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defeat in the Formigues islands and next a defeat in ground in the ravine of the
Panizas, when the French troops were moving back.
After his big victory, Peter III prepared to confront with his brother Jaime II and
his nephew the king Sancho IV of Castile, who had not given him support during
his conflict with the French, but his premature death, in November, 1285,
prevented it.
In his testament, Peter III arranged that his corpse was receiving grave in the
Monastery of Santes Creus, of the Cistercian order. The funeral of the monarch was
celebrated by big solemnity and the body of the king was placed in an urn of red
porphyry, that admiral Roger de Lauria brought from Sicily. He was the first
Aragonese monarch in receiving grave in the Monastery of Santes Creus. King
Jaime II the Just of Aragon, arranged the construction of the graves of king Peter
III the Big, his father, at the same time that he was arranging the creation of his
own grave and that of his second wife, Blanca de Naples. It was arranged that the
tombs were sheltered, as this way was done, under baldachins worked in white
marble proceeding from the quarries of San Felíu, near Gerona. When King Jaime
II arranged the creation of his own tomb, he took that of his father as a model. The
tomb of King Peter III was realized between the year 1291 and 1307 by Bartomeu of
Gerona and it is richer than that of his son Jaime II and wife. A little temple lodges
the tomb of the king, consisting of an urn of red porphyry; before a Roman font of
bath, surrounded by saints' images.
In December, 1835, during the Carlists Wars, the French Legion of Alger and
several companies of municipal polices stayed at the monastic building, causing
numerous ravages in the same. The real graves of Jaime II and his wife were
profaned. The remains of Jaime II, son of Peter III were burned, although it seems
that some remains remained in the tomb. The mummy of the queen Blanca de
Naples was thrown to a well, from which was extracted in 1854. The tomb of Peter
III, by the soundness of the urn of porphyry used to lodge the royal remains,
prevented his remains would have equal luck.
Corrado Caputo prince of Antioch at the Sicilian Vesper
The king of Aragon knew that the subjects of the Kingdom hatred felt for Charles.
Peter chose as counselors two exiles of the Kingdom: Giovanni da Procida, a loyal
supporter of the Hohenstaufen, and Admiral Roger Lauria. In of 1281, thanks to
Giovanni da Procida, the Aragonese stipulated in Constantinople an important
treaty of alliance with Michael Palaeologus. Then Peter called for a fake crusade
against Africa for which he started to prepare numerous weapons. Meanwhile he
kept in close agreement with those in the Regno (Kingdom) that nourished
grievances against Charles. These contacts he needed to secure a possibility of
landing in Sicily.
The Hohenstaufen Dynasty - Page 160 of 200