Union of Valencia facts for kids

The Union of Valencia was a group of people in the Kingdom of Valencia who wanted to limit the power of the king. This movement started in 1283 and continued into the 1400s. It was formed after a similar group, the Union of Aragon, was created in October 1283. The main goal of the Union of Valencia was for the nobles (important families) of Valencia to have more say and to reduce the influence of people from Catalonia and other foreign places on the king's decisions.

By 1285, these Unions had greatly reduced the king's power. They even made it harder for him to fight in the War of the Sicilian Vespers and to defend against the Aragonese Crusade, which invaded Catalonia that year.

Fighting for More Power

In 1347, during a meeting called the cortes in Zaragoza, the Union of Valencia joined forces with the Union of Aragon. They demanded the right to choose a special judge, called a Justícia, in Valencia, just like the Aragonese group had.

After this, they successfully took over the royal castle of Xàtiva. The Union then convinced Ferdinand, Prince of Aragon to become their leader. With a large army of 30,000 soldiers, Ferdinand helped them win another battle against the king's supporters.

King Peter IV then traveled from Barcelona to Valencia to talk with the Union's leaders. The Aragonese Union sent about 20,000 more soldiers to help Ferdinand. King Peter offered to make Ferdinand his heir (the next king), but they could not agree.

The End of the Union

King Peter was briefly held captive in Morvedre in early 1348. He was only released because the terrible disease known as the Black Death arrived. Once King Peter regained control, he ordered a large bell, which the Union members used to call meetings, to be melted down. He punished the Union's leaders very severely.

On November 1, 1348, the Union attacked the Jews of Morvedre. This happened because the Jews were considered loyal to the Crown, as they were legally tied to the king.

A New Symbol

Later, in 1401, King Martin gave the Union the right to use the royal flag, called the senyera. This flag was actually a copy of the penó de la conquesta. The Union was allowed to add its own symbol to this flag.

See also

In Spanish: Unión de Valencia para niños