1226–1285 · King of Sicily and participant in the Eighth Crusade
Charles d’Anjou
Charles d’Anjou (1226–1285) — King of Sicily and participant in the Eighth Crusade. This dossier combines the biographical record with dated events and the listed primary and secondary sources.
No verified depiction added
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.
Career during the Crusading era
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.
Documented activity: a chronological record
On 18 July – 25 August 1270, Charles d’Anjou appears in the atlas record “Eighth Crusade: Tunis” at Carthage / Tunis. The event is documented through Jean de Joinville, İbn Haldûn, TDV İA, ‘Haçlılar’.
Allies, opponents and geographical range
Charles d’Anjou appears in the same records as Louis IX, I. Muhammed el-Müstansır. Co-occurrence does not always indicate alliance: the connection may involve command, dynastic rivalry, captivity, negotiation or direct conflict.
The principal geographical range represented in the atlas is Carthage / Tunis. These places record not only presence but also the supply lines, diplomatic contacts and limits of authority relevant to the biography.
Results of recorded decisions
The “Eighth Crusade: Tunis” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
Sources and historiography
Papal letters, conciliar canons and preaching texts record normative aims, while chronicles describe their social reception. Later versions of speeches are not verbatim minutes and should be compared through their shared provisions, date and circulation.
Names and titles vary between languages; variant spellings and titles should be searched together in catalogues and texts. Approximate dates remain marked as such, and later literary or visual fame is separated from contemporary testimony.
Biographical statements are tied to the sources listed on this page and to the connected event dossiers. Approximate or disputed dates remain marked; missing information is not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual representations are not treated as contemporary portraits.