Giovanni Caracciolo
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Caracciolo, often called Sergianni (c. 1372 – 19 August 1432) was an Italian nobleman of the Kingdom of Naples
, prime minister and favorite of queen Joan II of Naples
.
Due to his relationship with queen Joan (starting around 1416), Caracciolo was able to create for himself a considerable amount power in the Neapolitan court and a great amount of wealth. Around 1425 he was siniscalco
(prime minister) of Naples, count of Avellino
, lord of Capua
, Melfi
, Venosa
and numerous other fiefs in Campania and Apulia
.
Sergianni managed to obtain an increased power in the realm, until he controlled almost totally its politics and finances. He was behind the decision to abandon the pope's support, which eventually led to the invasion of Louis III of Anjou and to Joan's decision to adopt Alfonso V of Aragon
as her heir.
Alfonso had Sergianni arrested in May 1423. However, as the Aragonese soldiers had failed to capture Joan in the siege of Castel Capuano
, Sergianni was freed and fled to Aversa with the queen. The situation cleared when Alfonso was called back to Spain, and the queen returned Naples together with Louis, to whom she was now betrothed. As the latter was a feeble figure who immediately retired to his fiefs in Calabria, the power of Sergianni further increased. Sergianni's exceeding ambition pushed Joan to plot his assassination in 1432. On 19 August 1432, Sergianni Caracciolo was stabbed in his room in Castel Capuano. He was buried in Naples, in the church of San Giovanni a Carbonara
.
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
, prime minister and favorite of queen Joan II of Naples
Joan II of Naples
Joan II was Queen of Naples from 1414 to her death, upon which the senior Angevin line of Naples became extinct. As a mere formality, she used the title of Queen of Jerusalem, Sicily, and Hungary....
.
Due to his relationship with queen Joan (starting around 1416), Caracciolo was able to create for himself a considerable amount power in the Neapolitan court and a great amount of wealth. Around 1425 he was siniscalco
Seneschal
A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the sénéchal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French bailli...
(prime minister) of Naples, count of Avellino
Avellino
Avellino is a town and comune, capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains 42 km north-east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento.-History:Before the Roman conquest, the...
, lord of Capua
Capua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
, Melfi
Melfi
Melfi is a town and comune in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata.-Geography:On a hill at the foot of Mount Vulture, Melfi is the most important town in Basilicata's Vulture, both as a tourist resort and economic centre.-Early history:Inhabited...
, Venosa
Venosa
Venosa is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Palazzo San Gervasio, Rapolla and Spinazzola....
and numerous other fiefs in Campania and Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
.
Sergianni managed to obtain an increased power in the realm, until he controlled almost totally its politics and finances. He was behind the decision to abandon the pope's support, which eventually led to the invasion of Louis III of Anjou and to Joan's decision to adopt Alfonso V of Aragon
Alfonso V of Aragon
Alfonso the Magnanimous KG was the King of Aragon , Valencia , Majorca, Sardinia and Corsica , and Sicily and Count of Barcelona from 1416 and King of Naples from 1442 until his death...
as her heir.
Alfonso had Sergianni arrested in May 1423. However, as the Aragonese soldiers had failed to capture Joan in the siege of Castel Capuano
Castel Capuano
Castel Capuano is a castle in Naples, southern Italy. It takes its name from the fact that it was at that point in the city walls where the road led out to the city of Capua...
, Sergianni was freed and fled to Aversa with the queen. The situation cleared when Alfonso was called back to Spain, and the queen returned Naples together with Louis, to whom she was now betrothed. As the latter was a feeble figure who immediately retired to his fiefs in Calabria, the power of Sergianni further increased. Sergianni's exceeding ambition pushed Joan to plot his assassination in 1432. On 19 August 1432, Sergianni Caracciolo was stabbed in his room in Castel Capuano. He was buried in Naples, in the church of San Giovanni a Carbonara
San Giovanni a Carbonara
San Giovanni a Carbonara is a church in Naples, southern Italy. It is located at the northern end of via Carbonara, just outside what used to be the eastern wall of the old city...
.