Pedro II the Catholic of Aragón ^{1 2}

   Cause of his death was slain in battle.

  General Notes:

Peter II of Aragon, surnamed the Catholic, was the king of Aragon (as Pedro II) and count of Barcelona (as Pere I) from 1196 to 1213.

He was the son of Alfonso II of Aragon and Sancha of Castile. In 1205 he acknowledged the feudal supremacy of the Papacy and was crowned in Rome by Pope Innocent III, swearing to defend the Catholic faith (hence his surname, "the Catholic"). He was the first king of Aragon to be crowned by the Pope.

He led the Christian forces to defeat the Moors at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212.

Ironically, the Catholic king died in September 12, 1213 at the Battle of Muret, trying to defend his vassal and brother-in-law, count Raymond VI of Toulouse, against the crusaders of Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester.

Led into ruinous alliance with Castile at the urging of his mother, his borrowings to cover various military adventures left his realm in dire financial straights. He was killed in a battle fighting French Knights led by the first Baron Simon de Montford (who earlier had been an ally).

  Noted events in his life were:

• Acceded: King of Aragón, 1196.

Pedro married Maria of Montpellier, daughter of Guillem VIII of Montpellier and Eudoxia of Byzantium Comnenus, in 1204. (Maria of Montpellier died in 1219.)