| Isabella del Balzo | |
|---|---|
| Queen consort of Naples | |
| Tenure | 7 September 1496 –1 August 1501 |
| Born | 24 June 1465 Minervino |
| Died | 1533 (aged 67–68) Ferrara |
| Spouse | Frederick of Naples |
| Issue | Ferdinand, Duke of Calabria Giulia Alfonso Isabella Cesare |
| House | Baux |
| Father | Pirro del Balzo |
| Mother | Maria Donata Orsini |
Isabella of Balzo (24 June 1465 – 1533) was aQueen consort of Naples. She was the second consort and onlyQueen consort ofFrederick of Naples. Isabella was alsosuo jure Duchess ofAndria andVenosa and Princess ofAltamura.
Isabella was the daughter ofPirro del Balzo, duke of Andria and Prince of Altamura,[1] and Maria DonataOrsini of Venosa. Pietro had served as Grand Constable of the Kingdom of Naples but had been strangled to death in 1487. Isabella was in 1483 engaged to the heir of Naples, Francis, but he died prior to their wedding. Her father was imprisoned for having participated in a plot against the monarch. Isabella was by then engaged to the next heir to the crown of Naples, Frederick. The purpose of the marriage was to annex the territories of her parents in to the Kingdom of Naples. In the marriage contract, she was declared to be the heir of her parents' territories, despite the fact that she was not their eldest child, which meant that herfiefs were to be inherited by her issue and then further in to theNeapolitan royal house.
On 28 November 1487 inAndria, Isabella marriedPrince Frederick of Naples.[1] He was the second son ofFerdinand I of Naples and his first consort,Isabella of Clermont. Upon marriage, she was declared Duchess regnant of Andria and Venosa and Princess regnant of Altamura. After the wedding she therefore remained in theCastle of Andria inApulia, rather than joining the royal court of Naples. In 1495, during the war againstFrance, Isabella was ordered by Frederick to seize control over the Castle of Bari and repair its fortifications, which she did. She managed the administration of the territory and its taxation, and also entered into negotiations with the French. She was however forced to flee toBrindisi, and later joined her consort inOtranto, before settling down inLecce.
On 7 September 1496, Frederick succeeded his childless nephewFerdinand II of Naples. Isabella became his Queen consort for five years. At the time of his succession, Isabella was in Lecce. She was told of his succession on 12 October, and asked to join him in Naples. She traveled toward Naples by many of the cities in the kingdom, where she received celebrations of herself as queen. She was however forced to stay on her way inArienzo after a rebellion had erupted, and reached Naples in October 1497. Not until February 1498 was she able to reunite with Frederick as queen in Naples. A combination of KingLouis XII of France and KingFerdinand II of Aragon had continued the claim of Louis' predecessor, KingCharles VIII of France, toNaples andSicily. In 1501 their alliance deposed Frederick; Naples initially went to Louis.
Frederick and Isabella spent the following years in exile. Isabella initially escaped toIschia with her children in August 1501, but later followed Frederick to France, where he was given an allowance. In 1503, they moved to the Duchy of Maine. Frederick died inTours on 9 November 1504. His death gave Isabella grave financial difficulties. Isabella found a refuge for herself and younger children in theDuchy of Ferrara under the protection of Frederick's nephewAlfonso d'Este, and lived there until her death, never remarrying.[2] She spent her later life in poverty and relied on charity from relatives. In 1526, she asked for help from the pope to support her daughters.
Isabella was portrayed byBaldassare Castiglione as an ideal example of a woman and a queen to have bravely endured her many strikes by faith.
Isabella and Ferdinand had:
Isabella del Balzo Born: 24 June 1465 Died: 1533 | ||
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| Preceded by | Queen consort of Naples 7 September 1496–1501 | Succeeded by |
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