Sancho of Majorca

Sancho (; c. 1277 – 4 September 1324), called the Pacific or the Peaceful, was King of Majorca, Count of Roussillon and Cerdanya, and Lord of Montpellier from 1311 to his death. His 13-year-long reign was markedly undisturbed by turmoil, which earned him his epithets, and is thus often contrasted to the troublesome reigns of his father, James II, and nephew, James III, his predecessor and successor respectively.

Youth

Sancho was one of five children and the second son of James II and Esclaramunda of Foix. He was born in Pina, Mallorca around 1277. His father ruled the Kingdom of Majorca and adjacent fiefs under the suzerainty of his brother and afterwards nephews, the kings of Aragon. James's attempts to free himself of this vassalage led to his deposition by his nephew, King Alfonso III of Aragon, in 1286. Sancho, his mother and his elder brother, James, were taken captives by their cousin. The Queen was released but the brothers were kept in close confinement for several years, sometimes in irons. The Treaty of Anagni in 1295 secured their release by King James II of Aragon as well as the return of the Balearic Islands to their father.

Sancho's family was noted for its religious zeal. When in 1299 his elder brother, James, renounced his right to the throne to become a Franciscan, Sancho became heir apparent to his father's dominions. He was officially recognized as such in 1302 despite his poor health, for the alternative was his younger brother Ferdinand, with whom their father was at odds.

Succession issues and death

King Sancho's marriage was childless, which proved problematic in terms of succession. James II of Aragon claimed that the crown should revert to him if Sancho were to die leaving no legitimate issue, but Sancho himself was eager to prevent that. The elder of his two brothers, Ferdinand, had predeceased him; the younger, Philip, had also chosen an ecclesiastical career. Ferdinand, however, had left two sons, James and Ferdinand, and in 1322 Sancho devised a will detailing the line of succession: should Sancho have no legitimate children, the crown was to pass to James, then to the younger Ferdinand, and only if both boys were to die childless to the King of Aragon. He then proceeded to prepare the realm for his underage nephew's accession by establishing a regency council consisting of six people, three from the Kingdom of Majorca and three from the counties of Roussillon and Cerdagne.

In the summer of 1324, the asthmatic Sancho sought to escape the heat of his kingdom by spending the season in Formiguères. The precaution was futile, however. He died of an asthma attack on 4 September 1324. His nephew, James III, succeeded him. The arrival of Sancho's funeral procession on 11 September caused a tumult in Perpignan, with the townspeople attacking the nobles who accompanied his corpse and seizing the King's remains. The remains are now interred in the newly built Cathedral of Perpignan, which Sancho himself had chosen for his burial.

Family tree