| Alfonso V | |
|---|---|
 Alfonso as aKnight of the Golden Fleece Miniature from the Southern Netherlands, 1473 | |
| King of Aragon | |
| Reign | 2 April 1416 – 27 June 1458 |
| Predecessor | Ferdinand I |
| Successor | John II |
| King of Naples | |
| Reign | 2 June 1442 – 27 June 1458 |
| Predecessor | René |
| Successor | Ferdinand I |
| Born | 1396 Medina del Campo,Kingdom of Castile |
| Died | 27 June 1458 (aged 61–62) Castel dell'Ovo,Naples,Kingdom of Naples |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | |
| Issue among others... | Ferdinand I of Naples (illegitimate) |
| House | Trastámara |
| Father | Ferdinand I of Aragon |
| Mother | Eleanor of Alburquerque |
| Signature |  |
Alfonso the Magnanimous (Alfons el Magnànim inCatalan)[a] (1396 – 27 June 1458) wasKing of Aragon andKing of Sicily (asAlfons V) and the ruler of theCrown of Aragon[b] from 1416 andKing of Naples (asAlfons I) from 1442 until his death. He was involved with struggles to the throne of theKingdom of Naples withLouis III of Anjou,Joanna II of Naples and their supporters, but ultimately failed and lostNaples in 1424. Herecaptured it in 1442 and was crowned king of Naples. He had good relations with his vassal,Stjepan Kosača, and his ally,Skanderbeg, providing assistance in their struggles in theBalkans. He led diplomatic contacts with theEthiopian Empire and was a prominent political figure of the earlyRenaissance, being a supporter of literature as well as commissioning several constructions for theCastel Nuovo.
Born atMedina del Campo, he was the son ofFerdinand of Trastámara andEleanor of Alburquerque. Ferdinand was the brother of KingHenry III of Castile, and Alfonso was betrothed to his uncle King Henry's daughterMaria in 1408. In 1412, Ferdinand wasselected to succeed to the territories of theCrown of Aragon. Alfonso and Maria's marriage was celebrated inValencia on 12 June 1415.
King Ferdinand died on 2 April 1416, and Alfonso succeeded him asking of Aragon,Valencia, andMajorca andcount of Barcelona. He also claimed the island ofSardinia, though it was then in the possession ofGenoa. Alfonso was also in possession of much ofCorsica by the 1420s.[1][2]
Alfonso's marriage with Maria was childless. His mistressLucrezia d'Alagno served as ade facto queen at the Neapolitan court as well as an inspiringmuse. With another mistress,Giraldona Carlino [hu;it], Alfonso had three children:Ferdinand (1423–1494), Maria (who marriedLeonello d'Este), and Eleanor (who married Mariano Marzano).[3] With the last mistressIppolita, married de'Giudici, Alfonso had one daughther Colia (1430-1473/5) married in 1445 with Emanuele d'Appiano, Lord of Piombino, Count of Holy Roman Empire. The d'Appiano d'Aragona family received, in 1509 the title of Prince of Holy Roman Empire.
Alfonso was the object of diplomatic contacts from the Empire of Ethiopia. In 1428, he received a letter fromYeshaq I of Ethiopia, borne by two dignitaries, which proposed an alliance against theMuslims and would be sealed by a dual marriage that would require Alfonso's brotherPeter to bring a group of artisans to Ethiopia where he would marry Yeshaq's daughter.[4] In return, Alfonso sent a party of 13 craftsmen, all of whom perished on the way to Ethiopia.[5] He later sent a letter to Yeshaq's successorZara Yaqob in 1450, in which he wrote that he would be happy to send artisans to Ethiopia if their safe arrival could be guaranteed, but it probably never reached Zara Yaqob.[6][7]
In 1421 the childless QueenJoanna II of Naples adopted and named him as heir to the Kingdom of Naples, and Alfonso went toNaples.[8] Here he hired thecondottieroBraccio da Montone with the task of reducing the resistance of his rival claimant,Louis III of Anjou, and his forces led byMuzio AttendoloSforza. With PopeMartin V supporting Sforza, Alfonso switched his religious allegiance to the Aragoneseantipope Benedict XIII. When Sforza abandoned Louis' cause, Alfonso seemed to have all his problems solved; however, his relationship with Joanna suddenly worsened, and in May 1423 he had her lover,Gianni Caracciolo, a powerful figure in the Neapolitan court, arrested.[8]
After an attempt to arrest the queen herself had failed, Joan called on Sforza who defeated the Aragonese militias nearCastel Capuano in Naples. Alfonso fled toCastel Nuovo, but the help of a fleet of 22 galleys led byGiovanni da Cardona improved his situation.[9] Sforza and Joanna ransomed Caracciolo and retreated to the fortress ofAversa.[9] Here she repudiated her earlier adoption of Alfonso and, with the backing of Martin V, named Louis III as her heir instead.[10]
The duke of Milan,Filippo Maria Visconti, joined the anti-Aragonese coalition. Alfonso requested support from Braccio da Montone, who was besieging Joanna's troops inL'Aquila, but had to set sail for Spain, where a war had broken out between his brothers and theKingdom of Castile. On his way towards Barcelona, Alfonso sackedMarseille, a possession of Louis III.[9]
In late 1423 the Genoese fleet of Filippo Maria Visconti moved in the southernTyrrhenian Sea, rapidly conqueringGaeta,Procida,Castellammare andSorrento. Naples, which was held by Alfonso's brother, Pedro de Aragon,[9] was besieged in 1424 by the Genoese ships and Joanna's troops, now led byFrancesco Sforza, the son of Muzio Sforza (who had met his death at L'Aquila). The city fell in April 1424. Pedro, after a short resistance in Castel Nuovo, fled toSicily in August. Joanna II and Louis III again took possession of the realm, although the true power was in the hands ofGianni Caracciolo.[9]
An opportunity for Alfonso to reconquer Naples occurred in 1432, when Caracciolo was killed in a conspiracy.[9] Alfonso tried to regain the favour of the queen, but failed, and had to wait for the death of both Louis (at Cosenza in 1434) and Joanna herself (February 1435). In her will, she bequeathed her realm toRené of Anjou, Louis III's younger brother. This solution was opposed by the new pope,Eugene IV, who was the feudal overlord of the Kingdom of Naples. The Neapolitans having called in the French, Alfonso decided to intervene and, with the support of several barons of the kingdom, capturedCapua and besieged the important sea fortress of Gaeta. His fleet of 25 galleys was met by the Genoese ships sent by Visconti, led byBiagio Assereto. In theBattle of Ponza that ensued, Alfonso was defeated and taken prisoner.[11]
In Milan, Alfonso impressed his captor with his cultured demeanor and persuaded him to let him go by persuading that it was not in Milan's interest to prevent the victory of the Aragonese party in Naples.[11] Helped by a Sicilian fleet, Alfonso recaptured Capua and set his base in Gaeta in February 1436. Meanwhile, papal troops had invaded the Neapolitan kingdom, but Alfonso bribed their commander, CardinalGiovanni Vitelleschi, and their successes waned.[12]
In the meantime, René had managed to reach Naples on 19 May 1438. Alfonso tried to besiege the city in the following September, but failed.[11] His brother Pedro was killed during the battle. Castel Nuovo, where an Aragonese garrison resisted, fell to the Angevine mercenaries in August 1439. After the death of his condottieroJacopo Caldora, however, René's fortune started to decline: Alfonso could easily captureAversa,Salerno,Benevento,Manfredonia andBitonto. René, whose possession included now only part of theAbruzzi and Naples, obtained 10,000 men from the pope, but the cardinal leading them signed a truce with Alfonso. Giovanni Sforza came with a reduced corps, as troops sent by Eugene IV had halted his father Francesco in theMarche.[citation needed]
Alfonso, provided with the most impressive artillery of the times, again besieged Naples. The siege began on 10 November 1441, ending on 2 June the following year.[13] After the return of René to Provence, Alfonso easily reduced the remaining resistance and made his triumphal entrance in Naples on 26 February 1443, as the monarch of a pacified kingdom.[11]
Alfonso then reunited under his dominion the kingdoms ofNaples andSicily, divided since theSicilian Vespers. After the personal union, he began to call himselfRex Utriusque Siciliae; this was then used by other kings and his successors who ruled over those territories.
Like many Renaissance rulers, Alfonso V was a patron of the arts. He founded the academy ofNaples underGiovanni Pontano, and for his entrance into the city in 1443 had a magnificent triumphal arch added to the main gate ofCastel Nuovo.[14] Alfonso V supplied the theme of Renaissance sculptures over the west entrance.
Alfonso was particularly attracted toclassical literature. He reportedly brought copies of the works ofLivy andJulius Caesar on his campaigns; the poetAntonio Beccadelli even claimed that Alfonso was cured of a disease by the reading of a few pages fromQuintus Curtius Rufus' history ofAlexander the Great. Although this reputed erudition attracted scholars to his court, Alfonso apparently enjoyed pitting them against each other in spectacles of bawdy Latin rhetoric.[15]
After his conquest of Naples in 1442, Alfonso ruled primarily through his mercenaries and political lackeys. In his Italian kingdom, he maintained the former political and administrative institutions. His holdings in Spain were governed by his wife Maria.[16]
A unified General Chancellorship for the whole Aragonese realm was set up in Naples, although the main functionaries were of Aragonese nationality. Apart from financial, administrative and artistic improvements, his other accomplishments in the Sicilian kingdom include the restoration of the aqueducts, the drainage of marshy areas, and the paving of streets.[17]
Alfonso founded the first university of Sicily, theSiciliae Studium Generale.
Alfonso was also a powerful and faithful supporter ofSkanderbeg, whom he decided to take under his protection as a vassal in 1451, shortly after the latter had scored his second victory againstMurad II. In addition to financial assistance, he supplied theAlbanian leader with troops, military equipment, and sanctuary for himself and his family if such a need should arise. This was because in 1448, while Skanderbeg was fighting off the Turkish invasions, three military columns, commanded byDemetrio Reres along with his sons Giorgio and Basilio, had been dispatched to help Alfonso V defeat the barons of Naples who had rebelled against him.[18]
He also supportedBosnian duke,Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, who turned to the king for help in his affairs inBosnia. Alfonso made him "Knight of the Virgin", but did not provide any troops. On 15 February 1444, Stjepan signed a treaty with the king of Aragon and Naples, becoming his vassal in exchange for Alfonso's help against his enemies—Stephen Thomas andIvaniš Pavlović (1441–1450) of thePavlović noble family as well as theRepublic of Venice.[19] In the same treaty, Stjepan promised to pay Alfonso regular tribute instead of paying theOttoman sultan as he had done until then.[20]
Alfonso, by formally submitting his reign to the Papacy, obtained the consent ofPope Eugene IV that the Kingdom of Naples would go to his illegitimate son, Ferdinand. He died inCastel dell'Ovo in 1458, while he was planning the conquest ofGenoa. At the time, Alfonso was at odds withPope Callixtus III, who died shortly afterwards.[citation needed] Alfonso's Iberian possessions had been ruled for him by his brother, who succeeded him asJohn II of Aragon.[16] Sicily andSardinia were also inherited by John II.
Alfonso had been betrothed to his first cousinMaria of Castile (1401–1458; sister ofJohn II of Castile) inValladolid in 1408; the marriage was celebrated inValencia on 12 June 1415. They failed to produce children. Alfonso had been in love with a woman of noble family namedLucrezia d'Alagno, who served as ade facto queen at the Neapolitan court as well as an inspiringmuse.
Genealogical records in theOld OccitanChronicle of Montpellier inLe petit Thalamus de Montpellier indicate that Alphonso's relationship with his mistress,Giraldona Carlino (daughter of Enrique Carlino and his wife, Isabel), produced three children:[3]
Alfonso V of Aragon Born: 1396 Died: 27 June 1458 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Aragon,Valencia,Majorca, Sicily,Sardinia and Corsica; Count of Barcelona,Roussillon andCerdagne 1416–1458 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | King of Naples 1442–1458 | Succeeded by |
| Spanish royalty | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Infante Peter | Duke of Girona 1414–1416 | Elevation to a principality |
| Count of Cervera 1414–1416 | Succeeded by | |
| New title | Prince of Girona 1416 | |
|  | |
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