Editing Ferdinand I of Naples (section)

=== Government after twenty years of prosperity ===
==== Pazzi conspiracy (1478-1480) ====
[[File:Maestro del senofonte hamilton, trionfo di re ferdinando d'aragona, berlino kupferstichkabinett, senofonte, ciropedia, inv. 78c 24 f 1v.jpg|thumb|''Triumph of Ferrante of Aragon'', [[Kupferstichkabinett Berlin|Kupferstichkabinett]] inv. 78c 24 f, [[Berlin]]]]
Ferrante's alliances rested mainly on the Sforza of Milan and the [[House of Este|Este]] of [[Duchy of Modena and Reggio|Modena]] and [[Duchy of Ferrara|Ferrara]].

In 1478, at the time of the [[Pazzi conspiracy]], he showed his desire to mediate peacefully, but after the outcome of the conspiracy, he sided against [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] and declared war on Florence. Ferrante managed to reach an agreement with the Turkish sultan, who unleashed his army against Venice, which, forced to defend itself, was unable to rush to Florence to help. The heir to the throne Alfonso, commander of the Neapolitan army, was sent to war in Tuscany, where he managed to be proclaimed lord of Siena. The Florentines had no choice but to come to terms with the king of Naples and an armistice was asked. Lorenzo de' Medici had realized that he could not afford the enmity of a sovereign so powerful and so close: he therefore set off for Naples to deal directly with Ferrante.<ref name="www.ilportaledelsud.org" />

On 5 December 1479 Lorenzo the Magnificent embarked on Neapolitan ships in [[Pisa]] to reach Naples. All of Italy observed this trip with great interest, awaiting great decisions: the meeting had been well prepared and the welcome to Lorenzo, who arrived in Naples on 18 December 1479, exceeded all expectations. The peace, which was stipulated on March 17, 1480, provided for the alliance between Florence and Naples. When Pope Sixtus IV learned that Milan and the Duke of Ferrara also adhered to the treaty, he thought it best to ally himself with Venice.<ref name="www.ilportaledelsud.org" />
[[File:Lorenzo di Magnifico visits king Ferdinand of Aragon in Naples (Palazzo Vecchio, Florence).jpg|thumb|Lorenzo goes to Naples to Ferdinand of Aragon, painting by [[Giorgio Vasari]] and [[Marco Marchetti|Marco da Faenza]], [[Palazzo Vecchio]], Sala di Lorenzo the Magnificent, [[Florence]]]]
The peace was granted, although the fate of the arms had been favorable to the Aragonese, and happy circumstances, such as the internal unrest in Milan and the neutrality of Venice, authorized consideration as the most opportune moment for Naples to attempt the conquest of an effective dominance over Italy. In any case, the alliance with Florence of Lorenzo de' Medici proved to be advantageous for Ferrante, so much so that in 1483 Ferrante appointed Lorenzo the Magnificent Chamber of the Kingdom. Such a title was more than anything else honorific, for the one who more than any other will prove to be a good ally of the king of Naples. The historian Ernesto Pontieri comments: "Ferrante, found in the league with Florence a bulwark against the enemy forces of his dynasty, which, as is well known, were the treacherous and riotous baronage inside and foreign suitors outside. Both contractors, the Aragonese and the Medici, remained faithful to the pacts agreed in Naples in 1480; and in reality, as long as they lived, no one violated the borders of Italy."<ref name="www.ilportaledelsud.org" />

However, the daring journey of the Magnificent confirmed the fame that Ferrante enjoyed as "Judge of Italy". Furthermore, the magnificence of his court and the wealth of means at his disposal created him the reputation of a very rich sovereign; and finally his flashy diplomatic and war triumphs, his wise financial and administrative reforms, and the considerable aids given to writers and artists were able to give good hopes to the subjects who were favorable to his house.<ref name="treccani1"/>

==== War of Otranto (1480-1481) ====
Meanwhile, Lorenzo and Ferrante were negotiating in Naples, still in 1480, when [[Mehmed II]], followed by a powerful fleet, began to threaten the Kingdom of Naples. Mehmed II appeared in the [[Otranto]] canal, where only a thousand fighters were protecting Otranto, while another 400 arrived from Naples led by [[Francesco Zurolo]] The citizens made a valiant defense more than the soldiers, but against the powerful and numerous Ottoman army, their constancy was useless against [[Gedik Ahmed Pasha|Gedik]], commander of the expedition against Naples, which in the end managed to occupy Otranto in less than two months. This is when most of the population was massacred. [[Martyrs of Otranto|Eight hundred citizens of Otranto]] were exhorted by the Ottomans to abandon the [[Catholic Church|Catholic religion]] to convert to [[Islam]]. However, they chose martyrdom over conversion.<ref name="Ornata de Loro Rispettivi Ritratti"/><ref>{{harvnb|Morelli|1825|p= 225}}.</ref>

Having taken the city, Mehmed II called Gedik to him, who left his Lieutenant Ariadeno Baglivo of Negroponte with 7000 Turks and 500 horses in the city, and he with 12 Galleys, loaded the resources of the sack of that city and sent them to newly conquered [[Konstantiniyye]]. Ariadeno therefore, wishing to continue the conquests, thought of occupying [[Brindisi]] and laying siege to other cities. Ferrante, seeing his kingdom in danger, asked for help from all the princes of Europe and immediately sent a messenger to call Alfonso, his son in Tuscany, to leave the [[Pazzi conspiracy|war against Florence]] and come to help the kingdom.

The Turkish danger was, explicitly, the basis of the royal decision to adequately fortify Brindisi. While the Turks were still barricaded in Otranto, in February 1481, Ferrante d'Aragona ordered the start of work for the construction of a fortress to guard the [[port of Brindisi]]: the Ferrante tower. Subsequently, in 1485, Alfonso, son of King Ferrante and then Duke of Calabria, transformed the keep of Ferrante into a castle. Thus was born the superb Aragonese castle of Brindisi.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.senzacolonnenews.it/il-blog-di-gianfranco-perri/item/nei-costruttori-del-nostro-castello-aragonese-le-radici-storiche-dellindipendentismo-catalano.html|title = Nei costruttori del nostro Castello aragonese le radici storiche dell'indipendentismo Catalano|date = 25 September 2017}}</ref>

The Duke of Calabria abandoned the war in Tuscany and having arrived in Naples on 10 September 1480, gathered an army of 80 Galere with some vessels and gave the command to Galeazzo Caracciolo, who arrived with the army in the [[Strait of Otranto]], greatly frightened the enemy army. Shortly after, the Duke of Calabria himself joined him, accompanied by a large number of Neapolitan barons. The King of Hungary, brother-in-law of the Duke, sent 1700 soldiers and 300 Hungarian horses, and the Pope sent a cardinal with 22 Genoese galleys. The Pope, to thwart the danger from which he had threatened Italy, tried to unite the Italian governments in his will to make them act against the invasion of the Turks and absolved the Florentines from excommunication, forgiving them for all the injuries done to the Church. Ferrante, in exchange for 10,000 ducats, returned to them all the lands he had conquered during the conflict against Florence ([[Colle di Val d'Elsa|Colle Val d'Elsa]], [[Poggibonsi]], [[Monte San Savino]], Poggio Imperiale, and other fortified places in the [[Chianti (region)|Chianti]] and [[Valdelsa]]).<ref name="Vincenzo Buonsignori-1856"/>

The [[Ottoman Empire|Turks]], after many battles, were finally forced to retreat into Otranto, where they defended themselves for a long time. The death of Mohammed II and the discord that arose between two of his sons, [[Cem Sultan]] and [[Bayezid II|Bayezid]], each of whom demanded the empire, prompted Ariaden to understand that the help he was waiting for would come very late, so he decided to surrender to [[Alfonso II of Naples|Alfonso]] and, after having after concluding the peace negotiations, he embarked with the troops and set out for Constantinople.

The young Alfonso, enthusiastic about the success of the enterprise, after having fired the Hungarian soldiers finally returned to Naples, where he was acclaimed by the people and where he found the help that had come from Portugal and Spain, which he sent back. Many famous men of arms died in the war such as: Matteo di Capua, Count of [[Palena, Abruzzo|Palena]], [[Giulio Antonio Acquaviva|Giulio Acquaviva]], Count of [[Conversano]], Don Diego Cavaniglia, and Marino Caracciolo. The bones of the heroic Martyrs of Otranto were then buried by Alfonso with all honors, some of which in the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena in Otranto, later transferred to the [[Santa Caterina a Formiello|Church of Santa Caterina in Formiello]], where they are venerated as relics of martyrs.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli" /><ref>{{harvnb|Biancardi|1737|pp= 346–347}}.</ref>

The praise for the victorious king was equal to the insane terror that had shocked Europe at the news of the Muslim landing in Apulia and Ferrante was hailed as the savior of Italy and Europe.<ref name="treccani1"/>

When Mehmed II died, a discord began between Bayezid and Zizim over who was to ascend the throne and the latter, through a safe conduct, gave himself into the hands of the [[Pierre d'Aubusson|Grand Master of Rhodes]]. Bayezid, eager to have it in his hands, petitioned the Grand Master and the knights to give it to him in exchange for one hundred thousand scudi, but the quibbles sent him first to France and then to Rome to the papal court first to [[Pope Innocent VIII|Pope Sixtus IV]] and then to Pope Innocent VIII. Bayezid was very indignant for this and recruited a mighty army against the knights, which in 1483 passed over [[Rhodes]]. Ferrante, having learned that Rhodes was besieged and doubting that the island would not capitulate due to such a great obstacle, recruited a small army of ships and other woods to help it. The army sailed to Rhodes and not only rescued it but saved it valiantly from the impulses of enemies. This increased so much praise to the King, so much so that he was appointed curator of the [[Knights Hospitaller]].

==== War of Ferrara (1482-1484) ====
In 1482 the Venetians and the Pope allied themselves against the Duke of Ferrara, son-in-law of King Ferrante, because he did not observe the agreements established between them in earlier times. The duke's two adversaries had already managed to occupy almost all the places in the [[Polesine]] and plunder the Ferrara countryside. King Ferrante, who for the past [[Ottoman invasion of Otranto|war of Otranto]] found himself tired and impoverished, did not dare to enter the war, but in the end also pushed by the will of the Duke of Calabria, resolved to help his son-in-law and daughter, with the aim also of preventing the Venetians and the Pope from increasing their territories. Then the King wanted to be advised privately and in public and it was suggested that Ferrara had to be defended, since defeated Hercules, the Pope and the Venetians would have done the same thing with him, in fact both claimed the Kingdom of Naples. In addition to the King, the Florentines and [[Ludovico Sforza]], regent of the [[Duchy of Milan]] for his nephew [[Gian Galeazzo Sforza|Gian Galeazzo Maria Sforza]] took up arms to help Ferrara, with the resolution that the Florentines and the King harass the Pope and Ludovico troubled the borders of the Venetians, so than that Republic, having to defend the borders in many points harassed Ferrara with less impetus.

He then moved the Duke of Calabria with a flowery army in favor of Duke Ercole, but his having denied passage to the [[March of Ancona]] by the papal men at arms, turned to plague the lands of the Church and besieged by the favor of the [[Colonna family|Colonna]] and [[Savelli family|Savelli]] the same city of Rome; but [[Virginio Orsini]], Count of [[Tagliacozzo]], and [[Albe, Massa d'Albe|Albe]], seeing that Rome was in the thick of things, wanting to show himself religious and loving towards the Papal State, left this enterprise in the pay of the Duke of Calabria and courageously set out to defend the city.

Meanwhile [[Roberto Malatesta|Roberto Malatesta da Rimini]], captain of the Venetians, went to help the Pope, and the duke withdrew to [[Velletri]], where, forced to go to a place called Campomorto, he was engaged in battle, where the duke's army was defeated. Alfonso managed to escape miraculously thanks to four hundred [[Janissary|Janissaries]], who remained in the [[Terra di Otranto]] under him, who militated, who with great virtue, carried him safely to the walls of [[Nettuno]]. The main men-at-arms of his army remained in the power of the enemy, who, entering prisoners in Rome, adorned the triumph of the victor.

When the Duke of Calabria and the King found themselves in the greatest danger they had ever been, the death of Roberto Malatesta occurred shortly after the victory, and the Pope found himself without a captain and therefore unable to continue the war, he asked for peace and left the alliance with the Venetians came close to the king, allowing the Duke of Calabria to pass through his territories, who with two thousand horses went to the defense of Ferrara.

Wanting the Pope to allay the discords between the potentates of Italy, he wrote to the Venetians that he had to return everything they had occupied to the Duke of Ferrara, but they refused to do so, and despite the Pope having abandoned them, they stubbornly pursued the war, and also astonishing King Ferrante, they called in Italy the [[René II, Duke of Lorraine|Duke of Lorraine]], pretender to the throne of Naples by virtue of his ties with the [[Capetian House of Anjou|Angevins]], hoping that the duke would meet that of Milan, who was camped in the countryside of Rome, to convince him to ally with the Venetians. Their plan failed, however, because while that war lasted, it was administered by the duke with so much virtue and fortune, that if Ludovico Duke of Milan did not disband from the league, he would have taken away all the mainland from the Venetians.

Meanwhile, Pope Sixtus, upon the requisition of King Ferrante, excommunicated and banned the Venetians for disturbing the peace of Italy. By this means, the King sent his son Federico with fifty galleys to the sea of [[Ancona]] to damage the lands of the Venetians. The following spring, the Venetians put into the sea an army of one hundred and twenty woods with troops commanded by the Duke of Lorraine, René II, who occupied [[Gallipoli, Apulia|Gallipoli]], [[Nardò]], and [[Monopoli]] with resistance, as well as other smaller places in the Otranto area. The King, deeply afraid of the loss of these places, in order not to receive more damage, asked for peace, which he obtained on 27 August 1484 with the following condition:

The places that had been occupied in Lombardy by the Duke of Calabria were returned to the Venetians and they released the territories occupied in the duchy of Ferrara, Gallipoli, Nardò and Monopoli with all the lands they had occupied in the Kingdom of Naples.<ref>{{cite book| title=Le Vite dei Re di Napoli. Con le loro effigie dal naturale. Del Sig. Scipione Mazzella Napolitano. Ove ordinatamente si raccontano le successioni, le guerre, ei gesti loro, e delle cose più degne altroue ne' medesimi tempi auuenute. Con la denominazione degli huomini illustri ..|author=Scipione Mazzella|year=1594|editor=Ad istanza di Gioseppe Bonfandino. Si vendono all'insegna della Corona|location=Naples}}</ref>

==== Second conspiracy of the barons (1485-1486) ====
King Ferrante, although a very prudent prince, for the great affection he bore to the Duke Don Alfonso, for his old age, and for the love and caresses of his new bride, was disheartened by low affections, and seeing that he trusted a lot in the value of duke, gave him almost all the reins of the government.

Alfonso despised the barons, in fact, he always used to tell his confidants that if the barons had not been able to help their king in dire need during the war in Otranto, he wanted to teach him how the subjects must behave with their sovereign, assuring him that by oppressing the barons would have favored the people they exploited; and to spread the word of his opposition, Alfonso decided to place a crest broom on the helmet and some pincers in the saddle of the horse, demonstrating that he wanted to annihilate them. All this, combined with Ferrante's centralist government and Alfonso's cruelty towards the barons, led in 1485 to a second attempt at revolt. The barons, who had conceived a great hatred towards Alfonso, and feeling terrified by these threats, began to think how to get rid of it.

Meanwhile Sixtus had died and his successor, Pope Innocent VIII, after having lifted the excommunication of the Venetians that Sisto had given him, wanted to re-establish the payment of the census in the kingdom of Naples. The King on 29 June 1485 (the day set for payment) had sent Antonio d'Alessandro as his orator to Rome to present to the Pope the white horse in effect for the investiture, but the Pope did not want to receive it, so much so that Antonio was forced to make a public protest. On the other hand, the Barons, seeing the dissatisfaction of the Pope, thought of having recourse to him to be supported. The leaders and authors of this conspiracy were Francesco Coppola, Count of Sarno and Antonello Petrucci secretary of the King. The many riches and the many extraordinary favors that the King did to these two characters made them enter into the hatred and envy of many, especially the Duke of Calabria, who could not contain himself in saying in public that his Father in order to enrich them had impoverished himself.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli" /><ref>{{harvnb|Biancardi|1737|p= 348}}.</ref>

The barons who conspired were Antonello Sanseverino, [[List of Princes of Salerno|Prince of Salerno]], [[Pirro Del Balzo]], Prince of [[Altamura]], the Prince of [[Bisignano]], the Marquis del [[Vasto]], the [[Duke of Atri]], the Duke of Melfi, the Duke of Nardò, the Count of Lauria, the Count of [[Mileto]], the Count of Nola and many other knights. These, gathered in Melfi for the wedding between Ippolita Sanseverino and Troiano Caracciolo, son of Giovanni Duca di Melfi, sent a messenger to Pope Innocent to ask for help and the Pope gladly accepted the undertaking.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref name="Biancardi 1737-3">{{harvnb|Biancardi|1737|p= 349}}.</ref>

Since both [[John II, Duke of Lorraine|John Duke of Anjou]] and [[René of Anjou|René]] his father had died, the Pontiff pushed [[Charles VIII of France]] to send [[René II, Duke of Lorraine|René Duke of Lorraine]] to conquer the kingdom of Naples, of which he would have invested him, as long as he was always faithful to the Holy Church. Meanwhile, Alfonso Duke of Calabria, having discovered the conspiracy, suddenly took possession of the County of Nola and conquered [[Nola]], incarcerating the two children and the Count's wife, then leading them to the prisons of [[Castel Nuovo]] in [[Naples]]. When the other conspirators learned what Alfonso had done, fearing that he would do the same with their fiefs, they openly began to arm themselves and revolt. In an instant the Kingdom was turned upside down: broken roads, no businesses, closed [[court]]s and every place full of confusion.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref name="Biancardi 1737-3"/>

King Ferrante, shaken by these tumults, tried to quell them. The Prince of [[Bisignano]], in order to give the other barons time to arm themselves, began to make a peace treaty with Ferrante who apparently seemed very willing to accept, but in reality, he had no intention of giving him anything. The one therefore tried with simulation to deceive the other, the barons proposed to the king very impertinent conditions; but they were all agreed. When they had to be signed, since the prince of Salerno and many barons resided in [[Salerno]], the prince of Bisignano asked the king to send Don Frederick to Salerno for greater safety and sign them in his name. The King sent [[Frederick of Naples|Frederick]] who was received by the Prince and the Barons, who greeted him with signs of esteem. Frederick was a prince endowed with rare and incomparable virtues, handsome, with very sweet behavior, moderate and modest, so much so that he was loved by all and of habits opposed to his brother Duke of Calabria.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref>{{harvnb|Biancardi|1737|pp= 349–350}}.</ref>

Frederick therefore entered Salerno with the firm hope of concluding the peace; but one day the Prince of Salerno, having summoned the barons to his Palace and having Frederick enter the Castle in an eminent room, began with much eloquence to persuade him to take the [[Kingdom of Naples|kingdom]] they were offering him so that, having chased [[Alfonso II of Naples|Alfonso]], he would rest under his clemency, and certainly the old King would not have been offended by this, on the contrary he would have favored the will of men and of [[God]]. In short, he influenced the prince with great ardor, so much so that each baron believed that Frederick would not refuse the gift; but this prince who had neither ambition, nor immoderate thirst to dominate, but only virtue, after having thanked for the offer, very placidly replied that if by granting him the kingdom he had been under their control, he would have gladly accepted the gift, but Not being able to take possession of the kingdom, if not violating all the laws, the paternal will and the reason of his brother, he refused. When the conspirators understood Frederick's resolution, they turned pale, and seeing that they had to carry out the conspiracy, they imprisoned Frederick and to invigorate the Pope's soul they raised the Papal flags.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref>{{harvnb|Biancardi|1737|pp= 350–351}}.</ref>

[[File:Madonna col Bambino in trono e santi-Martirio di santo Stefano, Pietro Befulco 001.jpg|thumb|Ferrante (bottom left) depicted as [[Saint Stephen]], [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Madonna]] and Child enthroned with saints, Pietro Befulco, [[Museo di Capodimonte|National Museum of Capodimonte]], [[Naples]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.napoliaragonese.it/pietro-befulco-madonna-col-bambino-in-trono-e-santi/|title = Pietro Befulco, Madonna col Bambino in trono e santi|date = 23 February 2016}}</ref>]]
Ferrante, infuriated by the incident, threatened to declare war on the Pope and sent the Duke of Calabria with a large army to the borders of the kingdom. The Duke of Calabria, before entering the war against the Papal State, declared that he was going not to offend the Holy See, but only to defend himself and free the kingdom from the snares of the rebels and declared that he was and always would be an obedient son of the Pontiff and of the Apostolic See.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref name="Biancardi 1737-4">{{harvnb|Biancardi|1737|p= 351}}.</ref>

Ferrante then published a proclamation with which he ordered all the clergy of the [[Kingdom of Naples|kingdom]] who resided in the [[Rome|Roman Court]] and had bishops, archbishops and benefits in the kingdom, to present themselves within fifteen days in his presence and to reside in their churches. Not having wanted to obey, the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salerno-Campagna-Acerno|Archbishop of Salerno]] and the Bishops of Miletus and Teano, who were in Rome, were deprived of their income.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref name="Biancardi 1737-4"/>

He then gathered another army, of which he gave the command to [[Ferdinand II of Naples|Ferrandino]], [[List of Princes of Capua|prince of Capua]], his nephew and eldest son of the [[Alfonso II of Naples|Duke of Calabria]]. To compensate for the tender age of the prince, who was also very young, he gave him as companions the Count of [[Fondi]], [[Maddaloni]], and [[Marigliano]], and also sent another army to [[Apulia]], led by his son Duke of [[Monte Sant'Angelo|Sant'Angelo]] Francis, to control those lands.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref>{{harvnb|Biancardi|1737|pp= 351–352}}.</ref>

Pope Innocent, terrified by the preparations for war, not seeing the appearance of René Duke of Lorraine, invited by him to conquer the kingdom, asked for help from the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] who were powerful in Italy at the time, promising him that, after the conquest of the kingdom, he would offer him good part of that, but the Venetians did not accept the offer and still neutrally tried to support both the Pope and the King, suitably for their own interests. Meanwhile, the Duke of Calabria had invaded the Papal State, and after having fought many battles, he had managed to get to the gates of Rome, laying siege to it. In the meantime, Ferrante tried, through tricks and deceptions, to bring the conspiring barons to his side.

The Pope, after three months, seeing neither René appear nor rescued by the Venetians, increasingly annoyed by the [[College of Cardinals]] and by the complaints of many soldiers and barons of the kingdom (who devastated the [[Papal States]] for not getting the pay from the Pontiff ), finally decided to enter into a peace treaty and persuade the barons to agree with the King. The Barons, unable otherwise, accepted the agreement, which on 12 August 1486, with the participation of the [[Giovanni Arcimboldi|Archbishop of Milan]], the Count of Tendiglia, Ambassadors of the [[Ferdinand II of Aragon|King of Spain and Sicily]], he was accepted in the name of King Ferrante by [[Giovanni Pontano]], famous scholar of those times. Among the conditions of the treaty was that the King recognized the [[Catholic Church|Roman Church]], paying him the usual income, as well as the [[chinea]], and stopped harassing the barons.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli" /><ref>{{harvnb|Biancardi|1737|p= 352}}.</ref>

The Duke of Milan, [[Ferdinand II of Aragon|Ferdinand the Catholic]] King of Aragon and Sicily and [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] were the ones who signed the agreement between Ferrante and the Barons.<ref name="Ornata de Loro Rispettivi Ritratti"/><ref name="Morelli 1825">{{harvnb|Morelli|1825|p= 227}}.</ref>
[[File:Ferdinando - Esortazione di insorgere contro i baroni ribelli, circa 1486 - 2391599.jpg|thumb|''Exhortation to rise up against the rebel barons'', 1486]]
[[Pope Innocent VIII]], after the peace treaty, was a close friend of the king throughout his life and pleased him in everything he asked of him. On 4 June 1492 he sent a bull at his request in which he declared that after the death of Ferrante the successor of the kingdom would be his eldest son [[Alfonso II of Naples|Alfonso]] Duke of Calabria, in compliance with the bulls of [[Pope Eugene IV]] and [[Pope Pius II|Pius II]], his predecessors; and in the absence of the Duke of Calabria, [[Ferdinand II of Naples|Ferrandino]] should have succeeded.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref name="Biancardi 1737-5">{{harvnb|Biancardi|1737|p= 353}}.</ref>

==== Ferrante's revenge on the barons ====
The barons, although reassured by the [[Pope Innocent VIII|Pope]] and the [[Ferdinand II of Aragon|King of Spain and Sicily]], knew [[Alfonso II of Naples|Alfonso]]'s cruelty and Ferrante's lack of faith towards them, remaining greatly afflicted by them. Pietro di Guevara, Grand Seneschal, died precisely of this affliction. After the peace, the barons, gathered together, fortified themselves in their fortresses; but the Duke of Calabria and King Ferrante, having them in their hands, tried to deceive them, offering them security and showing them their humanity. Many barons, deceived, were reassured, but the Prince of Salerno, suspecting the king's deception, escaped secretly from the kingdom and went to Rome, here seeing that the Pope had no intention of renewing the war, if he went in France.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref name="Biancardi 1737-5"/>

Ferrante and Alfonso, in fact, imperiously felt the need to take revenge on the two traitor rioters, Coppola and [[Antonello Petrucci|Petrucci]]. The propitious moment was the celebration of the wedding of Marco, son of the Count of [[Sarno]] with the daughter of the [[Duke of Amalfi]], nephew of the King, whose party took place in the great hall of the [[Castel Nuovo]]. All souls were filled with immense jubilation when suddenly they were arrested and destined with the others to last torture.<ref name="Ornata de Loro Rispettivi Ritratti"/><ref name="Morelli 1825"/> Ferrante also imprisoned Francesco Coppola, Count of [[Sarno]], the Secretary Petrucci, the Counts of [[Carinola]] and [[Policastro Bussentino|Policastro]] with his sons, Aniello Arcamone brother-in-law of the Secretary and Giovanni Impoù Catalano. After trials and other solemnities, they were condemned to the deprivation of all honors Titles, Dignity, Offices, Cavalry, Feuds, nobility and were condemned to be [[Decapitation|beheaded]]. Their assets were then incorporated into the tax authorities.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref name="Biancardi 1737-6">{{harvnb|Biancardi|1737|p= 354}}.</ref> Moving, however, was the speech and farewell that the Count of Sarno pronounced to his children from the top of the gallows.<ref name="Ornata de Loro Rispettivi Ritratti"/><ref name="Morelli 1825"/>

[[File:Sala dei Baroni.jpg|thumb|The Sala dei Baroni of [[Castel Nuovo]], the place where the epilogue of the [[Conspiracy of the Barons|conspiracy of the barons]] took place]]
After this episode, on 10 February the king imprisoned the Prince of [[Altamura]], the Prince of [[Bisignano]], the Duke of [[Melfi]], the Duke of [[Nardò]], the Count of [[Morcone]], the Count of [[Lauria]], the Count of [[Mileto]], the Count of [[Noicattaro|Noja]], the [[Duke of Sessa]] and many other Knights. Stimulated by the [[Alfonso II of Naples|Duke of Calabria]] made almost all of them die secretly; but to make the world believe that they were still alive the king sent them for a long time the provision for their needs. In the end, however, having been seen the executioner with a gold chain that belonged to the prince of Bisignano, the rumor spread that they had been slaughtered, closed in some sacks and thrown into the sea on a night of great storm.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref name="Biancardi 1737-6"/>

==== The consequences ====
After this episode the clamors of the sovereigns arose from all sides for having violated the faith on which the sacred pact that granted forgiveness to all the barons was based.<ref name="Ornata de Loro Rispettivi Ritratti"/><ref name="Morelli 1825"/>

[[Alfonso II of Naples|Alfonso]] cleared himself and Ferrante did too, but in vain. The Pope then urged [[Charles VIII of France|Charles VIII]] to invade the kingdom, however Ferrante with a new treaty averted the threat.<ref name="Ornata de Loro Rispettivi Ritratti"/><ref name="Morelli 1825-2">{{harvnb|Morelli|1825|p= 228}}.</ref> In this time almost the whole [[Kingdom of Naples|kingdom]] had a great shortage of food and everywhere people could be seen dying of hunger, but the providence of the King purely took notice, using every means to make the condition of his peoples less sad. The Neapolitans, grateful, by public decree struck medals in his honor, in which there was on one side the effigy of the king with the letters Ferdinandus DG Hierusalem, Siciliae Rex and on the other a woman dressed in long clothes, having in the right two ears of wheat and on the left a corba full of ears with the following inscription: "Frug. Ac. Ordo. Et- P. Neap. Opt. Princip".<ref name="Nicolò Morelli-1849" />

King Ferdinand the Catholic, having understood that Ferrante had disobeyed the pact, began to complain to him, taking the pretext of conquering the kingdom of Naples. King Ferrante, having understood the dissatisfaction of the Catholic King, sent Giovanni Nauclerio to Spain to apologize for not having been able to do anything else since the restless barons began to plot new conspiracies against him. Giovanni, seeing that the Catholic king was dissatisfied with that embassy, began to organize a wedding with the help of Queen [[Joanna of Aragon, Queen of Naples|Joanna]], wife of Ferrante and sister of the Catholic King, between Ferrandino, eldest son of the Duke of Calabria, and one of the Ferdinand II's daughters, but the negotiations were not concluded.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref name="Biancardi 1737-8">{{harvnb|Biancardi|1737|pp= 354–355}}.</ref>

==== Last years ====
After so many political events, Ferrante continued to direct the state. Active and hardworking, he was respectful of the customs of the nation. After having enriched himself and enriched the state with the ruin of the barons, to keep the kingdom safe and therefore to keep the greatest [[Condottiero|condottieri]] of that century at his service, such as [[Gian Giacomo Trivulzio]], the two [[Prospero Colonna|Prospero]] and [[Fabrizio Colonna]], [[Niccolò di Pitigliano]] and many others, he began to fortify the fortresses of the capital again, without receiving a minimum of disturbance from these voluntary and pleasant operations.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref name="Biancardi 1737-8"/>

Ferrante, with a Pragmatic entitled De scolaribus doctorandis, ordered his subjects to promote sciences in the [[Naples|capital]] and after Naples he wanted only the city of [[L'Aquila]] to be granted the privilege of license to open a [[University of L'Aquila|Studium]].<ref name="Ornata de Loro Rispettivi Ritratti"/><ref name="Morelli 1825-2"/>

In 1486 he participated in the war for the [[Duchy of Milan]] in support of the [[House of Sforza|Sforza]].<ref>This event marks the conclusion of the '''Istoria del regno di Napoli''' in twenty books by [[Angelo di Costanzo]].</ref>

In December 1491 Ferrante received a visit from a group of pilgrims returning from the [[Holy Land]]. This group was led by [[William I, Landgrave of Lower Hesse]].

On April 8, 1492, [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] died, and shortly after also [[Pope Innocent VIII|Innocent VIII]]. The Pope's successor was [[Pope Alexander VI|Alexander VI]] and that of Lorenzo [[Piero the Unfortunate|Piero de' Medici]], who continued to be an ally of King Ferrante.<ref name="Le vite de Re di Napoli"/><ref>{{harvnb|Biancardi|1737|pp= 355–356}}.</ref> Encouraged by [[Ludovico Sforza]], in 1493 the French king [[Charles VIII of France|Charles VIII]], heir to the Angevin pretenders of Naples, was preparing to invade Italy for the conquest of the Kingdom, and Ferrante understood that he was facing the greatest danger he had ever faced. With an almost prophetic instinct, he warned the Italian princes against the calamity that was about to befall them, but the negotiations with Pope Alexander VI and Ludovico il Moro failed, and Ferrante died before having assured peace to his kingdom.