Blanche of Anjou
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Blanche of Anjou (1280 – October 14, 1310) was the second Queen consort of James II of Aragon.
[edit] Family
She was the second daughter of Charles II of Naples and Maria Arpad of Hungary.
Her paternal grandparents were Charles I of Sicily and Beatrice of Provence. Her maternal grandparents were Stephen V of Hungary (d. 1272) and his wife, queen Elisabeth, who was daughter of Zayhan of Kuni, a chief of the Cuman tribe and had been a pagan before her marriage.
[edit] Marriage
On 29 October 1295, Blanche married James II of Aragon. They had ten children:
- James (Jaume) (b. 29 September 1296 - d. Tarragona, July 1334). James renounced his right to the throne in 1319 to become a monk. He refused to consummate his marriage to Leonor of Castille, who later become the second wife of his brother Alfonso.
- Alfonso IV of Aragon (1299 – 24 January 1336). He became the King of Aragon in 1327 and ruled until his death. He married twice: first to Teresa d'Entença and then to Eleanor of Castile after his first wife died.
- Maria (b. 1299 - d. as a nun in Sijena, 1316). She married Pedro of Castile, son of Sancho IV of Castile.
- Constance (Constança) (b. Valencia, 1 April 1300 - d. Castillo de Garcia Munoz, 19 September 1327). Constance married Juan Manuel, Duke of Penafiel, nephew of Alfonso X of Castile.
- John (Juan) (b. 1304 - d. Pobo, Zaragoza, 19 August 1334). John became the first Archbishop of Toledo and Tarragona in 1318, and Patriarch of Alexandria in 1328.
- Isabel of Aragon (b. 1305 - d. Styria, 12 July 1330). Elizabeth married Frederick I of Austria.
- Peter (Pere) (b. 1305 - d. Pisa, 4 November 1381), Count of Ribagorça and Prades. Peter married Jeanne, daughter of Gaston I of Foix.
- Ramon Berenguer (b. August 1308 - d. a priest at Barcelona, 1366), Count of Empúries and Baron of Ejerica.. Ramon married firstly with Blanca, daughter of Philip I of Taranto, and secondly with Maria, daughter of Jaime of Aragon.
- Violante (b. Barcelona, October 1310 - d. Pedrola, 19 July 1353). She first married Philip, Despot of Romania, son of Philip I of Taranto. Her second marriage was with Lope de Luna, Lord of Segorbe.
| Preceded by Isabella of Castile |
Queen consort of Sicily 1295–1296 |
Succeeded by Eleanor of Anjou |
| Preceded by Isabella of Castile |
Queen consort of Aragon 1295–1310 |
Succeeded by Maria of Lusignan |
| Countess consort of Barcelona 1295–1310 |
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| Queen consort of Valencia 1295–1310 |
