Naples - Itinerary Italia -

Castell Nuovo

The kingdom of Naples will be the center of constant swings between the Borgia popes and their monarchs.

On June 2, 1442 Alfonso V the Magnanimous conquered Naples. The crown of Aragon, already in the time of Pedro III, at the end of the 13th century, had coveted this territory, whose kingdom had been divided into two: the continental part, Naples, under French influence, and the insular part, Sicily, in the Aragonese orbit. Naples remained as an coveted jewel.

In 1420, Alfonso had been claimed by Queen Joan of Naples, harassed by the Duke of Anjou, who offered to name him son and heir in exchange for protection against the French. Conjured the threat, Joan is suspicious of the Aragonese monarch and tries to eliminate him in a trap, which she gets rid of when she becomes aware of it.

Queen Joan annuls Alfonso's adoption and returns to put himself in the hands of his old enemy, the Duke of Anjou. Domestic problems make Alfonso have to return to Spain in 1423 and it is not until 1432, when he returns to complete the work of conquering Naples. In fact. Alfonso V would never return to his Hispanic territories.

In 1441, Alfonso's army besieged Naples, which finally fell on June 2, 1442. Alfonso de Borja collaborated with the Magnanimous in the task of legally organizing the new kingdom and improving the tense relations with the pontiff Eugenio IV. However, once appointed pope, the now Calixtus III will maintain an open confrontation with his former mentor.

On the death of King Alfonso (1458) the kingdom of Naples is separated from the Crown of Aragon. Having no legitimate offspring, Alfonso bequeaths the crown to one of his illegitimate sons, Fernando, who becomes Ferrante I of Naples. From that moment the conflicts between France, the popes and the kingdom of Naples will be constant.

With Ferdinand II the Catholic, the Crown of Aragon definitively recovered the kingdom of Naples, remaining under his rule until 1714.

It is in Naples where Goffredo Borgia marries Sancha de Aragón (1494) and where Cesare Borgia is taken prisoner (1504) by order of the King of Spain, from where he will be transferred to Spain.