Charles, Duke of Calabria
Encyclopedia
Robert of Naples
Robert of Anjou , known as Robert the Wise was King of Naples, titular King of Jerusalem and Count of Provence and Forcalquier from 1309 to 1343, the central figure of Italian politics of his time. He was the third but eldest surviving son of King Charles II of Naples the Lame and Maria of Hungary...
and Yolanda of Aragon
Yolanda of Aragon
Yolanda of Aragon was the daughter of Peter III of Aragon and Constance of Sicily. She married Robert of Naples but was never Queen of Naples since she died before her husband inherited the throne.- Family :...
.
Biography
Born in NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, he became Duke of Calabria
Duke of Calabria
Duke of Calabria was the traditional title of the heir apparent of the Kingdom of Naples after the accession of Robert of Naples. It was also adopted by the heads of certain Houses that had once claimed the Kingdom of Naples in lieu of the royal title....
in 1309 on his father's accession, and was created Vicar-General of the Kingdom of Sicily (Naples). His father intended him to lead the force sent to aid Florence in 1315, but was constrained by time to send Robert's brother, Philip I of Taranto
Philip I of Taranto
Philip I of Taranto : of the Angevin house, was titular Emperor of Constantinople , despot of Epirus, King of Albania, Prince of Achaea and Taranto, and Lord of Durazzo....
, instead. The Florentine-Neapolitan coalition was badly beaten at the ensuing Battle of Montecatini
Battle of Montecatini
The Battle of Montecatini was fought in the Val di Nievole on August 29, 1315 between the city of Pisa, and the forces of both Naples and Florence. The army of Pisa, commanded by Uguccione della Faggiuola, won a decisive victory despite being outnumbered. The Neapolitan forces, made up of nearly...
.
The victory of Castruccio Castracani
Castruccio Castracani
Castruccio Castracani degli Antelminelli was an Italian condottiero and duke of Lucca.-Biography:Castruccio was born in Lucca, a member of the noble family of Antelminelli, of the Ghibelline party. In 1300 he was exiled with his parents and others of their faction by the Guelphs "Black" party,...
at Altopascio
Altopascio
Altopascio is a comune in the Province of Lucca in the Tuscany region of Italy with a population of c. 13300.-History:Already inhabited in Roman times, Altopascio gained in importance due to its Spedale for the pilgrims who travelled on the Via Francigena, leading from France to Rome...
in 1325 led the Florentines to elect Charles signore (lord) of the city for ten years in 1326. At the time, he was unsuccessfully attempting to seize Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
from his first cousin Frederick III
Frederick III of Sicily
Frederick II was the regent and subsequently King of Sicily from 1295 until his death. He was the third son of Peter III of Aragon and served in the War of the Sicilian Vespers on behalf of his father and brothers, Alfonso and James...
, and sent Walter VI of Brienne
Walter VI of Brienne
Walter VI of Brienne was Count of Brienne, Conversano, and Lecce, and titular Duke of Athens. Walter was the son of Walter V, Duke of Athens, and Jeanne de Châtillon , the daughter of the Count of Porcien, a constable to King Philip IV of France.As grandson of Hugh of Brienne Walter VI of Brienne...
as his deputy until he could arrive, where Walter made a (misleadingly) favorable impression. While Charles' arrival checked Castruccio, he exacted onerous taxes from the Florentines, until he was recalled to Naples in December 1327 due to the advance of Emperor Louis IV
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
into Italy. There he died in 1328. He left as heir his eldest surviving daughter, Joan
Joan I of Naples
Joan I , born Joanna of Anjou, was Queen of Naples from 1343 until her death. She was also Countess of Provence and Forcalquier, Queen consort of Majorca and titular Queen of Jerusalem and Sicily 1343–82, and Princess of Achaea 1373/5–81....
; a posthumous daughter, Marie, was born in 1329.
Family and ancestry
In 1316, he married Catherine of HabsburgCatherine of Austria (1295–1323)
Catherine of Austria was a daughter of Albert I of Germany and his wife Elisabeth of Tirol. She was a member of the powerful House of Habsburg. She was Duchess of Calabria by her marriage.- Family :...
(1295–1323), daughter of Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Germany
Albert I of Habsburg was King of the Romans and Duke of Austria, the eldest son of German King Rudolph I of Habsburg and his first wife Gertrude of Hohenburg.-Life:...
. After her death, he married Marie of Valois (1309–1332), daughter of Charles of Valois
Charles of Valois
Charles of Valois was the fourth son of Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon. His mother was a daughter of James I of Aragon and Yolande of Hungary. He was a member of the House of Capet and founded the House of Valois...
. They had five children:
- Eloisa (b. January or February 1325 - d. December 27, 1325).
- Maria (b. April 1326 – d. 1328).
- Charles Martel (b. Florence, April 13, 1327 – d. Florence, April 21, 1327).
- JoannaJoan I of NaplesJoan I , born Joanna of Anjou, was Queen of Naples from 1343 until her death. She was also Countess of Provence and Forcalquier, Queen consort of Majorca and titular Queen of Jerusalem and Sicily 1343–82, and Princess of Achaea 1373/5–81....
(b. Naples, 1328 – d. castello di San Fele, May 22, 1382), Queen of Naples after succeeded her grandfather. - MariaMaria of CalabriaMaria of Calabria was the first Empress consort of Philip II of Taranto, titular Latin Emperor of Constantinople.-Family:...
(b. posthumously, Naples, May 1329 – d. Naples, May 20, 1366), Countess of Alba.
External links
- Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
- History of Florence, Niccolò MachiavelliNiccolò MachiavelliNiccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was an Italian historian, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. He is one of the main founders of modern political science. He was a diplomat, political philosopher, playwright, and a civil servant of the Florentine Republic...