King Pedro III of Aragon

King Pedro III of Aragon is a political figure in the story of Giusfredi Capece and his family. By leading the revolt that wrests Sicily from Charles I of Anjou, he alters the fate of a household scattered by conquest and imprisonment; after the uprising, Arrighetto Capece is restored to his honors and possessions and becomes a leader in the new regime.

Identity and Political Background

A note accompanying the story identifies King Pedro III of Aragon as Manfred’s son-in-law and explains that, following the Sicilian Vespers uprising, he succeeded Charles I of Anjou as king of Sicily. His place in the narrative is therefore bound to a change of sovereignty: the revolt is not distant political news alone, but the event that opens a path back for characters whose lives had been shaped by the former ruler’s power.

The Revolt in Sicily

While Giusfredi and Spina have been held apart in prison for a year, news reaches Giusfredi that King Pedro III of Aragon, acting through Giovanni da Procida, has raised Sicily against Charles I of Anjou and taken the island. The report moves the story’s political conflict into the prisoners’ immediate lives. Giusfredi recognizes the revolt as the turn he had spent fourteen years hoping to see, but laments that it has come when he is confined with little hope of leaving alive.

Arrighetto Capece and Restoration

Giusfredi discloses that he is Arrighetto Capece’s son and recalls that his father had once ruled in Sicily under Manfred. Later, a messenger reports that Arrighetto, held captive by Charles I of Anjou, was freed when the people rose against the king and killed his guards. The Sicilians made Arrighetto their captain, and he led them in expelling and killing the French. King Pedro III of Aragon then received him into special favor and restored him to his honors and possessions.

Narrative Significance

The story presents King Pedro III of Aragon chiefly through the consequences of his political victory. The revolt first reaches the imprisoned Giusfredi as news that sharpens his despair; the later account of Arrighetto’s liberation and restoration makes the same upheaval the cause of the family’s recovery. King Pedro III of Aragon’s favor also completes that change of fortune: the restored Arrighetto sends for his wife and son, turning a political realignment into the prospect of reunion.