Sancho of Majorca

Who was Sancho of Majorca?

Sancho, called the Pacific or the Peaceful, was King of Majorca, Count of Roussillon and Cerdanya, and Lord of Montpellier from 1311 to his death. He was the second son of James II and Escalaramunda de Foix, daughter of Roger IV, count of Foix. He inherited the throne when his elder brother James renounced his claim to became a Franciscan monk.

In his early reign, Sancho struggled to continue his father's policy of stabilising the kingdom, but the major city of the realm, Palma de Mallorca, fought for autonomy. He extorted money from the Jews to build a navy. In 1324, shortly before his death, he began construction of the Cathedral of Perpignan, in which he was buried.

Sancho married Maria of Naples, daughter of Charles II, king of Naples and Maria Arpad of Hungary. They had no descendants. This lack threatened the survival of the young independent state. He willed the kingdom to his nephew James to prevent it from falling to the Crown of Aragón.