Ferdinand I, 1379?–1416, king of Aragón and Sicily and count of Barcelona (1412–16), second son of John I of Castile; nephew and successor of Martin of Aragón. In 1406, Ferdinand became regent of Castile during the minority of his nephew, John II. He captured (1410) Antequera from the Moors and claimed the vacant throne of Aragón in the same year. Finally chosen king in 1412, he defeated (1413) his chief rival for the throne and suppressed revolts in Sicily and Sardinia. In 1415 he met Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund at Perpignan and was obliged to agree to the deposition of Antipope Benedict XIII (see Luna, Pedro de). Ferdinand was succeeded by his son, Alfonso V.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Spanish and Portuguese History: Biographies