Louis II of Anjou facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Louis II
Portrait of Louis II by unknown artist, c. 1456–1465
King of Naples
Reign	1389–1399 (Contested by Ladislaus)
Coronation	1 November 1389
Predecessor	Ladislaus
Successor	Ladislaus
Duke of Anjou
Reign	1384–1417
Predecessor	Louis I
Successor	Louis III
Born	5 October 1377 Toulouse
Died	29 April 1417(1417-04-29) (aged 39) Château d'Angers, Anjou
Spouse	Yolande of Aragon ​ (m. 1400)​
Issue	Louis III, Duke of Anjou René, King of Naples Charles, Count of Maine Marie, Queen of France Yolande, Duchess of Brabant
House	Valois-Anjou
Father	Louis I of Anjou
Mother	Marie of Blois

Louis II (born October 5, 1377 – died April 29, 1417) was an important French noble. He was the Duke of Anjou and Count of Provence from 1384 to 1417. He also claimed the title of King of Naples. However, he only ruled parts of Naples between 1390 and 1399.

Louis II's father, Louis I of Anjou, was the founder of the House of Valois-Anjou. He was a younger son of King John II of France. Louis I was also adopted by Queen Joanna I of Naples. When his father died in 1384 during a war in Naples, Louis II was still a child. He inherited Anjou from his father. His mother, Marie of Blois, tried to continue the war for Naples. However, Louis's uncles did not want to spend more money on it.

The nobles and towns in Provence did not want Louis II as their ruler at first. But his mother, Marie of Blois, convinced them to support him between 1385 and 1387. In 1389, Louis II's cousin, King Charles VI of France, decided to help him claim Naples. Louis II was crowned king in Avignon on November 1, 1389. He then moved to Naples.

His troops could not take over the whole kingdom. So, Naples was split between Louis II and his rival, Ladislaus of Naples. Later, a disagreement between the new Antipope Benedict XIII and France weakened Louis's power. Ladislaus then forced Louis to leave Naples for Provence in 1399.

Early Life and Family

Louis was the older of two sons. His parents were Louis I of Anjou and Marie of Blois. His father, Louis I, received the lands of Anjou and Maine in 1360.

Queen Joanna I of Naples had no children. She adopted Louis I as her son and heir in 1380. She needed France's help against her enemy, Charles of Durazzo. At this time, there were two rival popes. This period is known as the Western Schism of 1378. Queen Joanna supported Clement VII. The other pope, Urban VI, supported Charles of Durazzo. Urban VI crowned Charles king of Naples in 1381.

Charles of Durazzo invaded southern Italy. Louis I could not help his adoptive mother because his brother, King Charles V of France, had just died. Charles of Durazzo captured Queen Joanna and took Naples in September 1381.

Louis I wanted to take back Queen Joanna's lands. These included Provence, Forcalquier, and a claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Early plans for Louis II's marriage involved finding allies against Charles of Durazzo. In 1381, Louis I thought about an alliance with Aragon. This would involve Louis II marrying a granddaughter of King Peter IV of Aragon, Yolande of Aragon.

This plan changed when Louis I decided to attack Charles of Durazzo. He made a deal with Bernabò Visconti, a powerful ruler in Milan. Bernabò agreed to provide soldiers and promised his daughter, Lucia, to Louis II in marriage in 1382.

Louis I went to Avignon, where Clement VII crowned him king. He took control of Provence and Forcalquier. Sadly, Charles of Durazzo ordered Queen Joanna to be killed in July 1382. Louis I entered Naples in September. However, Charles of Durazzo avoided a direct fight. By the end of 1382, most of Louis I's soldiers had left. He offered to give up his claim to Naples for Provence, but Charles of Durazzo refused.

Louis II, who was seven years old, sent a ring to Lucia Visconti in 1384. He was called the Duke of Calabria in the letter. Louis I died in Bari on September 20, 1384. In his will, he asked Clement VII to help his son take Naples.

Becoming a Ruler

Young Louis II

Louis was only seven when his father died. His mother, Marie, tried to get his uncles to continue the war for Naples. But they refused to spend more money on it. Bernabò Visconti, who had promised his daughter to Louis, was arrested in 1385. This ended the marriage talks.

Most towns and nobles in Provence supported Charles of Durazzo. They formed an alliance against Louis and his mother. Marie was determined to get back control of these rich areas. She went to Marseille with Louis. On August 24, 1385, they both received promises of loyalty from the town's leaders. In return, they promised to respect the citizens' freedoms. Marie then talked to the other towns and nobles. She slowly convinced them to accept Louis's rule over the next two years.

Charles of Durazzo died in 1386 while trying to claim Hungary. His ten-year-old son, Ladislaus, became king under his mother's care. The new pope, Pope Boniface IX, confirmed Ladislaus's right to rule Naples. Marie of Blois tried to arrange a marriage between Louis and Ladislaus's sister, Joanna. But Louis refused to marry the daughter of his father's main enemy in May 1387.

Louis's supporters took the city of Naples. But his enemies kept control of the two most important castles, the Castel Nuovo and Castel Sant'Elmo.

King of Naples

King Charles VI of France became an adult and decided to support Louis. He made Louis and his brother, Charles, knights in Paris in May 1389. This was a big celebration to show the royal family's strength. Charles VI promised Louis 300,000 florins to pay for a war in southern Italy. Clement VII also promised 500,000 florins. Charles VI announced his support to the people of Naples.

Clement VII crowned Louis king in Avignon on November 1, 1389. King Charles VI of France and his brother were there to show their support. A powerful Italian ruler, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, also joined their alliance.

Louis and his fleet of about 40 ships sailed from Marseille in July 1390. They reached the Bay of Naples on August 6. His troops captured Castel Sant'Elmo in October and Castel Nuovo weeks later. Clement VII's representative, Cardinal Pierre de Thury, helped Louis rule the kingdom well. Louis was engaged to Yolande of Aragon, the daughter of King John I of Aragon.

Clement VII sent regular money to Louis. Louis's troops won many battles. They captured Amalfi and Ravello in 1392. Most nobles in Calabria also promised loyalty to him by late 1392. In reality, the Kingdom of Naples was divided between Louis and Ladislaus.

King Charles VI of France started showing signs of mental illness in 1392. This allowed other powerful dukes to gain more influence in France. The conflict between France and the new pope, Benedict XIII, weakened Louis's position. Ladislaus took advantage of these problems. Louis's real power was limited to the city of Naples. The Calabrian nobles only formally accepted his rule. Charles VI of France openly stopped supporting Louis.

The French clergy stopped obeying Benedict XIII. A French army attacked Avignon in July 1398. Louis's right to rule Naples came from his crowning by Benedict XIII's predecessor. But his mother, who ruled Provence, had to support the French action against Benedict XIII. Without money from France, Benedict XIII could no longer pay Louis's soldiers in Naples.

The nobles in Apulia rebelled against Louis. He had to go fight them in February 1399. His allies, the Sanseverini, left him. While he was away, Ladislaus took Naples on July 10. Louis could not continue the fight. He left southern Italy for Provence that same month.

Later Life in France

Louis married his cousin, Yolande of Aragon, in Arles on December 2, 1400. She was crowned queen on the same day. This marriage gave him a chance to inherit the throne of Aragon through her.

Louis started a university in Aix-en-Provence in 1409.

In 1409, Louis helped free Rome from Ladislaus's control. In 1410, he fought Ladislaus again and defeated him at Roccasecca in 1411. However, Louis eventually lost support in Naples and had to leave. His claim to Naples then passed to his son, Louis III.

His son, Louis, was supposed to marry Catherine of Burgundy. But after the Duke of Burgundy caused trouble, Louis II and his wife joined a group called the Armagnac Faction. The marriage plan was canceled, which made the Duke of Burgundy angry.

Louis II was not at the famous Battle of Agincourt because he was sick. After the battle, he left Paris to be with his family in Angers.

Louis II died at his castle in Angers, France, on April 29, 1417. He is buried there.

Family

Louis and Yolande had five children who lived:

• Louis III of Anjou (1403–1434), who was called King of Naples and Duke of Anjou.
• Marie of Anjou (1404–1463), who married King Charles VII of France in 1422.
• René of Anjou (1409–1480), who became King of Naples and Duke of Anjou.
• Yolande of Anjou (1412, Arles – 1440), who married Philip I, Duke of Brabant, and later Francis I, Duke of Brittany.
• Charles of Anjou (1414–1472), who was the Count of Maine.

See also

In Spanish: Luis II de Nápoles para niños