page_title: Sardinian–Aragonese war
section_title: 1353–1354
hierarchical_section_title: Sardinian–Aragonese war / The long conflict / 1353–1354
caption_attribution_description: Rotlle genealògic del Monestir de Poblet
context_page_description: The Sardinian–Aragonese war was a late medieval conflict lasting from 1353 to 1420. It saw the Judicate of Arborea, allied with the Sardinian branch of the Doria family and Genoa, opposing the Kingdom of Sardinia, part of the Crown of Aragon since 1324, for supremacy on the island.
context_section_description: Feeling threatened by the Aragonese claims of sovereignty and by the consolidation of their power in the rest of the island, Marianus IV, judge of Arborea, in September 1353 broke the alliance with the Aragonese made by his father, and, allied with the Doria, declared war on the Kingdom of Sardinia.
  The judicial troops penetrated the Campidano of Cagliari without encountering real resistance from the Aragonese. Many villages rebelled against the Iberian feudal lords and joined the Arborean cause. Marianus's army then occupied the villa of Quartu Sant'Elena and threatened the nearby city of Cagliari, the capital of the Sardinian kingdom.
  On September 18, the councilors of the Aragonese governor, residing in Cagliari, asked for help from Admiral Bernat de Cabrera, who was in the north of the island. Procurement was difficult because Mariano had cut all supplies to Cagliari and Villa di Chiesa. On October 6 Cabrera, who arrived in the south of the island, defeated the armies of the judge near Quartu and loosened the Arborean siege over the city.
  Meanwhile, in the north of Sardinia, numerous rebellions raged at the instigation of the Doria. On October 13 the fortress of Monteleone Rocca Doria rose and Alghero was reoccupied on October 15. At the end of the month Marianus and Matteo Doria besieged Sassari with about 400 knights and 1000 infantrymen. At the turn of 1353 the Arborea and the Doria were masters of almost all of Sardinia; only the cities of Cagliari, Sassari, and Villa di Chiesa and some castles remained in the hands of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
  Marianus possessed considerable military capabilities and, thanks to the sizable export of grains, his Judicate had the economic resources necessary to support an army able to oppose that of the crown of Aragon. He had infantrymen and knights recruited from the villages, a body of crossbowmen and soldiers of fortune of various origins (Italy, Germany, France, England) commanded by expert captains coming from the Italian peninsula.
  Given the aggravation of the situation, King Peter IV of Aragon set up an impressive expedition to quell the rebellion on the island. He commanded a large fleet that landed on June 22, 1354, in Porto Conte with the aim of reconquering the city of Alghero.
  The Aragonese siege, which lasted about five months, ended in a disaster from all points of view, due to the malaria that caused many victims among the ranks of the besiegers. Marianus, who came near the allied city under siege, came with his troops near Bosa, but did not fight. In order to avoid a complete defeat, Peter began negotiations with Marianus.
  On November 13, 1354, the Peace of Alghero was signed, with which Marianus obtained several of his objectives for the revolt: the autonomy of his Judicate, freedom of trade in the Arborean ports, the fief of Gallura and the clause that the governor general of the kingdom of Sardinia must be a person pleasing to him. Peter IV could in return take possession of Alghero; the original Sardinian–Ligurian population, being pro-Genoese, was evacuated and replaced by Catalan colonists.
caption: Peter IV the Ceremonious (Poblet Monastery)
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