Alfonso IV of Aragon

Alfonso IV Of Aragon

Alfonso IV, called the Kind (also the Gentle or the Nice, Catalan: Alfons el Benigne) (1299, Naples – 24 January 1336) was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona (as Alfonso III) from 1327 to his death. He was the second son of James II and Blanche of Anjou. His reign saw the incorporation of the County of Urgell, Duchy of Athens, and Duchy of Neopatria into the Crown of Aragon.

During the reign of his father, he was the procurator general of the Crown. He married Teresa d'Entença y Cabrera, heiress of Urgell, in 1314 in the Cathedral of Lerida. He is reputed to have been so liberal in the expenses during the wedding, that the local counsels imposed restrictions on how much he could spend. In 1323–1324, he undertook the conquest of Sardinia. He became heir after his older brother James renounced his rights to become a monk. In 1329, he began a long war with the Republic of Genoa. The city of Sassari surrenderd in 1323, but rebelled three more times and was contested by Genoa.

After being widowed in 1327, Alfonso married in February 1329 Eleanor of Castile (1308–1359), who was betrothed to his brother James, who had refused to consummate the marriage. She was the sister of Alfonso XI of Castile. Because of some favoritism he showed towards his second wife, the last years of his life, he had to contend with the son of his first marriage, the future Peter IV.