Constance of Sicily

Constance of Sicily (Italian: Costanza or Constanca), (1324/1326 – 22 October 1355) was a Sicilian princess regent. She ruled the Kingdom of Sicily as regent in the name of her brother, King Louis, between 1352 and 1355.

She was the daughter of King Peter II and his wife, Elisabeth of Carinthia. Constance was the second-born child of Peter II and Elisabeth of Carinthia, but the first to survive to adulthood. She had nine siblings in total, including Louis the Child and Frederick IV of Sicily, who ascended to the throne of Sicily during their lives. Constance lived into her thirties without submitting to marriage.

Early life Constance never married, like her sister Euphemia, whether this was due to their duties to continue the Sicilian family dynasty at the service of their brothers, or to avoid marriage, is indeterminate. They also had the ability to escape the duties of marriage by joining religious orders.

Constance's regency in 14th century Sicily was marked by conflicts between noble factions as well as the black plague. Constance was regent during one of the most devastating periods in European history and could not afford to stand by as a mere figurehead. As regent and ruler in place of her underage brother, her decisions mattered. Her appearance as a strong ruler was of great importance admidst rivaling factions and a populace terrorized by the Plague. This likely aided her decision to remain unmarried.

Following Louis's accession as king in 1342, the Latins rebelled against the new regent but did not have permanent Angevin Success.

By November 1353, Constance was confirmed from a document to have taken over the responsibilities of vicar after the death of her mother, Queen Elizabeth of Carinthia. Disease was a problem in cities in the decades before the plagues arrival, made worse by an influx of peasant refugees, city finical burdens, and high crime rates. Many people believed the arrival of the Plague was an act of God's wrath upon sinful people. One account blamed the Genoese for bringing the Plague to Sicily because of their sins and blamed Messina for its hasty spread.

Constance, though not yet regent, had to contend with the effects of the Plague as it spread thought the island where her people regardless of age or sex, died after coming into contact with the Black Death. Homes were left empty, and entire cities were destroyed or abandoned. With the spread of the Plague, revenue from trade and other sources of wealth from agriculture declined further hurting the kingdom's economy. The high death toll, combined with the people's fear, lead the ruling family and Constance to advise her brother, Louis, at nine years of age, to grant all priests the power to absolve sins so that all who died of the Plague would reach heaven. Constance did not create lasting change within Sicilian politics but still managed to exert her influence through diplomatic negotiation as regent and sister to Louis, the King of Sicily during her reign. Her position as regent of Sicily was taken over by her sister Euphemia, who kept it until 1356 when their brother Fredrick IV came of age.