Peter II of Aragon

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Aragonese and Valencian Royalty
House of Barcelona

Alfonso II
Children include
   Peter (future Peter II of Aragon)
   Alfonso II, Count of Provence
Peter II
Children include
   James (future James I of Aragon, Valencia and Majorca)
James I
   Peter (future Peter III of Aragon and I of Valencia and Sicily)
   James II of Majorca
   Isabella, Queen of France
Peter III (I of Valencia and Sicily)
Children include
   Alfonso (future Alfonso III of Aragon and I of Valencia)
   James (future James I of Sicily and II of Aragon and Valencia)
   Frederick II of Sicily
   Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal
Alfonso III (I of Valencia)
James II (I of Sicily)
Children include
   Alfonso (future Alfonso IV of Aragon and II of Valencia)
Alfonso IV (II of Valencia)
Children include
   Peter (future Peter IV of Aragon and II of Valencia)
Peter IV (II of Valencia)
Children include
   John (future John I of Aragon and Valencia)
   Martin (future Martin II of Sicily and I of Aragon and Valencia)
   Eleanor, Queen of Castile
Grandchildren include
   Ferdinand (future Ferdinand I of Aragon, Valencia and Sicily)
John I
   Yolande, Queen of France
Martin I (II of Sicily)

Peter II of Aragon (1174September 12, 1213), surnamed the Catholic, was the king of Aragon (as Pedro II) and count of Barcelona (as Pere I) from 1196 to 1213.

He was the son of Alfonso II of Aragon and Sancha of Castile. In 1205 he acknowledged the feudal supremacy of the Papacy and was crowned in Rome by Pope Innocent III, swearing to defend the Catholic faith (hence his surname, "the Catholic"). He was the first king of Aragon to be crowned by the Pope.

On June 15, 1204 he married (as her third husband) Marie of Montpellier, daughter and heiress of William VIII of Montpellier by Eudocia Comnena. She gave him a son, James, but Peter soon discarded her. Marie was popularly venerated as a saint for her piety and marital suffering, but was never canonized; she died in Rome in 1213.

He led the Christian forces to defeat the Moors at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212.

Peter returned from Las Navas in autumn 1212 to find that Simon de Montfort had conquered Toulouse, exiling Count Raymond VI of Toulouse, who was Peter's brother-in-law and vassal. Peter crossed the Pyrenees and arrived at Muret in September 1213 to confront Montfort's army. He was accompanied by Raymond of Toulouse, who tried to persuade Peter to avoid battle and instead starve out Montfort's forces. This suggestion was rejected.

The Battle of Muret began on September 12, 1213. The Aragonese forces were disorganized and disintegrated under the assault of Montfort's squadrons. Peter himself was caught in the thick of fighting, and died as a result of a foolhardy act of bravado. He was thrown to the ground and killed. The Aragonese forces broke in panic when their king was slain and the crusaders of Montfort won the day.

Upon Peter's death the kingdom passed to his only son by Marie of Montpellier, the future James the Conqueror.

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Preceded by
Alfonso II
King of Aragon,
Count of Barcelona

1196-1213
Succeeded by
James I