Character

Born in 1208 in Montpellier (Occitania), the son of King Pere “The Catholic”, Pere II of Aragon and I of Catalonia, and of Maria of Montpellier. He personally led the conquest of Mallorca, which began in September of 1229, when a squadron of more than a hundred vessels carrying 15,000 soldiers disembarked in Santa Ponça. The battle of Portopí opened up the way to the capital, Madina Mayurqa, for the army, and the siege lasted for three months, ending with the attack of 31st December. On this date the Festa de l’Estendard is still celebrated in Mallorca today, in commemoration of the conquest of the city.

On 1st March 1230, Jaume I signed the Carta Pobla or ‘Carta de Franquesa’ of Mallorca, a document that established the rules for repopulating the island and the formation of new towns. Jaume I’s military and territorial successes culminated with the conquest, in 1245, of the whole of the kingdom of Valencia, where he died in 1276.

Dates

Montpeller 1208 – Valencia 1276