Frederick (April 19, 1452 – November 9, 1504), sometimes called Frederick IV or Frederick of Aragon, was the last King of Naples from the Neapolitan branch of the House of Trastámara, ruling from 1496 to 1501. He was the second son of Ferdinand I, younger brother of Alfonso II, and uncle of Ferdinand II, his predecessor.
A combination of King Louis XII of France and Frederick's famous cousin King Ferdinand II of Aragon had continued the claim of Louis's predecessor, King Charles VIII of France, to Naples and Sicily. In 1501 they deposed Frederick; Naples initially went to Louis, but by 1504 a falling-out led to Naples' seizure by Ferdinand, after which it remained part of the Spanish possessions until the end of the War of the Spanish Succession.
Early life and education
Born in Naples to Ferdinand I and his first wife, Isabella of Clermont, Princess of Taranto, he succeeded his childless nephew Ferdinand II after the latter's early death in 1496, at the age of 27.
He was baptized on April 19, 1452, in Castel Capuano and his godfather was the Emperor Frederick III, who was then sent to Alfonso the Magnanimous on a diplomatic visit.
His father ascended to the throne of Naples, upon the death of Alfonso the Magnanimous on June 27, 1458, and gave his son the best mentors: Andrea da Castelforte, Giovanni Elisio Calenzio, Girolamo Baldassare, and Offeriano Forti
Service to King Ferrante
In 1464 while residing in Taranto with his father, he was ordered to lead an escort for Ippolita Maria Sforza, eldest daughter of the Duke of Milan and fiancée of his brother Alfonso, from Milan to Naples. He left Naples on 18 March 1465 with 320 riders and learned while en route on March 30 about the death of his mother. He was received at Rome on April 2, 1465, by Pope Paul II who presented him with the golden rose. He then went to Siena and Florence, where he was received on April 17 by Lorenzo the Magnificent. He then journeyed to Milan, and stayed until June 7, ordered by the bride to return to Naples. He followed the same route when he was stopped by the Duke of Milan, who threatened to break up the wedding in Siena until diplomacy was opened up. He returned to Naples on 14 September.
From 1464 to 1473, he served as a lieutenant of the King of Naples in Capitanata, Terre de Bari and Terre d'Otrante, his roles receiving liege homage, overseeing the collection of taxes and enforcing trade agreements with the Republic of Venice. He also participated in the diplomatic activity that his father led, especially in receiving the lords the King of Naples wished to enter into an alliance with. He welcomed in March 1472 in Aversa and Naples, Jean della Rovere, prefect of Rome, lord of Senigallia and nephew of Pope Sixtus IV (della Rovere François), and on August 30, 1473, received Charles Manfredi, lord of Faenza.
Diplomacy and marriage arrangements
As early as April 1470, Charles the Bold proposed to marry his daughter and sole heiress Mary to Frederick, and the plans took shape in November 1471, after the signing of an alliance between the Duke of Burgundy and the King of Naples.
As one of the richest heiresses of her time, many nobles were attempting to marry Mary of Burgundy. Her suitors included princes and lords such as Ferdinand the Catholic, Duke Nicholas I of Lorraine, Philibert of Savoy, George of England, and Charles de Guyenne. Louis XI himself expressed interest in nominating a prince of Aragon or Naples, with whom he could exchange the claims of Anjou against the Burgundian territories he sought to inherit in Maine.
In February 1472, King Ferdinand received Frederick with the aim to aid in the project, a Burgundian delegation insisted that Charles the Bold, for its part, had not stopped his choice. Frederick's sister Eleanor expressed confidence in the idea that the Duke of Burgundy sought to join in alliance before Easter. But these hopes were shattered during the summer when they learned, at the court of Naples, of the engagement of Mary of Naples to Nicholas of Lorraine, a claimant to the Kingdoms of Naples and Aragon, resulting from the alliance concluded between the dukes of Burgundy and Lorraine, and Charles the Bold initialled by Arras on May 25, 1472, and signed by Nicholas, in turn, on May 27, 1472. Mary gave her consent to the promise of marriage on June 13, 1472, and Nicolas sent her his "Mons-en-Hainaut" the same day.