Manfredi II Chiaramonte


Manfredi II Chiaramonte was a Sicilian nobleman of the Chiaramonte family and Count of Modica. The son of Giovanni I "the Elder" and Lucca Palizzi, he became one of the leading figures of the kingdom’s "Latin" faction in the baronial wars against the Catalan party of Blasco II Alagona.

Origins and family

Manfredi was the second of his name in the Chiaramonte family, a powerful noble house of late medieval Sicily. He was the son of Giovanni I Chiaramonte, called il Vecchio, and Lucca Palizzi, sister of Matteo Palizzi, Count of Novara.
Through his parents he inherited connections to two of the island’s most influential baronial lineages: the Chiaramonte, established at Palermo and in western Sicily, and the Palizzi, with strongholds in the east.
He grew up in Palermo, where his father had established the family seat at the Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri, begun in 1307.
He had several brothers who later also played roles in Sicilian politics: Enrico, who became maestro razionale of the kingdom; Federico, later captain and justiciar of Agrigento; and Giacomo, associated with Nicosia. He also had a cousin, Giovanni II Chiaramonte “the Younger,” son of Manfredi I Chiaramonte, from whom he would later inherit the County of Modica.

Career

After the Sicilian Vespers the island and the mainland were ruled by rival dynasties. In Manfredi’s career, Sicilian politics were further split between the baronial “Latin” and “Catalan” factions.
Sicily :
Naples :
The Sicilian Vespers split the old kingdom between the Aragonese on the island and the Angevins on the mainland. Manfredi’s career falls under Peter II and his successors Louis and Frederick IV. During this period the island was less threatened by Angevin attack than in Giovanni II Chiaramonte’s time, but was torn by internal strife between the “Latin” and “Catalan” baronial factions. As head of the Chiaramonte family and allied to his maternal uncle Matteo Palizzi, Count of Novara, Manfredi became a leading figure of the Latin party in its struggle against the Catalan leader Blasco II Alagona.

Early career and succession (1337–1343)

Manfredi emerges as an officeholder in 1337, when King Peter II appointed him royal majordomo and authorised him to act in place of his father as captain and justiciar of Palermo. The following year, on the death of the infante William of Athens, he received the fief of Spaccaforno as a legacy. When his father Giovanni I died in 1339, Manfredi succeeded to the family’s feudal estates and the lifelong offices his father had held at Palermo, as well as to the dignity of seneschal of the kingdom.
The position of the family was further consolidated in 1342, when his cousin Giovanni II Chiaramonte, son of Manfredi I Chiaramonte, died. Manfredi inherited both the leadership of the Chiaramonte line and the claim to the County of Modica. Although this succession was contested by Giovanni II’s daughter Margherita, Manfredi was able to assert his rights through earlier testamentary provisions and through financial claims arising from Giovanni’s captivity after the naval defeat at Lipari in 1339. The dispute lingered until 1347, but in practice Manfredi had already secured control of the county: on 25 May 1343 King Louis formally invested him as Count of Modica.

Dominion and power base (1343–1348)

The royal investiture of 1343 placed Manfredi at the head of the Sicilian baronage. In the general levy of military forces that year, he was assessed at 150 onze for fifty armed horses—by far the largest single contribution, and well above that of any other baron. With the unification of the estates of both branches of the family, his power extended across a vast territory. In the southeast this comprised the County of Modica, including Ragusa, Scicli, and Chiaramonte; in the west it included the paternal inheritance of Caccamo, Misilmeri, Racalmuto, Siculiana, and Favara.
From the Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri in Palermo, where he served as captain and justiciar, Manfredi exercised de facto lordship during a period of weakened royal authority. His brothers reinforced the family’s position elsewhere: Federico as captain and justiciar of Agrigento, Enrico as maestro razionale of the kingdom, and Giacomo in Nicosia. At the coronation ceremonies in Palermo on 15 September 1342, King Louis created Manfredi’s eldest son, Simone, a knight and invested him with the title of Count of Chiaramonte.

Baronial wars (1348–1350)

From 1348 the Chiaramonte were drawn into the civil wars that split the Sicilian nobility between the “Latin” faction, led by Manfredi and his uncle Matteo Palizzi, and the “Catalan” faction of the royal justiciar Blasco II Alagona. The Latin side quickly gained ground in western Sicily and advanced east to challenge the Catalans around Catania.
The campaign failed to produce a decisive victory. After setbacks before Catania and near Paternò, the leaders negotiated a settlement in November 1350 that effectively partitioned authority on the island. Blasco II Alagona remained grand justiciar, while Manfredi, Palizzi, and Alagona were recognised as royal vicars general; Manfredi’s brother Federico served as justiciar in the Latin-held regions.

Revolt and final years (1350–1353)

On 13 December 1350 a revolt broke out in Palermo against Manfredi’s rule as captain of the city, led by Lorenzo Murra. Manfredi took refuge in the family palace, the Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri, while Murra assumed the captaincy of the commune; the rebels were supported by Francesco II Ventimiglia and Matteo Sclafani, baron of Adernò and Ciminna. Reinforcements from Caccamo led by Manfredi’s son Simone Chiaramonte and his cousin Manfredi III Chiaramonte entered the city, and on 25 January 1351 the uprising was bloodily suppressed. A contemporary chronicler, Michele da Piazza, even alleged the revolt had been staged to eliminate Manfredi’s domestic enemies.

Family life

Manfredi’s first wife is unknown. He later married Mattia d’Aragona, a natural descendant of King Peter I of Sicily. They had one son, Simone. The family lived at the Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri in Palermo. In November 1353 Simone married Venezia Palizzi, daughter of Matteo Palizzi, at Messina in the presence of King Frederick IV.

Death and succession

In June 1353, already gravely ill, Manfredi made his will. He died soon afterwards in Palermo and was buried in the family chapel of San Nicolò la Kalsa. Simone succeeded him as Count of Modica and received formal investiture on 15 December 1353.