Ramon Folc de Cardona i Anglesola (Italian: ''Raimondo di Cardona'') (1467 – 10 March 1522) was a Catalan general and politician, who served as the

viceroy of Naples This is a list of viceroys of the Kingdom of Naples. Following the conquest of Naples by Louis XII of France in 1501, Naples was subject to the rule of the foreign rulers, the Kings of France, Aragon and Spain and the Habsburg Archdukes of Austria ...

during the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

and commanded the Spanish forces in Italy during the

War of the League of Cambrai The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and several other names, was fought from February 1508 to December 1516 as part of the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fough ...

. He was granted the title

count of Oliveto The Duchy of Alvito was a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Naples, in southern Italy. Rule of the Cantelmo The Cantelmo family, of French origins, arrived in Italy in the 13th century around the time the Angevins conquered Naples (1266). From the An ...

in the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

, on 12 December 1515.

Biography

The son of Antoni de Cardona-Anglesola i Centelles and Castellana de Requesens, he was 5th Baron of

Bellpuig Bellpuig () is a town in the ''comarca'' (county) of l'Urgell in Catalonia, Spain. Nowadays Bellpuig is the third most important town in the area of Urgell. The town, located between the three little hills appearing in the flag, is served by Be ...

, Baron of Linyola and Baron of Utxafava, all three places in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

. Ramón de Cardona was born in Bellpuig, to one of the greatest families in the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

, the Cardona. On 12 December 1502 he was awarded the title of Duke of Soma, taking part in 1505, with the role of admiral, in the capture of Mers-el-Kébir. King

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia from ...

, of whom he has been postulated to be a

natural son Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...

, made him

Viceroy of Naples This is a list of viceroys of the Kingdom of Naples. Following the conquest of Naples by Louis XII of France in 1501, Naples was subject to the rule of the foreign rulers, the Kings of France, Aragon and Spain and the Habsburg Archdukes of Austria ...

in 1509. He stayed as

Viceroy of Sicily This is a list of viceroys of Sicily: Aragonese direct rule 1409–1516 * John of Aragon, Duke of Peñafiel, later king John II of Aragon, 1458–1479, acted 1409–1416. * Domingo Ram y Lanaja, Bishop of Lleida 1416–1419 * Antonio de Cardona ...

from 1507 to 1509 and coming back to Naples and staying there till his death in 1522. In 1510 he received instructions on introducing the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...

in Naples, a decision which caused a popular revolt; after which the Spanish king canceled the decree. In 1511 Cardona moved to northern Italy as the commander-in-chief of the

League of Cambrai League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

army, leaving the Neapolitan government to his wife

Isabel de Requesens Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew '' Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popu ...

, 2nd countess of

Palamós Palamós () is a town and municipality in the Mediterranean Costa Brava, located in the ''comarca'' of Baix Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Palamós is located at the northern end of a large bay. The town is by-passed by th ...

, 2nd countess of Avellino, 2nd countess of

Trivento Trivento is a ''comune'' (municipality) and Catholic episcopal see in the Province of Campobasso in the southern Italian region Molise, located about northwest of Campobasso. Trivento borders the following municipalities: Castelguidone, Castelmau ...

, baroness of

Calonge Calonge is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Baix Empordà in Catalonia, Spain, on the coastline of the Costa Brava. The town comprises two parts, a medieval hill village and modern seaside resort. The main urban centre and original v ...

, daughter of Galceran de Requesens the first holder of these titles. In the following year he was defeated by Gaston of Foix, Duke of Nemours at the Battle of Ravenna. Cardona then moved to Tuscany to support the then Spanish-supported

House of Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mug ...

. His troops besieged Prato, massacring the population after its fall. In 1513 Cardona returned to

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

with a new army the following year and fought successfully at the Battle of La Motta, defeating the Venetian army led by

Bartolomeo d'Alviano Bartolomeo d'Alviano (c. 1455 – October 1515) was an Italian condottiero and captain who distinguished himself in the defence of the Venetian Republic against the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian. Biography Bartolomeo d'Alviano was born in 145 ...

. He was however unable to prevent the Venetians from joining with the French at the

Battle of Marignano The Battle of Marignano was the last major engagement of the War of the League of Cambrai and took place on 13–14 September 1515, near the town now called Melegnano, 16 km southeast of Milan. It pitted the French army, composed of the be ...

. In February 1513, after the death of Pope

Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or the ...

, (1443–1513), a.k.a.

Giuliano della Rovere Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or the ...

and the arrival in Italy of King

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin on ...

, Cardona was called back to Spain. In 1515 he had received the title of

Count of Alvito The Duchy of Alvito was a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Naples, in southern Italy. Rule of the Cantelmo The Cantelmo family, of French origins, arrived in Italy in the 13th century around the time the Angevins conquered Naples (1266). From the A ...

, a fiefdom in what is now southern

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. In 1519 the new king of Spain,

Charles I of Spain Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain ( Castile and Aragon) fro ...

, a.k.a. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, made him Great Admiral of the

. He died at Naples in 1522. His cenotaph in Bellpuig, executed by

Giovanni da Nola Giovanni da Nola (1478–1559), also known as Giovanni Merliano, was an Italian sculptor and architect of the Renaissance, active in Naples. He was born the son of a leather merchant, in Nola near Naples. Da Nola moved to Naples where he trained ...

, is one of the most outstanding examples of Renaissance art in the region.

Children

He had two children : * Fernando Folch de Cardona, 2nd duke of Soma, 3rd

, 2nd duke of Soma and other titles,

, deceased 13 September 1571. * Caterina de Cardona y Requesens, deceased in 1577, married Don Ferrante d' Aragona, 1st duke of Montalto, illegitimate son of King Ferrante I of Naples and Diana Guardato. Their descendants were the "Moncada" family, Sicilian Princes of

Paternò Paternò ( scn, Patennò) is a southern Italian town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily. With a population (2016) of 48,009, it is the third municipality of the province after Catania and Acireale. Geography Paternò ...

and

Grandees of Spain Grandees of Spain ( es, Grandes de España) are the highest-ranking members of the Spanish nobility. They comprise nobles who hold the most important historical landed titles in Spain or its former colonies. Many such hereditary titles are held b ...

Notes

References

* * *http://www.grandesp.org.uk/historia/gzas/soma.htm

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardona, Ramon de 1467 births 1522 deaths People from Urgell Military leaders of the Italian Wars Viceroys of Naples Viceroys of Sicily 16th-century Neapolitan people