Charles I of Anjou

Charles I of Anjou was a French prince and ruler who became king of Sicily in 1266. He built a Mediterranean power and pursued the conquest of Constantinople to restore Latin rule.

Battle of Benevento: A 1266 battle in which Charles of Anjou defeated and killed Manfred of Sicily. The victory secured Charles’s conquest of the Kingdom of Sicily.
Capetian dynasty: A French royal dynasty that ruled from the late tenth century and founded several cadet branches. Charles belonged to its Angevin branch, which supplied his royal lineage.
Louis IX of France: King of France from 1226 to 1270 and elder brother of Charles of Anjou. His crusading and royal authority framed Charles’s position within the Capetian family.
Latin Empire: A state established by crusaders in Constantinople in 1204 and ended by Byzantine reconquest in 1261. Charles sought to revive Latin power in Constantinople after the empire had fallen.
Battle of Tagliacozzo: A 1268 battle in which Charles’s forces defeated Conradin, the last Hohenstaufen claimant to Sicily. Conradin’s defeat removed the principal rival to Charles’s rule.
House of Anjou: A French noble dynasty whose members ruled Anjou and founded branches across Europe. Charles’s family identity underpinned his claim to the Sicilian throne.
Beatrice of Provence: Countess of Provence who became queen of Sicily through her marriage to Charles of Anjou. Her inheritance helped bring Provence and its resources into Charles’s dynastic orbit.
Byzantine Empire: The medieval Roman state centered on Constantinople and ruled by Greek-speaking emperors. Its restored control of Constantinople stood in the way of Charles’s eastern ambitions.
Sicilian Vespers: A 1282 uprising in Sicily that drove out Angevin rule and began a war with Aragon. The revolt shattered Charles’s control of Sicily and his Mediterranean plans.
Louis VIII of France: King of France from 1223 to 1226 and father of Charles of Anjou. His younger son Charles entered European politics through the Capetian royal family.

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