Ferdinand (Ferrante) I of Aragon, King of Naples

FERDINANDO (FERRANTE) I of Aragon, king of NAPLES. - B. in Catalonia in 1431, d. in Naples on

25 Jan. 1494. The illegitimate son of Alfonso the Magnanimous, he was designated by him as heir to the throne in 1443. As Duke of Calabria he participated in the war against Florence in 1452. In 1458 he succeeded his father, and was recognized the following year by Pius II. He immediately had to face the claimant John of Anjou, supported by rebellious barons. Defeated at Sarno in 1460, he managed to achieve the decisive victory of Troia in 1462.

As an ally of the State IV in the war against Florence that followed the Pazzi conspiracy, the visit of Lorenzo de' Medici led him, against the will of the Pope, to make peace. In the Ferrara war he took the field against Venice, at the head of the Holy See. In 1485 the barons, aided by Innocent VIII, rebelled again. With the help of Florence and Milan, F. managed to defeat the papal army, and the Pope had to sign peace. The barons surrendered, and after the surrender many of them were executed or imprisoned in perpetuity. Against the accusation of having violated his faith F. defended himself by maintaining that they had continued to conspire. F. had a reputation for cruelty, but it must be considered that the arrogance of the baronage was the greatest obstacle not only to the consolidation of the monarchy, but also to the civil and economic progress of the Kingdom. F. protected scholars and artists, and unlike his father wished to be, in everything, an Italian prince.