Editing Ferdinand I of Naples (section)

==== 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>