Antonio Beccadelli of Bologna (c.1475-1513) was an Italian aristocrat, whose tragic love affair and

secret marriage Clandestinity is a diriment impediment in the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It invalidates a marriage performed without the presence of three witnesses, one of whom must be a priest or a deacon. History It was promulgated in the 16th ...

with

Giovanna d'Aragona, Duchess of Amalfi Giovanna d'Aragona, Duchess of Amalfi (1478–1510) was an Italian aristocrat, regent of the Duchy of Amalfi during the minority of her son from 1498 until 1510. Her tragic life inspired several works of literature, most notably John Webster's p ...

, inspired several works of literature, most notably

John Webster John Webster (c. 1580 – c. 1632) was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies '' The White Devil'' and ''The Duchess of Malfi'', which are often seen as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and car ...

's ''

The Duchess of Malfi ''The Duchess of Malfi'' (originally published as ''The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy'') is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by English dramatist John Webster in 1612–1613. It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, ...

'' and

Lope de Vega Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio ( , ; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Age of Baroque literature. His reputation in the world of Spanish literature ...

's ''El mayordomo de la Duquesa Amalfi''.

Sources

Information about the life of Antonio Beccadelli is mostly derived from

Matteo Bandello Matteo Bandello ( 1480 – 1562) was an Italian writer, soldier, monk, and, later, a Bishop mostly known for his novellas. His collection of 214 novellas made him the most popular short-story writer of his day. Biography Matteo Bandello wa ...

's account of the events. Bandello probably knew Beccadelli personally when the latter was living in Milan. Despite some elements of poetic licence (including portraying himself under the name Delio), Bandello's basic account is supported by contemporary literature such as

Camillo Tutini Camillo Tutini (15948 August 1666) was an Italian historian, mainly of the Neapolitan region. Life Camillo Tutini was born in Naples probably in 1594. His family originated from Sant'Angelo a Fasanella, in the province of Salerno. Tutini often me ...

's Chronicle,Giacomo Della Morte, Cronica di Napoli di Notar Giacomo; pubblicata per cura di Paolo Garzilli, Napoli: Stamperia Reale, 1845, pp. 331 and the genealogical works of

Scipione Ammirato Scipione Ammirato (October 7, 1531January 11, 1601) was an Italian historian and philosopher. He is now regarded as an important founding figure in the scholarly study of the history of philosophy. He is best known for his political treatise ''Di ...

Life

Beccadelli was the son of Antonino Beccadelli and Giulia di Sangro, and grandson of the famous humanist Antonio Beccadelli, known as Panormita. His paternal grandfather had been inducted into the ranks of the aristocracy of Naples by Alfonso V in 1450. Despite belonging to the city aristocracy, and his impressive personal qualities, Beccadelli was not of sufficient social status to aspire to the hand of a woman of royal blood such as Giovanna d'Aragona.Felicita De Negri
«DI BOLOGNA, Antonio»
In: ''

Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani The ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'' ( en, Biographical Dictionary of the Italians) is a biographical dictionary published by the Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, started in 1925 and completed in 2020. It includes about 40,000 biograp ...

'', Vol. IX, Roma: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 1968. Beccadelli became the estate manager of Frederick, King of Naples from 1494. When Frederick surrendered to the French (1501), Beccadelli retired to private life in Naples with an annual pension of about a thousand ducats. By 1498 he was working as the estate manager of Giovanna d'Aragona, the young widow of Alfonso I, Duke of Amalfi, who had a young son born after her husband's death. The two soon became intimately involved and were married secretly, having two children. The Duchess chose to make the marriage public in November 1510, when she travelled with a large retinue on a pigrimage to Santa Maria of Loreto.Leah Marcus (ed), ''The Duchess of Malfi'', Bloomsbury, pp.17ff. In fact the Duchess went to Ancona to join Antonio. When the marriage became known to Giovanna's brother, Cardinal

Luigi d'Aragona Luigi d'Aragona (1474–1519) (called the Cardinal of Aragón) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal. He had a highly successful career in the church, but his memory is affected by the allegation that he ordered the murder of his own sister and ...

he made his disapproval of the relationship sufficiently clear that the Duchess and her family chose to travel to Siena. The Duchess was captured on her way between Siena and Venice, and was imprisoned with her maid and two sons by Beccadelli in a tower to Amalfi, where they all disappeared, probably murdered, though this did not become known until many years later. Beccadelli, unaware of the fate of his wife and children, took refuge in Milan. For some time he remained under the protection of

Silvio Savelli Silvio Savelli (died 1515) was an Italian condottiero. A member of the Savelli family of Rome, he was the brother of Troiano Savelli. After the initial baronial struggles against the Colonna and the Orsini, he was hired by the Republic of Florenc ...

. He then entered the service of Gian Francesco Acquaviva, Marquis of Bitonto. Finally he was assassinated by three murderers sent by the Cardinal, led by Daniele Bozolo. It is unclear whether this happened in Milan or Padua.Matteo Camera, Memorie storico-diplomatiche dell'antica città e Ducato di Amalfi: cronologicamente ordinate e continuate sino al secolo XVIII, Salerno: Stabilimento Tipografico Nazionale, 1876, pp. 81-82.

In literature

The tragic story has inspired many literary works, taking their account of events from Matteo Bandello's version. These include: * ''The Palace of Pleasure'', 1566, by William Painter * ''The Duchess of Malfi'', by John Webster * ''El mayordomo de la Duquesa Amalfi'' by Lope de Vega

References

{{reflist 1513 deaths Assassinated Italian people Year of birth uncertain