Who was Alfonso II of Naples and how did he rule?

Alfonso II of Naples was a 15th-century soldier, patron of the arts, and short-reigned monarch who succeeded his father, Ferdinand I. Throughout his life as Duke of Calabria and later as king, he commanded military campaigns against external threats like the Ottoman Empire and internal baronial revolts. Facing the approaching invasion of Charles VIII of France, he abdicated the throne in 1495 and retired to a Sicilian monastery, where he died later that year.

What we know

• Alfonso II ruled as King of Naples following the death of his father Ferdinand I in 1494 until his abdication in 1495. [2, 4]
• In the 1480s, Alfonso helped reverse the Ottoman invasion of Otranto in Apulia. [2]
• Alfonso's repressive conduct and the violent suppression of a revolt by Neapolitan nobility further discredited him and his father. [2]
• He was forced to abdicate his throne by the approaching army of King Charles VIII of France and was succeeded by his son Ferdinand II. [2, 3]

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureHow did Ferdinand I shape the Kingdom of Naples?
• what caused itWhat caused the French invasion by Charles VIII?
• what followedWho was Alfonso's son Ferdinand II?
• how it workedWhat architectural changes were made to Naples?
• a case in pointHow did the Ottoman siege of Otranto unfold?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a king's son become Duke of Bisceglie?Alfonso II's illegitimate son, Alfonso of Aragon, went on to marry Lucrezia Borgia, connecting the Neapolitan royal house directly to the famous Borgia family.

Sources

• [1]Alfonso II of Naples (Wikidata Q436753) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Alfonso II of Naples · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Alfonso of Aragon (1481–1500) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Ferdinand I of Naples · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Joanna of Naples (1478–1518) · CC BY-SA 4.0