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FERDINAND I

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Originally appearing in Volume V10, Page 266 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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FERDINAND I ., See also:king of See also:Aragon (1373-1416), called " of See also:Antequera," was the son of See also:John I. of See also:Castile by his wife Eleanor, daughter of the third See also:marriage of See also:Peter IV. of Aragon. His surname " of Antequera " was given him because he was besieging that See also:town, then in the hands of the See also:Moors, when he was told that the See also:cortes of Aragon had elected him king in See also:succession to his See also:uncle See also:Martin, the last male of the old See also:line of Wilfred the Hairy. As See also:infante of Castile Ferdinand had played an See also:honourable See also:part. When his See also:brother See also:Henry III. died at See also:Toledo, in 1406, the cortes was sitting, and the nobles offered to make him king in preference to his See also:nephew John. Ferdinand refused to despoil his brother's See also:infant son, and even if he did not See also:act on the moral ground he alleged, his sagacity must have shown him that he would be at the See also:mercy of the men who had chosen him in such circumstances. As co-See also:regent of the See also:kingdom with See also:Catherine, widow of Henry III. and daughter of John of Gaunt by his marriage with See also:Constance, daughter of Peter the Cruel and Maria de See also:Padilla, Ferdinand proved a See also:good ruler. He restrained the follies of his See also:sister-in-See also:law, and kept the See also:realm quiet, by See also:firm See also:government, and by prosecuting the See also:war with the Moors. As king of Aragon his See also:short reign of two years See also:left him little See also:time to make his See also:mark. Having been bred in Castile, where the royal authority was, at least in theory, See also:absolute, he showed himself impatient under the checks imposed on him by the fueros, the chartered rights of Aragon and See also:Catalonia. He particularly resented the obstinacy of the Barcelonese, who compelled the members of his See also:household to pay municipal taxes. His most See also:signal act as king was to aid in closing the See also:Great See also:Schism in the See also:Church by agreeing to the deposition of the antipope See also:Benedict XIV., an Aragonese. He died at Ygualada in Catalonia on the 2nd of See also:April 1416.

End of Article: FERDINAND I

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