Alfonso II of Aragon

Alfonso II of Aragon

Alfonso II, known as the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and also Count of Barcelona from 1164 until he died in 1196. He was the eldest son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon. Because of this, he was the first king who also ruled Barcelona.

Alfonso II also became Count of Provence in 1166. He took control of this land from Douce II and Raymond V, Count of Toulouse. In 1173, he gave Provence to his brother, Ramon Berenguer III.

Many historians from Catalonia remember his time as a way to bring together lands on both sides of the Pyrenees under the rule of the House of Barcelona. This idea is called l'engrandiment occitànic, meaning "the Pyrenean unity."

Reign

Alfonso II was born in Huesca and became the king of Aragon and the count of Barcelona. People called him Alfonso to honor the people of Aragon.

During his time as king, Alfonso worked closely with Alfonso VIII of Castile. Together, they fought against groups known as the Moorish taifas in the south. Alfonso captured important places like Teruel in 1171 and Caspe the same year. He also made agreements with other leaders to secure lands for Aragon, such as the Treaty of Cazorla in 1179 and the Treaty of Sangüesa in 1168.

Alfonso expanded his influence beyond the Pyrenees, adding areas like Provence, Cerdanya, and Roussillon to his kingdom. He also helped place a relative on the throne in Sardinia. Alfonso supported religious groups, giving land to Cistercian monks and founding important monasteries. He passed away in Perpignan in 1196.

Literary patronage and poetry

Alfonso II was known as a poet and had close ties with King Richard the Lionheart. He wrote poems with another poet named Giraut de Bornelh. They talked about whether a lady loses respect if she loves someone richer than herself. Many poets at the time talked about this idea, including Guilhem de Saint-Leidier, Azalais de Porcairagues, Raimbaut of Orange, Dalfi d'Alvernha, and Perdigon.

Alfonso’s love life was also a popular topic among poets. For example, Guillem de Berguedà wrote about his choices in love, and Peire Vidal praised Alfonso for choosing to marry Sancha instead of a wealthy woman connected to the emperor Manuel.

Marriage and descendants

Alfonso married Sancha of Castile, the daughter of king Alfonso VII of Castile. They had several children, including:

• Peter II, who became King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier
• Constance, who married first King Emeric of Hungary and later Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
• Alfonso II, who became Count of Provence, Millau and Razès
• Eleanor, who married Raymond VI of Toulouse
• Sancha, who married Raymond VII of Toulouse
• Ferdinand, who became a cistercian monk and Abbot of Montearagón
• Dulcia, who became a nun at Sijena