Editing Alfonso V of Aragon (section)

==Art and administration==
[[File:NapoliMaschioAngioinoIngresso.jpg|thumb|The triumphal arch entrance of Castel Nuovo.]]Like many Renaissance rulers, Alfonso V was a patron of the arts. He founded the academy of [[Naples]] under [[Giovanni Pontano]], and for his entrance into the city in 1443 had a magnificent triumphal arch added to the main gate of [[Castel Nuovo]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Naples-Italy|title=Naples {{!}} History & Points of Interest|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref> Alfonso V supplied the theme of Renaissance sculptures over the west entrance.

Alfonso was particularly attracted to [[classical literature]]. He reportedly brought copies of the works of [[Livy]] and [[Julius Caesar]] on his campaigns; the poet [[Antonio Beccadelli (poet)|Antonio Beccadelli]] even claimed that Alfonso was cured of a disease by the reading of a few pages from [[Quintus Curtius Rufus]]' history of [[Alexander the Great]]. Although this reputed erudition attracted scholars to his court, Alfonso apparently enjoyed pitting them against each other in spectacles of bawdy Latin rhetoric.<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Alphonso|display=Alphonso s.v. Alphonso V. of Aragon|volume=1|page=736}}</ref>

After his conquest of Naples in 1442, Alfonso ruled primarily through his mercenaries and political lackeys. In his Italian kingdom, he maintained the former political and administrative institutions. His holdings in Spain were governed by his wife Maria.{{sfn|Bisson|1991|p=147}}

A unified General Chancellorship for the whole Aragonese realm was set up in Naples, although the main functionaries were of Aragonese nationality. Apart from financial, administrative and artistic improvements, his other accomplishments in the Sicilian kingdom include the restoration of the aqueducts, the drainage of marshy areas, and the paving of streets.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/arts-construction-medicine-science-and-technology-magazines/alfonso-v-aragon-magnanimous-1396-1458|title=Alfonso V of Aragon (the Magnanimous) (1396–1458) - Dictionary definition of Alfonso V of Aragon (the Magnanimous) (1396–1458) {{!}} Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary|website=www.encyclopedia.com|language=en|access-date=2017-01-30}}</ref>

Alfonso founded the first university of Sicily, the ''[[University of Catania|Siciliae Studium Generale]]''.