Louis of Sicily

Louis the Child (Catania, 1337 – 16 October 1355) was King of Sicily (as king of Trinacria) from 1342 to 1355. His father was Peter II, whom he succeeded at the age of five, and his mother was Elisabeth of Carinthia. His reign began under the joint regency of his uncle Giovanni, the duke of Randazzo, and his mother. He lived at Randazzo until 1347. In that year, the plague called the Black Death arrived. In 1348, just before his death, Giovanni d... more

Louis the Child (Catania, 1337 – 16 October 1355) was King of Sicily (as king of Trinacria) from 1342 to 1355. His father was Peter II, whom he succeeded at the age of five, and his mother was Elisabeth of Carinthia. His reign began under the joint regency of his uncle Giovanni, the duke of Randazzo, and his mother. He lived at Randazzo until 1347. In that year, the plague called the Black Death arrived. In 1348, just before his death, Giovanni designed the Catalan Blasco II Alagona as regent. This act spurred rivalry between the Italian nobility (the families of Chiaramonte, Palizzi, and Scaloro degli Uberti; called the filoangioini) and that of Catalan origin (the families of Peralta, Alagona, and Ventimiglia; called the filoaragonesi), eventually degenerating into civil war. Louis sent the royal army after against the Chiaramonte at Milazzo. Only in 1350 did peace arrive. In 1355, the king's cousin Frederick, lord of Aci and son of the duke of Randazzo, died. In an attempt to avoid... less