[December 18] Alfonso II, king of Naples

Parents: Ferdinand I, king of Naples, and Isabella of Taranto
Date of Birth: 4 November 1448
House: Trastámara
Spouse(s): Ippolita Maria, daughter of Francesco I, duke of Milan, and Bianca Maria of Milan
Predecessor: Ferdinando I
Reign: 1494 – 1495
Brief: Though barely considered a ruler of Naples, the long regency he held during his father's late illness gave Alfonso considerable power and influence. A close relative to the kings of Aragón, Alfonso was also the direct heir to the Brienne claim to the kingdom of Jerusalem, which fell to him in 1465. Unfortunately, by the time Alfonso ascended the throne in 1494, he had little to show for it. The Papacy had been attempting to annex Naples for centuries and the constant warfare had drained the accounts in Naples. When Ferdinando I died, King Charles VIII of France was already marching south to invade and claim the land, which had been offered to him by Pope Alexander VI. Alexander VI reasserted his faith in Alfonso soon after, though, but it was too late: Charles was already at the doorstep of Naples. Alfonso's fleet and army were destroyed and the king fled, abdicating in favor of his son, Ferdinando II. The retired king died in a monastery later that year. Though his reign was short, Alfonso was a patron of the arts while he served as crown prince and his palace heavily influenced Charles when he briefly occupied the city.

Date of Death: 18 December 1495

Successor: Ferdinando II

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Magnus I, king of Sweden (1290)

[June 27] Alfonso V, king of Aragón

Surnamed: "The Magnanimous"
Parents: Fernando I, king of Aragón, and Eleanor of Alburquerque
Date of Birth: 1396
Royal House: Trastámara
Spouse: Maria, daughter of Enrique III, king of Castile, and Catherine of Lancaster
Predecessor: Fernando I
Reign: 1416 – 1458
Summary: Very little is written about the early life of Alfonso V of Aragón. He was born at Medina del Campo to Fernando de Antequera (the future Fernando I) and Leonor de Alburquerque. He dynasty was a Castilian line descended through females to the old counts of Barcelona. He became king of Aragón, Majorca, Sicily, and Valencia upon the death of his father in 1416. In 1421, he was adopted as the heir to Juana II, queen of Naples. Alfonso immediately left for the south coast of Italy upon this declaration. He recruited local mercenaries to depose the pretender, Louis III, who was supported by Muzio Attendolo Sforza. Pope Martin V supported the Sforza army so Alfonso switched his allegiance to the Antipope Benedict XIII. Alfonso won the battle but lost favor with Juana after capturing her lover. After another brief war, Aragón was defeated and Louis III was declared Juana's heir.


Alfonso's reign fell into chaos after this. The Mediterranean chose sides in the ensuing war, with Genoa joining with Naples and Milan joining Aragón. The Italian portion of the kingdom of Sicily was taken in 1424 by Genoan soldiers and Alfonso's brother, Pedro, was forced to flee to the island of Sicily. For eight years, Naples remained outside of Alfonso's grasp. Then, in 1432, he had his chance to regain the favor of the queen. He failed, and Naples remained with Juana until her dead three years later. Naples was deeded to René of Anjou, the brother of Louis III, but the new pope opposed the inheritance. Alfonso set out again and was captured by Genoa. While imprisoned, he convinced Genoa to switch sides and the armies marched south again. During the meantime, René had made it to Naples and claimed the throne. Pedro was killed in the battle that followed when Alfonso tried to take the city, and then Aragón began to take over everything outside of Naples. In November 1441, the siege of Naples began and the city finally fell the next spring. He centralized the state and reduced the opposition, then conquered Sardinia as a slight to his temporary allies in Genoa. To ensure his legitimacy in Naples, he petitioned the pope and received license to pass the entirety of the kingdom on to his illegitimate son, Fernando. For the next ten years, Alfonso planned the conquest of Genoa, but the king died before ever marching on the merchant republic. While Alfonso was campaigning, his Hispanic possessions were controlled by Juan, his brother and eventual legitimate successor in Iberia, Sicily, and Sardinia.
Date of Death: 27 June  1458
Successor: Juan II

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Eudes II, duke of Burgundy (1162)

[May 12] Joan I, queen of Naples

Parents: Charles, duke of Calabria, and Marie of Valois

Date of Birth: 1328

House: Capet-Anjou
Spouse: (1) Andrew, duke of Calabria, then (2) Louis, prince of Taranto, then (3) James IV, king of Majorça, then (4) Otto, duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen

Predecessor: Robert

Reign: 1343 – 1382

Summary: Joan was the granddaughter of Robert, king of Naples, and as such she was second-in-line after her father, Charles. Her mother was the sister of Philip VI of France and thus Joan was both French and Neapolitan. When she was seven, she was betrothed to another member of the house of Anjou, Andrew, whose claim to the throne of Naples was nearly as strong as her own. When her grandfather died in 1343, he bequeathed the whole of the kingdom to Joan, not even mentioning her husband. The crown was to pass to her sister, Maria, if she were to die without issue. Joan was crowned the sole monarch of Naples in 1344 but after a petition from her mother-in-law, she allowed Andrew to be crowned king consort the next year. Unfortunately for Andrew, he was murdered in 1345 before he could receive his crown. She was pregnant at the time of his murder and the queen quickly found a new spouse in her cousin, Louis. Joan's reign was off to a politically hostile start.

Her reign was dominated by rivalries between the Neapolitan and Hungarian branches of the House of Anjou. The murder of Andrew, of the Hungarian branch, brought a Hungarian army to Naples. Joan only survived by fleeing to France and then selling her rights to Avignon to the pope, thereby ensuring his support. A new trial was arranged regarding Andrew's assassination and Joan was acquitted. Louis was finally crowned king consort in 1353. When the Western Schism broke out within the Papacy, Joan supported the French, adopting Louis, yet another cousin and the son of King John II of France, as her heir. This choice caused the legitimate pope, Urban VI, to declare her a heretic and he forfeited her kingdom to Charles of Durazzo, her niece's husband. Joan decided to remove Louis from the succession and replace him with another Louis, this one the brother of King Charles V of France. But Charles Durazzo felt increased safety in this decision because Louis could not mount a proper attack at the time. Durazzo went on to become king of Naples in 1381 as Charles III, in opposition to Joan who was still alive at the time. Joan's fourth husband, Otto, failed to hold off the Hungarian troops as they marched on Naples. She finally was forced to surrender the city to Charles in August 1381. Fearing an uprising, Charles had Joan killed in 1382 for her murder of Andrew. Her death prompted a century of recurring warfare in Naples over the lawful succession to the throne. She left no children

Date of Death: 12 May 1382

Successor: Charles III

Other Monarch Deaths:

Silvester II, pope of Rome (1003)

Sergius IV, pope of Rome (1012)

Thomas, despot of Morea (1465)

Adolf Frederick II, duke of Macklenburg-Strelitz (1708)

[January 4] Ferdinand I, king of the Two Sicilies

Parents: Charles III, king of Spain, and Maria Amalia of Saxony

Date of birth: 12 January 1751

Royal House: Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Spouse: Maria Carolina of Austria, then Lucia Migliaccio of Floridia
Predecessor: Charles VII/V, king of Naples and Sicily

Reign: 1759 – 1825

Summary: Charles was not born to be a king. He was the third surviving son of his parents and his elder brother, Charles, was to be his father's heir. When his grandfather died in 1759, his father declined the Sicilian and Neapolitan thrones in favor of Ferdinand in an effort to divide the realm between his children. Charles would inherit Spain much later in 1888. Ferdinand was far too young to rule, so both countries were ruled by regents until 1767.

For the first three decades of his reign, Ferdinand was a simple and just ruler. His wife, Maria Carolina, held a place on his councils and fought strongly to increase both kingdoms' standing in the world. During the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, the two Italian kingdoms joined the Allies against France, though they did not do so until the executions of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette (Maria Carolina's sister). From 1799 until 1815, Naples was under enemy occupation as first the Parthenopaean Republic, then under King Joseph, and finally under King Joachim Murat. When Ferdinand returned to Naples, he took advantage of the political confusion in Europe and merged his two kingdoms into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. He reigned as absolute monarch after this proclamation, having overturned both the Sicilian and Neapolitan constitutions in his union. His alliance with Austria ensured complete political obedience within his realm and his final days were marked with utter political and physical savagery on his Neapolitan populace.

Date of Death: 4 January 1825

Successor: Francis I, king of the Two Sicilies

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Sancho II, king of Portugal (1248)
• Frederick I, elector of Saxony (1428)