Ladislaus of Naples facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ladislaus |
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| King of Naples | |
| Reign | 24 February 1386 – 6 August 1414 |
| Coronation | 29 May 1390 Gaeta, by Angelo Acciaioli II |
| Predecessor | Charles III |
| Successor | Joanna II |
| Contender | Louis II (1389–1399) |
| King of Hungary and Croatia Contested by Sigismund |
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| Reign | 13 July 1403 – 7 November 1403 |
| Coronation | 5 August 1403, Zadar |
| Predecessor | Sigismund |
| Successor | Sigismund |
| Born | 15 February 1377 Naples, Kingdom of Naples |
| Died | 6 August 1414 (aged 37) Naples, Kingdom of Naples |
| Burial | San Giovanni a Carbonara |
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| Issue Details |
Reynold, Prince of Capua (ill.) Mary of Durazzo (ill.) |
| House | Anjou-Durazzo |
| Father | Charles III of Naples |
| Mother | Margaret of Durazzo |
Ladislaus (Italian: Ladislao, Hungarian: László; born February 15, 1377 – died August 6, 1414) was the King of Naples from 1386 until his death. He also tried to become the king of Hungary and Croatia, but he was not fully successful.
Ladislaus was a strong leader in both politics and war. He used the confusing times in Italy to make his kingdom much bigger and more powerful. He even took control of many lands that belonged to the Papal States (the Pope's territories). He was the last male ruler from his family line, the Capetian House of Anjou.
Contents
Early Life and Becoming King
Ladislaus was born in Naples on February 15, 1377. His parents were Charles and Margaret of Durazzo. Both of his parents were part of the Capetian House of Anjou family. They named him after a famous Hungarian king, Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary.
In 1379, Ladislaus's father, Charles, went to war against Queen Joanna I of Naples. Charles wanted to be king and had the support of Pope Urban VI. To keep Ladislaus safe, his mother Margaret took him to her castle in Morcone. They returned to Naples in 1381 after Charles won. Charles then made Ladislaus the Duke of Calabria, a title usually given to the future king.
Ladislaus became King of Naples when he was only nine years old in 1386. This happened after his father was killed while trying to become king of Hungary. At this time, many nobles in the kingdom were rebelling, and there was a risk of an invasion from France. The Pope at the time, Urban VI, did not recognize Ladislaus as king. He even called for a "crusade" (a religious war) against him.
Ladislaus and his mother only controlled Naples and the areas around it. When trouble started in Naples, they had to escape to the fortress of Gaeta. Naples was then taken over by an army led by Otto of Brunswick.
Challenges and Victories
In 1389, a new pope, Pope Boniface IX, finally recognized Ladislaus as King of Naples. However, he said Ladislaus could not combine Naples with his family's lands in Germany and Italy. In Gaeta, Ladislaus married Costanza Chiaramonte, whose father was a powerful Sicilian noble. But this marriage was later ended.
In 1390, Ladislaus was poisoned, but he survived. However, he started to stutter and needed to rest often. Also in 1390, Louis II of Anjou invaded Naples, starting a nine-year war with Ladislaus. Ladislaus managed to keep Louis's control limited to Naples city and a region called Terra d'Otranto.
In 1399, Ladislaus got Naples back with the help of some powerful nobles. Louis of Anjou then went back to France. Ladislaus spent the next year bringing other rebellious areas under his control.
Claim to Hungary
In 1401, Ladislaus married Mary of Lusignan, the daughter of the King of Cyprus. She arrived in Naples in 1402. Around this time, Ladislaus also tried to become king of Hungary and Croatia. Some nobles there were against the current king, Sigismund.
Ladislaus believed he was the rightful heir to the Hungarian throne. He even called himself the Duke of Slavonia, though he had no real claim to that title. He made a deal with the Republic of Venice, giving them the island of Corfu. This allowed him to travel freely in the Adriatic Sea. With some support from the Pope, he landed in Zadar (a city in Croatia) on July 19, 1403.
On August 5, 1403, Ladislaus was crowned King of Hungary and Croatia in Zadar. However, his rule in Croatia and Hungary never went beyond the region of Dalmatia. He didn't do much to expand his power there and soon returned to Italy. His authority in Dalmatia remained mostly limited to Zadar.
The next year, after Pope Boniface IX died, Ladislaus got involved in Roman politics. He supported the Colonna family and influenced the election of the new pope, Pope Innocent VII.
Expanding His Kingdom in Central Italy
Ladislaus worked to make the king's power stronger and reduce the power of the nobles. In 1405, he went to Rome again. When some nobles offered him control of the city, the Pope responded by removing him as King of Naples in 1406.
The Pope encouraged a noble named Raimondo Del Balzo Orsini to rebel against Ladislaus, but Orsini died soon after. His wife, Mary of Enghien, continued the rebellion. She successfully defended the city of Taranto against Ladislaus's army for two months. She didn't give up even after Ladislaus and the Pope made a peace treaty in July. This treaty made Ladislaus the protector of the Papal States.
In 1407, Ladislaus went to Taranto again, this time to make peace. Since his second wife had died in 1404, Ladislaus solved the problem by marrying Mary of Enghien on April 23, 1407.
Later in 1407, Ladislaus took advantage of a weaker pope, Pope Gregory XII. He invaded the Papal States and took control of cities like Ascoli Piceno and Fermo. In 1408, he attacked Ostia to prevent French influence in a church conflict. He captured the city by paying off the Papal commander and entered Rome on April 25. Later, Perugia also fell under his control.
Wars and Challenges
In 1409, Ladislaus sold his claims to Dalmatia to Venice for a large sum of money (100,000 ducats). This was to gain allies for an upcoming war against the Republic of Florence. Florence was worried about Ladislaus's growing power in central Italy. Ladislaus invaded Tuscany but was defeated by a hired general and had to retreat.
Fearing Ladislaus's goals, the cities of Siena and Florence, along with a powerful cardinal, joined forces against him. The Pope at the time, Antipope Alexander V, removed Ladislaus from power and asked Louis II of Anjou to come back to Italy to conquer Naples. Louis arrived in 1409 with an army.
The allied troops invaded the Papal lands that Ladislaus controlled and moved towards Rome. However, they only captured parts of the city. The cardinal and Louis left the siege to their generals and went to seek more support.
Ladislaus gained the support of Genoa in 1410. Rome fell to the allies on January 2, but they didn't achieve much else. In May, Louis's fleet, carrying new troops, was attacked and partly destroyed off the coast of Tuscany. Ladislaus captured a huge amount of treasure. Meanwhile, Alexander V died and was replaced by Antipope John XXIII. John XXIII declared a crusade against Ladislaus and sold indulgences (special pardons) to pay for it.
The allied army was slow, so Florence and Siena made peace with Ladislaus. He gave up some of his conquests in Tuscany to achieve this. Louis continued fighting, and his army defeated Ladislaus's army in May 1411. But Louis couldn't use this victory to break through Ladislaus's defenses. Louis soon returned to Rome and then to France, where he died six years later.
In 1412, things got better for Ladislaus. One of his generals took control of part of the March of Ancona. More importantly, a powerful general named Muzio Attendolo joined Ladislaus. A peace treaty was signed on June 14, 1412. The Pope paid Ladislaus a large sum of money, recognized him as King of Naples, and named him the "Gonfalonier of the Church" (a military leader for the Pope). In return, Ladislaus promised to stop supporting Gregory XII, who then had to leave Italy.
Last Campaigns and Death
The peace treaty was just a way for both sides to gain time. The Pope didn't want to pay the money, and Ladislaus was worried about the King of Hungary, Sigismund, getting involved in Italy. After Florence started talking with Sigismund, Ladislaus marched north in May 1413. On June 8, his troops captured and looted Rome. He then moved into other parts of Italy.
Florence, seeing that Ladislaus was coming for them, quickly signed a treaty. This treaty recognized Ladislaus's control over the Papal States.
In July 1414, Ladislaus became very ill. He had to return to Naples, where he died on August 6, 1414. There were rumors that he had been poisoned, but it's more likely he died from an infection. He was buried in the church of San Giovanni a Carbonara, where a monument was built for him. His sister, Joanna II, became queen after him. She was the last ruler from their direct family line in Italy.
Marriages and Issue
Ladislaus was married three times, but he had no children from any of his marriages.
- His first marriage was to Costanza Chiaramonte in 1390. This marriage was ended in 1392.
- His second marriage was to Mary of Lusignan (1381–1404) on February 12, 1403. She died in 1404.
- His third marriage was to Mary of Enghien (1367 or 1370 – May 9, 1446) in 1406. She outlived him by many years.
See also
In Spanish: Ladislao I de Nápoles para niños
