The death of
Peter III had not
diminished the demands of the Unions of Aragon and Valencia. While Roger
was fighting the Angevins,
Alfonso
III was fighting the cortes which
was increasing its demands, including the right to elect the king's own
councilors. Alfonso initially refused the demands, but after the cortes
sent ambassadors to France with an offer to recognize Charles of Valois as
king of Aragon in return for recognition of their rights, Alfonso was
forced to capitulate and at the end of December signed the new Privileges
of the Union. The new
agreement constrained the ability of Alfonso to help his brother in Sicily
and so he began to look for a compromise. In July 1287 following the
Battle of the Counts, King Edward I of England arranged a truce among the
various parties. Called the Treaty of Olorón, the treaty arranged both
for the release of Charles of Salerno, and for an eventual termination of
hostilities. Pope Honorius had died in April 1287, but the new pope,
Nicolas IV, was determined to carry on his predecessor's policies,
demanding that James give up Sicily before any negotiations could begin.
In July 1288 Sancho IV of Castile, in an attempt to win papal approval of his title and recent marriage, signed a treaty with France of mutual assistance against Aragon. Alfonso now faced fighting France, Castile and the Angevin forces in Italy. Taking advantage of his plight, the unionistas demanded more rights by threatening to go over to the French and Castilian side. Thus if Alfonso wished to hold on to the Crown of Aragon, he would have to disentangle himself from Sicily and his brother James. In October 1288 at Canfranc under the direction of Edward I, Alfonso III took the first steps towards ending the conflict. In exchange for a substantial payment and the pledging of his sons as hostages should Charles of Salerno not keep his commitment to sign a comprehensive peace after three years, Alfonso released Charles. While Charles received his freedom, neither Philip IV of France nor Pope Nicolas were particularly pleased with the arrangement in part because it would alienate Sicily from the Regno and because Charles had promised to forfeit part of Provence if he failed to meet his obligations. They immediately declared the treaty invalid and refused to recognize it.
