2021-08-30 Mon

Peter III of Aragon was King of Aragon, King of Valencia (as Peter I), and Count of Barcelona (as Peter II) from 1276 to his death. At the invitation of some rebels, he conquered the Kingdom of Sicily and became King of Sicily in 1282, pressing the claim of his wife, Constance II of Sicily, uniting the kingdom to the crown.

In 1262 he had married Constance, heiress of Manfred, the Hohenstaufen king of Sicily; and after the revolt of the Sicilians in 1282 he invaded the island and was proclaimed king at Palermo, despite strong Guelph and papal opposition. In 1285 Philip III of France invaded Aragon to dethrone Peter but was disastrously defeated. Peter, however, soon died. His great stature and physical strength were famous. Among his children were Alfonso III of Aragon, James I of Sicily (II of Aragon), and Frederick III of Sicily.

The croat was a silver coin of Catalonia introduced by Peter III of Aragon in 1285 and minted at Barcelona. The term "croat" derives from the Latin grossus denarius, great coin, a common term for silver coins of higher value than pennies. Peter III was inspired by the gros introduced by Louis IX of France.

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