no children, Provence should have been inherited by her sister Sancha, and after her the king of Aragon was heir.

The marriage was concluded in Aix-en-Provence on January 31, 1246 . At the same time, Karl, who brought lawyers and accountants with him, was determined to take control, regardless of local nobility, who received many privileges under the previous columns. His actions provoked fierce resistance from the nobility, which was joined by Beatrice of Savoy, Beatrice's mother, who claimed the county of Forcalquier ^[1] . Only in 1256, Charles was able to establish order in the county.

Beatrice everywhere accompanied her husband. At the same time, she had very strained relations with the other sisters, especially with Margarita, the queen of France, who publicly insulted her, refusing to sit at the same table. However, Beatrice did not give her sister a reason to invade Provence.

The popes for quite a long time already fought with representatives of the house of Hohenstaufen for the Sicilian kingdom . In 1258, the illegitimate son of Emperor Frederick II Manfred became king of Sicily. Wanting to dislodge Manfred, the popes were looking for a ruler who could conquer the kingdom. As a result, the choice fell on Charles of Anjou. In 1265, Charles was proclaimed king of Sicily . Before embarking on the conquest of the kingdom, he and Beatrice set off for Rome , where on January 6, 1266, Pope Clement IV solemnly crowned them as king and queen of Sicily.

January 20, Karl with all the forces made to conquer the Sicilian kingdom. On February 26, a battle with the army led by Manfred took place near Benevent . As a result, the army of Manfred was defeated, and he himself was killed. March 7, Karl solemnly entered Naples , which became the capital of his kingdom.

However, on September 23, 1267, Beatrice died in Nocher .

Husband: from January 31, 1246 ( Aix-en-Provence ) Charles I of Anjou (March 21, 1227 - January 7, 1285), King of Sicily in 1266-1822, Naples from 1266, Count of Anjou and Maine from 1246, Count of Provence and Forcalcieu 1246, titular king of Jerusalem from 1277, king of Albania from 1272, prince of Achaea from 1278.

• Louis (1248–1248)
• Blanca (1250–1269); husband: from 1265 Robert III de Dampierre (1249–1322), count of Flanders
• Beatrice (1252–1275); husband: from October 15, 1273 Philippe de Courtenay (1243 - 12/15/1283), titular emperor of the Latin Empire ;
• Charles II the Lame (1254 - 06 May 1309), King of Naples from 1285, Count of Anjou, Maine, Provence and Forcalquier from 1285
• Philip (1256 - 1 January 1277), Prince of Achaea; wife: from 1271 Isabella de Villarduen (1263–1312), princess Aheic and Moray, titular Queen Thessalonica.
• Robert (1258–1265);
• Isabella (Elizabeth, Mary) (1261–1300); husband: Laszlo IV (1262–1290), king of Hungary from 1272

• Goldstone N. Four Queens / Trans. from English A. Nemirova - M .: AST: Astrel, 2010. - 472 c. - 3000 copies - ISBN 978-5-17-063124-7 .
• Ransimen S. Sicilian Vespers: A History of the Mediterranean in the 13th Century / Trans. from English Neismark S. V .. - SPb. : Eurasia , 2007. - 384 p. - 1000 copies - ISBN 978-5-8071-0175-8 .

• KINGS of SICILY 1265-1382 (English) . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy . Circulation date October 18, 2009. Archived August 25, 2011.