James II 'the Just' was born a year after his
oldest brother Alfonso (circa 1263). On the death of his father
Peter
III in 1285 he became the king of Sicily while his brother
became the king of the Crown of Aragon. On the death of
Alfonso
III in June 1291 he raced home to be crowned king and left
his younger brother Frederick as viceroy of Sicily.
(Picture
of James II at Barcelona). Like his father and brother, James had no
intention of giving up Sicily, but found himself confronted with the
same problems that forced his brother Alfonso into the
Treaty
of Tarascon. By this time the Sicilians were coming to trust the
Crown of Aragon less and less, feeling that they would eventually be
sold out by the crown. It probably did not help also that James was siphoning
off the fleet tax for his own use instead of using it on the one
thing that was keeping island free of the Angevins. He would
eventually sign the
Treaty of Anagni
on June 15, 1295 and leave Sicily. The outraged Sicilians would
elect his brother as the new king, Frederick III.
Under the treaty James II was obligated to help oust his brother from Sicily, but it is clear he gave only the minimal amount of support required. At the Battle of Cape Orlando it seems clear he deliberately let Frederick escape. It also seems evident that Roger of Lauria was under orders from him to only engage the Sicilians when absolutely required. The stalemate would eventually lead to the Treaty of Caltabellota.
As part of the treaty, the Crown of Aragon was to receive the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, but collecting them would prove difficult. The islands were considered to be Genoese territory and the Catalans and Genoese would fight a number of naval battles over them. James II would eventually annex Sardinia after a campaign in 1323-24, but the crown would never gain control of Corsica. James II died shortly after that in 1327.
