Isabella of Clermont ( – 30 March 1465), also known as Isabella of Taranto, was

queen of Naples The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501) House of Anjou In 1382, the Kin ...

as the first wife of King Ferdinand I of Naples, and a feudatory of the kingdom as the holder and ruling Princess of the

Principality of Taranto The Principality of Taranto was a state in southern Italy created in 1088 for Bohemond I, eldest son of Robert Guiscard, as part of the peace between him and his younger brother Roger Borsa after a dispute over the succession to the Duchy of Ap ...

in 1463–1465.Marcello Moscone, Isabella Chiaramonte, Regina di Napoli, Dizionario biografico degli italiani, vol. 62, 2004.

Life

Born on January 1424 in

Copertino Copertino (; historical en, Cupertino, italic=yes; scn, label=Salentino, Cupirtinu ), also known in English as Cupertino, is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy. History Following Charles of ...

(in southern

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

), Isabella was the elder daughter of

Tristan de Clermont Bartholomew "Tristan" de Clermont-Lodève (1380), Count of Copertino, was a French-born knight who married Catherine Orsini del Balzo, youngest daughter of Mary of Enghien and Raimondo Orsini del Balzo, Prince of Taranto. He was the father of I ...

, Count of

, and Caterina Orsini Del Balzo. She was also the niece and heir of childless Giovanni Antonio Orsini del Balzo, Prince of Taranto. Her maternal grandmother,

Mary of Enghien Mary of Enghien, also Maria d'Enghien (1367 or 1370 – 9 May 1446), was Countess of Lecce from 1384 to 1446 and Queen of Naples as well as titular Queen of Sicily, Jerusalem, and Hungary by marriage to Ladislaus of Naples from 1406 to 1414 ...

, was queen consort of Naples from 1406 until 1414. On 30 May 1444/1445, Isabella married Ferdinand of Aragon, then Duke of Calabria (1423–1494), natural son of Alfonso V of Aragon who had recently conquered the Neapolitan kingdom from French Angevins, and thus was the new liege lord of Isabella and her family. Alfonso arranged this marriage in order to give a good future to his favorite bastard son, by giving him his own principality by marriage. Also, Alfonso wanted his loyal people (such as his own son) to have feudal fiefs in his new kingdom, which would happen in the future as soon as Ferdinand and Isabella succeeded in Taranto. The marriage also strengthened the king's grip on the current lords of Taranto. On 27 June 1458 Isabella's husband became, by the will of his father,

king of Naples The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501) House of Anjou In 1382, the Kin ...

. Isabella became queen. They no longer wanted to make Taranto their principal holding, but it was still a strong possession, and in 1463 Isabella succeeded her uncle Giovanni Antonio as princess of Taranto. Queen Isabella died on 30 March 1465, and was buried in San Pietro Martire. Her heir was her eldest son, the future King

Alfonso II of Naples Alfonso II (4 November 1448 – 18 December 1495) was Duke of Calabria and ruled as King of Naples from 25 January 1494 to 23 January 1495. He was a soldier and a patron of Renaissance architecture and the arts. Heir to his father Ferd ...

Issue

Isabella had six children with Ferdinand: *

(4 November 1448 – 18 December 1495) *

Eleanor of Naples Eleanor of Naples (Leonora or Eleonora of Aragon; 22 June 1450 – 11 October 1493) was Duchess of Ferrara by marriage to Ercole I d'Este. She was the first duchess of Ferrara, and mother of many famous Renaissance figures. She was a well known p ...

(22 June 1450 – 11 October 1493), duchess of Bari and Ferrara *

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

(19 April 1452 – 9 November 1504) * John of Naples (25 June 1456 – 17 October 1485),

archbishop of Taranto The Archdiocese of Taranto ( la, Archidioecesis Tarentina) is a metropolitan Roman Catholic diocese in southern Italy, on a bay in the Gulf of Taranto.

and then cardinal *

Beatrice of Naples Beatrice of Naples (16 November 1457 – 23 September 1508), also known as Beatrice of Aragon ( hu, Aragóniai Beatrix; it, Beatrice d'Aragona), was twice Queen of Hungary and of Bohemia by marriage to Matthias Corvinus and Vladislaus II. S ...

(14 September/16 November 1457 – 23 September 1508), queen of Hungary *

Francis of Naples, Duke of Sant Angelo Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome * Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural ...

(16 December 1461 – 26 October 1486)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isabella, Princess of Taranto 1420s births 1465 deaths 15th-century Italian women Princes of Taranto House of Trastámara Royal consorts of Naples People from Taranto 15th-century women rulers