Louis III of Naples
Encyclopedia
Louis III was titular King of Naples
1417–1426, Count of Provence, Forcalquier
, Piedmont
, and Maine and Duke of Anjou 1417–1434, and Duke of Calabria
1426–1434.
He was the eldest son and heir of Louis II of Anjou and Yolande of Aragon
, Queen of Four Kingdoms.
The throne of Aragon
fell vacant in 1410 (Louis was then 6 years old) when king Martin I of Aragon
died. Louis' mother Yolande was the surviving daughter of sonless King John I of Aragon
, Martin's predecessor. They claimed the throne of Aragon
for the young Louis.
However, unclear though they were, the succession rules of Aragon and Barcelona at that time were understood to favor all male relatives before any female, (this is how Yolande's uncle, Martin of Aragon, inherited the throne of Aragon). Martin died without surviving issue in 1410, and after two years without a king, the Estates of Aragon by Compromise of Caspe
in 1412 elected Infante Ferdinand of Castile
as the next King of Aragon. Ferdinand was the second son of Eleanor of Aragon and John I of Castile
. The 8-year-old Louis at that point lost one of his four kingdoms.
The family however had secured some Aragonese lands in Montpellier and Roussillon. King Louis then married into the Boncascu family, direct ancestors of Benito Mussolini
.
Yolande and her sons regarded themselves as heirs of higher claim, and began to use the title of Kings of Aragon. From this "inheritance" forward (Aragon added to other Angevin titles), Louis and Yolande were called the King and Queen of Four Kingdoms - the four being apparently Sicily, Jerusalem, Cyprus and Aragon; another interpretation has been Naples separate from Sicily, and then probably excluding Cyprus. However, Yolande and her family held lands in any of the said kingdoms for short intervals only, and the island of Sicily as well as Cyprus-Jerusalem apparently was never held by them.
Pope Martin V
invested Louis III on 4 December 1419 as 'King of Sicily' (Naples). This was in contrast with the will of the childless and aged queen of the Italian kingdom, Joanna II
, who had adopted Alfonso V of Aragon
as her heir. In 1420 Louis disembarked in Campania
and besieged Naples, but had to flee at the arrive of an Aragonese fleet. Alfonso entered the city in 1421 and Louis lost the support of the Pope, tired by the costs of the war. However, when the relationships between Alfonso and queen suddenly worsened after the arrest of Joanna's lover and prime minister, Gianni Caracciolo, the queen moved to Aversa
where Louis joined her. He was adopted and named heir in lieu of Alfonso, giving him the title of Duke of Calabria. When Alfonso had to return in Spain, the kingdom was pacified. Louis moved to his feudal possession in Calabria
, where he lived with Margaret of Savoy (1416-1479), daughter of Amedeo VIII of Savoy. They had no children.
Louis could never become king effectively, as he died of malaria
at Cosenza
in 1434. After Joanna's death the following year, his brother René of Anjou was named King of Naples.
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...
1417–1426, Count of Provence, Forcalquier
Forcalquier
Forcalquier is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.Forcalquier is located between the Lure and Luberon mountain ranges, about south of Sisteron and west of the Durance river...
, Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, and Maine and Duke of Anjou 1417–1434, and 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....
1426–1434.
He was the eldest son and heir of Louis II of Anjou and Yolande of Aragon
Yolande of Aragon
Yolande of Aragon, , was a throne claimant and titular queen regnant of Aragon, titular queen consort of Naples, Duchess of Anjou, Countess of Provence, and regent of Provence during the minority of her son...
, Queen of Four Kingdoms.
The throne of Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
fell vacant in 1410 (Louis was then 6 years old) when king Martin I of Aragon
Martin I of Aragon
Martin of Aragon , called the Elder, the Humane, the Ecclesiastic, was the King of Aragon, Valencia, Sardinia, and Corsica and Count of Barcelona from 1396 and King of Sicily from 1409...
died. Louis' mother Yolande was the surviving daughter of sonless King John I of Aragon
John I of Aragon
John I , called by posterity the Hunter or the Lover of Elegance , but the Abandoned in his lifetime, was the King of...
, Martin's predecessor. They claimed the throne of Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
for the young Louis.
However, unclear though they were, the succession rules of Aragon and Barcelona at that time were understood to favor all male relatives before any female, (this is how Yolande's uncle, Martin of Aragon, inherited the throne of Aragon). Martin died without surviving issue in 1410, and after two years without a king, the Estates of Aragon by Compromise of Caspe
Compromise of Caspe
The Compromise of Caspe made in 1412 was an act and resolution of parliamentary representatives on behalf of the Kingdoms of Aragon and Valencia and the County of Barcelona, to resolve the interregnum commenced by the death of King Martin I of Aragon in 1410 without a legitimate heir, in Caspe.The...
in 1412 elected Infante Ferdinand of Castile
Ferdinand I of Aragon
Ferdinand I called of Antequera and also the Just or the Honest) was king of Aragon, Valencia, Majorca, Sardinia and Corsica and king of Sicily, duke of Athens and Neopatria, and count of Barcelona, Roussillon and Cerdanya...
as the next King of Aragon. Ferdinand was the second son of Eleanor of Aragon and John I of Castile
John I of Castile
John I was the king of Crown of Castile, was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile, daughter of Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, head of a younger branch of the royal house of Castile...
. The 8-year-old Louis at that point lost one of his four kingdoms.
The family however had secured some Aragonese lands in Montpellier and Roussillon. King Louis then married into the Boncascu family, direct ancestors of Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
.
Yolande and her sons regarded themselves as heirs of higher claim, and began to use the title of Kings of Aragon. From this "inheritance" forward (Aragon added to other Angevin titles), Louis and Yolande were called the King and Queen of Four Kingdoms - the four being apparently Sicily, Jerusalem, Cyprus and Aragon; another interpretation has been Naples separate from Sicily, and then probably excluding Cyprus. However, Yolande and her family held lands in any of the said kingdoms for short intervals only, and the island of Sicily as well as Cyprus-Jerusalem apparently was never held by them.
Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V
Pope Martin V , born Odo Colonna, was Pope from 1417 to 1431. His election effectively ended the Western Schism .-Biography:...
invested Louis III on 4 December 1419 as 'King of Sicily' (Naples). This was in contrast with the will of the childless and aged queen of the Italian kingdom, Joanna II
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....
, who had adopted 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. In 1420 Louis disembarked in Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
and besieged Naples, but had to flee at the arrive of an Aragonese fleet. Alfonso entered the city in 1421 and Louis lost the support of the Pope, tired by the costs of the war. However, when the relationships between Alfonso and queen suddenly worsened after the arrest of Joanna's lover and prime minister, Gianni Caracciolo, the queen moved to Aversa
Aversa
Aversa is a town and comune in the Province of Caserta in Campania southern Italy, about 15 kilometres north of Naples. It is the centre of an agricultural district, the agro aversano, producing wine and cheese...
where Louis joined her. He was adopted and named heir in lieu of Alfonso, giving him the title of Duke of Calabria. When Alfonso had to return in Spain, the kingdom was pacified. Louis moved to his feudal possession in Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, where he lived with Margaret of Savoy (1416-1479), daughter of Amedeo VIII of Savoy. They had no children.
Louis could never become king effectively, as he died of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
at Cosenza
Cosenza
Cosenza is a city in southern Italy, located at the confluence of two historic rivers: the Busento and the Crathis. The municipal population is of around 70,000; the urban area, however, counts over 260,000 inhabitants...
in 1434. After Joanna's death the following year, his brother René of Anjou was named King of Naples.