His refusal to comply with the pope's injunctions led to a renewal of
the war. Frederick landed in Calabria, where he seized several towns,
encouraged revolt in Naples, negotiated with the Ghibellines of Tuscany
and Lombardy, and assisted the house of Colonna against Pope Boniface.
In the meanwhile James, who received many favours from the Church,
married his sister Yolanda to Robert, the third son of Charles II.
Unfortunately for Frederick, a part of the Aragonese nobles of Sicily
favoured King James, and both John of Procida and Ruggiero di Lauria,
the heroes of the war of the Vespers, went over to the Angevins, and the
latter completely defeated the Sicilian fleet off Cape Orlando.
Charles's sons Robert and Philip landed in Sicily, but after capturing
Catania were defeated by Frederick, Philip being taken prisoner (1299),
while several Calabrian towns were captured by the Sicilians. For two
years more the fighting continued with varying success, until Charles of
Valois, who had been sent by Boniface to invade Sicily, was forced to
sue for peace, his army being decimated by the plague, and in August
1302 the treaty of Caltabellotta was signed, by which Frederick was
recognized king of Trinacria (the name Sicily was not to be used) for
his lifetime, and was to marry Eleonora, the daughter of Charles II.; at
his death the kingdom was to revert to the Angevins (this clause was
inserted chiefly to save Charles's face), and his children would receive
compensation elsewhere. Boniface tried to induce King Charles to break
the treaty, but the latter was only too anxious for peace, and finally
in May 1303 the pope ratified it, Frederick agreeing to pay him a
tribute.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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