Editing Alfonso V of Aragon (section)

===Second attempt===
{{main|Aragonese conquest of Naples}}
An opportunity for Alfonso to reconquer Naples occurred in 1432, when Caracciolo was killed in a conspiracy.{{sfn|Armstrong|1964|p=165}} Alfonso tried to regain the favour of the queen, but failed, and had to wait for the death of both Louis (at Cosenza in 1434) and Joanna herself (February 1435). In her will, she bequeathed her realm to [[René of Anjou]], Louis III's younger brother. This solution was opposed by the new pope, [[Eugene IV]], who was the feudal overlord of the Kingdom of Naples. The Neapolitans having called in the French, Alfonso decided to intervene and, with the support of several barons of the kingdom, captured [[Capua]] and besieged the important sea fortress of Gaeta. His fleet of 25 galleys was met by the Genoese ships sent by Visconti, led by [[Biagio Assereto]]. In the [[Battle of Ponza (1435)|Battle of Ponza]] that ensued, Alfonso was defeated and taken prisoner.{{sfn|Bisson|1991|p=144}}

In Milan, Alfonso impressed his captor with his cultured demeanor and persuaded him to let him go by persuading that it was not in Milan's interest to prevent the victory of the Aragonese party in Naples.{{sfn|Bisson|1991|p=144}} Helped by a Sicilian fleet, Alfonso recaptured Capua and set his base in Gaeta in February 1436. Meanwhile, papal troops had invaded the Neapolitan kingdom, but Alfonso bribed their commander, Cardinal [[Giovanni Vitelleschi]], and their successes waned.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gregorovius|first=Ferdinand|title=History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages|year=1859}}</ref>

In the meantime, René had managed to reach Naples on 19 May 1438. Alfonso tried to besiege the city in the following September, but failed.{{sfn|Bisson|1991|p=144}} His brother Pedro was killed during the battle. Castel Nuovo, where an Aragonese garrison resisted, fell to the Angevine mercenaries in August 1439. After the death of his condottiero [[Jacopo Caldora]], however, René's fortune started to decline: Alfonso could easily capture [[Aversa]], [[Salerno]], [[Benevento]], [[Manfredonia]] and [[Bitonto]]. René, whose possession included now only part of the [[Abruzzi]] and Naples, obtained 10,000 men from the pope, but the cardinal leading them signed a truce with Alfonso. Giovanni Sforza came with a reduced corps, as troops sent by Eugene IV had halted his father Francesco in the [[Marche]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}}

Alfonso, provided with the most impressive artillery of the times, again besieged Naples. The siege began on 10 November 1441, ending on 2 June the following year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alfonso V {{!}} king of Aragon and Naples {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfonso-V-king-of-Aragon-and-Naples |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> After the return of René to Provence, Alfonso easily reduced the remaining resistance and made his triumphal entrance in Naples on 26 February 1443, as the monarch of a pacified kingdom.{{sfn|Bisson|1991|p=144}}

Alfonso then reunited under his dominion the kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Naples|Naples]] and [[Kingdom of Sicily|Sicily]], divided since the [[Sicilian Vespers]]. After the personal union, he began to call himself ''Rex Utriusque Siciliae''; this was then used by other kings and his successors who ruled over those territories.