Ferdinand II of Naples

Ferdinand II (Italian: Ferdinando/Ferrante; 26 August 1469 – 7 September 1496) was King of Naples from 1495 to 1496. He was the son of Alphonso II and Ippolita Maria Sforza,[1] and heir of the Brienne claim to the kingdom of Jerusalem.

This article is about the 15th-century King of Naples. For for the 18th-century King who ruled from Naples with the same name, see Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies.

Ferdinand II
Medal of Ferdinand as Duke of Calabria by Adriano Fiorentino
King of Naples
Reign23 January 1495 – 7 September 1496
PredecessorAlfonso II
SuccessorFrederick
Born26 August 1469
Naples
Died7 September 1496(1496-09-07) (aged 27)
Somma Vesuviana
Burial
San Domenico Maggiore
SpouseJoanna of Naples
HouseHouse of Trastámara
FatherAlfonso II of Naples
MotherIppolita Maria Sforza
ReligionRoman Catholicism

Biography

Ferdinand's father, Alphonso, finding his tenure of the throne uncertain on account of the approaching invasion of Charles VIII of France and the general dissatisfaction of his subjects, abdicated in Ferdinand's favour on 23 January 1495.[2]

The 24-year-old new king tried to resist, but the French troops had already occupied much of the northern territories of the kingdom. The Neapolitan troops on the Liri and Garigliano rivers were obliged to retreat when the fortresses of Capua and Gaeta fell. The treason of a party in Naples rendered it impossible to defend the city against the approach of Charles VIII, who entered Naples on 20 February 1495. In the capital, only Castel dell'Ovo resisted, defended by Alfonso d'Avalos.

Ferdinand fled to the castle at Ischia with an escort of 14 galleys, together with the royal family, the general Innico d'Avalos and the poet Jacopo Sannazaro. The commander of the island fortress had already made an agreement with the French, and opposed the King's entrance. When the two met, Ferdinand killed the commander personally, and had his body thrown into the sea. Ferdinand later moved to Messina, where he joined his cousin Ferdinand II, King of Sicily and Spain.

In the meantime, Pope Alexander VI, (Rodrigo Borgia of Aragon before his election as pope) formed a coalition against Charles, made up of Emperor Maximilian, Venice, Milan and Spain. When the French king left Naples with most of his army, Ferdinand disembarked at Seminara in Calabria, forcing his way north to Naples. Blocked by French garrisons at Palmi, he decided to return to Naples by sea, and was again at Ischia (which had victoriously pushed back the French attacks) on 7 July 1495. The same day he was again in Naples: the citizens, irritated by the terrible conduct of their French conquerors during the occupation of the city, received him back with enthusiasm.

Coin of Ferdinand II.

With the aid of the great Spanish general Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, Ferdinand was able to rid his state completely of its invaders shortly before his death.

In August 1496, with the kingdom firmly back in his hands, Naples was able to celebrate Ferdinand's wedding to his 18-year-old half-aunt Joanna. Joanna was the late-born daughter of Ferdinand's grandfather Ferdinand I and his second wife, Joanna of Aragon. She was younger than Ferdinand, who was 27. After the wedding the royal couple decided to leave Naples and moved to Somma-Vesuvius. Here the king was struck with an illness and died within a few days, on 7 September 1496, a little over a year after his restoration. He was succeeded by his uncle Frederick, legitimate brother of his father, Alfonso II.

Ancestry
gollark: *cannot tell if meant ironically*
gollark: ···
gollark: There are more important things than economic growth.
gollark: Um. That would be worse.
gollark: authoritarian government BAD

See also

References
  1. Williams 1998, p. 144.
  2. Musto 2019, p. 262.

Sources
  • Musto, Ronald G. (2019). Writing Southern Italy Before the Renaissance: Trecento Historians of the Mezzogiorno. Routledge.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Williams, George L. (1998). Papal Genealogy: The Families and Descendants of the Popes. McFarland & Company, Inc.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ferdinand II. of Naples". Encyclopædia Britannica. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 264.
Ferdinand II of Naples
House of Trastamara
Born: 26 August 1469 Died: 7 September 1496
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Charles (IV)		 King of Naples
1495–1496		 Succeeded by
Frederick
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