Louis I of Naples

Louis I of Naples (Italian: Luigi, Aloisio, or Ludovico ; 1320 – 26 May 1362), also known as Louis of Taranto, was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou who reigned as King of Naples, Count of Provence and Forcalquier, and Prince of Taranto.

Louis gained the crown of Naples by marrying his half-first cousin/ first cousin-once-removed, Queen Joanna I, whose prior husband, Andrew, had died as a result of a conspiracy that may have involved both of them. Immediately after securing his status as her co-ruler, Louis successfully wrested away all power from his wife, leaving her a sovereign in name only. Their disastrous marriage resulted in the birth of two daughters, Catherine and Frances, neither of whom survived their parents. During their joint reign, Louis dealt with numerous uprisings, attacks, and unsuccessful military operations; he is generally considered an inefficient monarch. Following his death, Joanna’s reign resumed, her power and refused to share it with her subsequent husbands.

Background and family

A member of the Capetian House of Anjou, Louis was born in Naples as the second son of Philip I, Prince of Taranto, and Catherine II, Latin Empress. He was a patrilineal first cousin once removed of both Queen Joanna I of Naples and her husband Andrew, Duke of Calabria, in addition to being Joanna's maternal first cousin. Louis' older brother Robert, Prince of Taranto, was having an open affair with Queen Joanna. When the 17-year-old Andrew was assassinated on 18 September 1345 for seeking to co-reign with his wife, Joanna was immediately suspected of ordering the murder with the help of Louis and Robert.

Following her husband's death, the young queen was strongly influenced by Robert, but by October 1346, she had become closer to Louis. The brothers' mother died the same month, leaving her claim to the Latin Empire to Robert, who in turn ceded the Principality of Taranto to Louis.

Marriage

thumb|left|Provençal coin of "King Louis and Queen Joanna" (L· REX- E· I· REG), struck between 1349 and 1362

Louis and Joanna married in Naples on 22 August 1347, From early 1349 onwards, all documents for the kingdom were issued in the names of both husband and wife, and Louis was indisputably in control of military fortresses. Although he was not officially recognised by Clement as king and co-ruler until 1352, it is likely that Neapolitans considered him their monarch from the moment he started acting as such. Their younger daughter, Françoise, was born soon thereafter. Louis received Clement's formal recognition as his wife's co-ruler in all her realms on 20 Françoise, by then the couple's only surviving child, died on their coronation day. Louis founded the Order of the Knot on the occasion of the coronation, most likely hoping to enhance the tarnished reputation he shared with Joanna. In 1356, they were crowned in Messina as rulers of Sicily, but failed to capture the entire island, which had been seized from the House of Anjou by the House of Barcelona in 1285 and thereafter ruled as a separate kingdom.