1226–1285 · King of Sicily and participant in the Eighth Crusade
Charles of Anjou
Brother of Louis IX; Angevin ruler influential in the Tunis crusade and in the late politics of the crown of Jerusalem.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Charles was the youngest son of King Louis VIII of France and a brother of Louis IX. With papal support he defeated the Hohenstaufen and became king of Sicily in 1266. He pursued a wide Angevin sphere of power across the Mediterranean, linking crusading plans to dynastic and commercial expansion.
Role in the Crusades
Charles joined his brother's expedition to Tunis in 1270 and directed the treaty with the Hafsid ruler after Louis's death. In 1277 he purchased Maria of Antioch's claim to the crown of Jerusalem and installed representatives at Acre. The Sicilian Vespers of 1282 shattered much of his Mediterranean programme and prevented a larger eastern project.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.