King of Aragon and Valencia and count of Barcelona (1327-1336).
Known as “the Benign,” Alfonso was the son of King James
II. Although Alfonso is best known for his conquest of Sardinia, his campaigns against Genoa, and the incorporation of the county of Urgell into his realm, among his driving ambitions was the crusade against the Nasrid realm of Granada and the Marinids of northwest Africa. Shortly after his coronation, the king sent one of his most able diplomats, Ramon de Melany, to several European courts and to Pope John XXII in quest of support for his crusade, and received pledges from a number of rulers (including the kings of France and Bohemia). The king of Castile, however, probably fearing Christian competition on the frontier with al-Andalus, withdrew his initial cooperation, and Pope John’s enthusiasm waned. Most foreign crusaders consequently decided not to participate, and the summer campaign of 1330 against Granada became a largely Catalan-Aragonese venture of very limited scope and success. After some local skirmishes, a peace treaty was signed in 1335. Alfonso died on 24 January 1336 and was succeeded by his son Peter IV.
-Nikolas Jaspert
Bibliography
Ferrer Mallol, Maria Teresa, La frontera amb I’Islam en el segle XIV: Cristians isarrains al Pats Valencia (Barcelona: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas 1988).
Sanchez Martinez, Manuel, “Alfons el Benigne i la croada de Granada,” Historia de Catalunya, vol. 3 (Barcelona: Salvat, 1978), pp. 68-72.
World History
