Charlotte of Naples ( – 1506), also known as Charlotte of Aragon and

Princess of Taranto This is a list of the Princesses of Taranto, a principality in Southern Italy. Countess consort of Taranto Princess consort of Taranto House of Hauteville, 1088–1194 House of Hohenstaufen, 1194–1266 Capetian House of Anjou, ...

, was the eldest daughter and eventual

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

ess of King

Frederick of Naples Frederick (April 19, 1452 – November 9, 1504), sometimes called Frederick IV or Frederick of Aragon, was the last King of Naples from the Neapolitan branch of the House of Trastámara, ruling from 1496 to 1501. He was the second son of Ferdinan ...

. Although her father was dispossessed of his kingdom, her descendants, the House of

La Trémoïlle LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

maintained their

dynastic A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A d ...

claim in exile. Daughter of the Neapolitan king's first marriage to

Anne of Savoy Anne of Savoy, Princess of Squillace, Altamura, and Taranto (1 June 1455 – February 1480) was the first wife of King Frederick IV. She died 16 years before he succeeded to the Neapolitan throne, so she was never queen consort. Anne was a member ...

, a granddaughter of

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious (french: le Victorieux) or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of F ...

, Charlotte was married to Guy XVI, Count of Laval, head of one of Brittany's most powerful noble families.

Marriage

Following her mother's death which occurred shortly after her birth, Charlotte was raised in France and brought up at the French court. One of her suitors was

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex- cardinal and '' condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major ...

. Charlotte refused him, and instead on 10 June 1500 married Guy XVI de Laval, Count of

Laval Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...

. Charlotte and Guy had: *Catherine, married Claude I of Rieux *

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

, married François de la Trémoïlle *François, d.1522

Claim to kingdom of Naples

In the year following Charlotte's marriage, her father lost his throne and freedom to France in war. Her brother,

Ferdinand of Aragón, Duke of Calabria Ferdinand, Duke of Calabria (Spanish: ''Fernando de Aragón, Duque de Calabria'') (15 December 1488 – 20 October 1550) was a Neapolitan prince who played a significant role in the Mediterranean politics of the Crown of Aragon in the early 16t ...

, fled to Spain in 1504, whence he did not return. On his death without legitimate descendants in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

in 1550, Charlotte was long dead and France had lost the crown of Naples to another branch of the Aragonese dynasty. Nonetheless her issue took up the fruitless ''

pretence Pretense or pretence may refer to: * pretext * pretexting (social engineering) * "Pretense" (''Stargate SG-1''), an episode of ''Stargate SG-1'' * "Pretense", a song by Knuckle Puck from their 2015 album '' Copacetic'' * "Pretence", a song by Joli ...

'' to the crown, while pursuing their interests in Brittany and France. Charlotte is posthumously attributed the title, ''

'', which had been borne by Neapolitan

heirs apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

Ancestry

References

Sources

* {{s-end 1480 births 1506 deaths House of Trastámara House of Laval 15th-century Neapolitan people 15th-century Italian women People of Byzantine descent 16th-century French people 16th-century French women Daughters of kings