Giovanna d'Aragona (1502–1575) was a patron of the arts, printers and religious reform in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

during the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

Family

She was the oldest daughter of Duke Ferdinando of Malteno and Castellana de Cardona. Her father was a younger son of

Ferdinand I of Naples Ferdinando Trastámara d'Aragona, of the Naples branch, universally known as Ferrante and also called by his contemporaries Don Ferrando and Don Ferrante (2 June 1424, in Valencia – 25 January 1494, in Kingdom of Naples, Naples), was the only so ...

. After her marriage,

Vittoria Colonna Vittoria Colonna (April 149225 February 1547), marchioness of Pescara, was an Italian noblewoman and poet. As an educated, married noblewoman whose husband was in captivity, Colonna was able to develop relationships within the intellectual circl ...

became her sister-in-law.

Life

Her parents had fled to the island

Ischia Ischia ( , , ) is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about from Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures approximately east to west ...

after French troops had overrun Naples. Constanza d'Avalos resided here as well and gathered a literary circle around her. Amongst them was the poet Vittoria Colonna, the wife of Constanza's nephew. In 1521, Giovanna married Vittoria's brother Ascanio. Upon marriage they became Duke and Duchess of

Tagliacozzo Tagliacozzo (Marsicano: ') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, central Italy. History Tagliacozzo lies in an area inhabited in early historic times by the Aequi and the Marsi, although the first mentions of the town ...

. After giving birth to six children, she took them with her to Ischia and left her husband. Despite this, she became close again to Vittoria and together with Giovanna's sister Maria and Constanza d'Avalos, they supported Juan de Valdés. She married Ascannio Colonna and had children: one was Girolama Colonna, who became an ancestor the Avellino family. She refused to return to her husband, but did try to intercede for him when he refused to pay salt tax to the pope. In spite of her mediation, the pope's forces attacked Ascanio's lands and he was imprisoned by an envoy of Charles V. When

Pope Paul IV Pope Paul IV, born Gian Pietro Carafa, C.R. ( la, Paulus IV; it, Paolo IV; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death in August 1559. While serving as pap ...

held Giovanna hostage in 1556, she escaped by wearing servants' clothes and fled to Naples with her children and servants. Since she had long been a patron of writers, the pope's treatment of her caused a lot of indignation, especially amongst printers and writers in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. In 1560, after the death of Paul IV, she returned to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and became a prominent figure in Italy's political and religious life. The poet

Girolamo Ruscelli Girolamo Ruscelli (1518–1566) was an Italian Mathematician and Cartographer active in Venice during the early 16th century. He was also an alchemist, writing pseudonymously as Alessio Piemontese. Biography Girolamo Ruscelli was born in Vi ...

paid tribute to her in an anthology with work from many contemporary Italian poets.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aragona, Giovanna D' 1502 births 1575 deaths 16th-century Italian nobility

Giovanna Giovanna is an Italian feminine first name. It is the feminine counterpart of the masculine Giovanni, which in turn is the Italian form of John; it is thus the Italian equivalent of Jane, Joanna, Jeanne, etc. In Brazil, the feminine name Giovann ...

Italian art patrons Italian literature patrons 16th-century Neapolitan people Nobility from Naples 16th-century Italian women