Sancho (; 1274 – 4 September 1324), called the Pacific or the Peaceful, was King of Majorca, Count of Roussillon and Cerdanya, and Lord of Montpellier from 1311 to his death. His 13-year-long reign was markedly undisturbed by turmoil, which earned him his epithets, and is thus often contrasted to the troublesome reigns of his father, James II, and nephew, James III, his predecessor and successor respectively. Youth Sancho was one of five children and the second son of James II and Esclaramunda of Foix. He was born in Pina, Mallorca around 1274. His father ruled the Kingdom of Majorca and adjacent fiefs under the suzerainty of his brother and afterwards nephews, the kings of Aragon. James's attempts to free himself of this vassalage led to his deposition by his nephew, King Alfonso III of Aragon, in 1286. Sancho, his mother and his elder brother, James, were taken captives by their cousin. The Queen was released but the brothers were kept in close confinement for several years, sometimes in irons. The Treaty of Anagni in 1295 secured their release by King James II of Aragon as well as the return of the Balearic islands to their father. Following the release, the princes were sent to the French royal court in Paris for education. Sancho's family was noted for its religious zeal. When in 1299 his elder brother, James, renounced his right to the throne to become a Franciscan, Sancho became heir apparent to his father's dominions. He was officially recognized as such in 1302 despite his poor health, for the alternative was his younger brother Ferdinand, with whom their father was at odds. Personal life A proxy marriage with Maria, daughter of King Charles II of Naples, took place in September 1304, only three months after Sancho's sister Sancha married Maria's brother Robert. Sancho and Maria married in person five years later. The unions were part of a large-scale effort to achieve peace between the House of Barcelona, which ruled the kingdoms of Aragon, Majorca and Sicily, and the Capetian House of Anjou, which ruled the Kingdom of Naples. Sancho's union with Maria was suggested by his cousin James II of Aragon, who was already married to Maria's sister Blanche. Yet another sister-in-law of Sancho, Eleanor, married his cousin (James II of Aragon's brother) Frederick III of Sicily. Sancho was of delicate constitution and prone to asthma, prompting him to