Giovanni II Chiaramonte

Not to be confused with Giovanni Chiaramonte.

Giovanni II Chiaramonte (c. 1290^[a]–1342), known as il Giovane, was a Sicilian nobleman of the Chiaramonte family and the son of Manfredi I Chiaramonte. On his father’s death he inherited the County of Modica, and through his marriage to Eleonora, a natural^[c] daughter of King Frederick III of Sicily, strengthened the family’s alliance with the crown. He died in 1342 without legitimate male heirs, and the county passed to his cousin Manfredi II Chiaramonte.

Giovanni II Chiaramonte
Chiaramonte coat of arms
Count of Modica
Tenure	by 1317–1342
Predecessor	Manfredi I Chiaramonte
Successor	Manfredi II Chiaramonte
Born	c. 1290[a] Unknown[b]
Died	1342
Spouse	Eleonora of Sicily (natural daughter of King Frederick III of Sicily)
Issue	Margherita Chiaramonte Natural son, later Manfredi III Chiaramonte
Father	Manfredi I Chiaramonte
Mother	Isabella Mosca

Origins and family

The Chiaramonte family maintained deep roots and residences around Girgenti (Agrigento).^[2] Giovanni was the elder child of Manfredi I Chiaramonte, count of Modica, and Isabella Mosca, and was born c. 1290.^[a]

In 1296 his father acquired the comital seat at Modica.^[2] Treccani does not specify a birthplace for Giovanni II; in light of the chronology, a Modica birthplace is unlikely, and recent reference works avoid naming one.^[b]

Giovanni had a younger sister, Costanza, who later married Francesco I Ventimiglia, count of Geraci.^[2]

Career

Context — Rulers and powers in Giovanni’s lifetime

After the Sicilian Vespers (1282) the island (“Kingdom of Sicily” or “Trinacria”) and the mainland (“Kingdom of Naples”) were ruled by rival dynasties. During Giovanni’s career the imperial cause of Louis IV "the Bavarian" also played a role.

Sicily (Aragonese dynasty):

• Frederick III (r. 1296–1337)
• Peter II (r. 1337–1342)
• Louis (r. 1342–1355) — began after Giovanni’s death

Naples (Angevin line):

• Charles II (r. 1285–1309)
• Robert of Anjou (r. 1309–1343)

Holy Roman Empire:

• Louis IV "the Bavarian" (r. 1314–1347)

Background

The Sicilian Vespers (1282) split the old kingdom between the Aragonese on the island and the Angevins on the mainland. Giovanni’s career falls under Frederick III and Peter II; he fought in the continuing Aragon–Angevin conflict and was captured after the naval actions off Lipari in 1339, during Robert of Anjou’s reign.

Inheritance and early position

Giovanni succeeded his father as count of Modica around 1321.^[1] Still a minor at the time, he was considered too young to assume his father’s office of seneschal of the kingdom, which passed instead to his uncle Giovanni I Chiaramonte il Vecchio.^[2] His position was strengthened by his marriage to Eleonora, a natural daughter of King Frederick III of Sicily, and he soon came to be counted among the leading barons of the island.^[1]

Imperial service and exile

In the later 1320s Giovanni aligned himself with the imperial cause of Louis IV "the Bavarian", who was then campaigning in Italy.^[1] For a time he held offices under the emperor in the Marca d’Ancona, but this involvement with the Ghibelline party damaged his standing at home.^[1] His support for Louis provoked distrust from the Aragonese crown in Sicily, and Giovanni spent much of this period away from the island, effectively in exile.^[1] In 1337, however, he was recalled and restored to favour, marking the start of a renewed role in Sicilian affairs under King Peter II.^[1]

Admiral and final years

After his recall to favour, Giovanni was appointed admiral in the renewed war against the Angevins.^[1] In 1339 he took part in the naval campaign off Lipari, where the Sicilian fleet was defeated and he was captured.^[1] His release was secured through his cousin Enrico Chiaramonte, maestro razionale of the kingdom, to whom Giovanni pledged fiefs and other property to cover a ransom of 10,000 florins.^[1] Although restored to liberty, his position was weakened, and he did not recover his earlier influence. He died in 1342 without male heirs.^[1]

Family life

Giovanni married Eleonora, a natural daughter of King Frederick III of Sicily.^[c] They had one legitimate child, a daughter, Margherita Chiaramonte.^[1]

Recent scholarship indicates that Giovanni also had a natural (illegitimate) son, Manfredi (later Manfredi III Chiaramonte), who in adulthood became head of the family and Count of Modica.^[3]

Death and succession

Giovanni died in 1342 without legitimate male heirs.^[1] With his death the comital line from Manfredi I ended, and the County of Modica passed to his cousin Manfredi II Chiaramonte.^[1]

Gallery

• 
  Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri, the family palace in Palermo
• 
  Castello dei Conti, Modica, seat of the county
• 
  Agrigento, the Chiaramonte family’s original stronghold
• 
  Succession of the Counts of Modica

Notes

1. No record of Giovanni’s birth survives. Treccani places it “towards the end of the 13th century” (verso la fine del sec. XIII).^[1] Given that he succeeded his father in 1321, a date around 1290 is plausible.
2. Treccani records only that Giovanni was born “towards the end of the thirteenth century” and gives no place.^[1]
3. In medieval usage "natural daughter" (figlia naturale) meant a child born outside marriage but acknowledged by the father—in this case, an illegitimate but recognised daughter of King Frederick III of Sicily.^[1]