Episode Overview
Having toured Spanish Sardinia and turbulent Sicily, we now complete our circuit of southern Italy by turning to the Kingdom of Naples.
Once secured for Spain by the legendary Gonzalo de Córdoba, Naples became one of the crown jewels of the Spanish Empire — wealthy, strategic, and politically delicate.
In this episode, we follow the kingdom from consolidation under Spanish rule through internal tensions, shifting viceroys, the Battle of Ravenna, and finally to the dramatic French siege of Naples in 1528 — a moment when the city came dangerously close to slipping from Spanish control.
Naples Under Spanish Rule
- By 1505, Spanish control of Naples was nearly complete.
- The city of Naples received special privileges compared to the rest of the kingdom:
- Tax exemptions
- Legal protections
- Lower fixed prices on staple goods
- All royal offices centralized in the capital
This preferential treatment helped Naples grow into one of the largest cities in Europe — rivaling Venice and Paris in population and prestige.
Social Balance and Political Tensions
- A delicate equilibrium existed between:
- The nobility
- Merchants and professionals
- The popular classes
- Unlike Sicily, Naples allowed limited representation of non-noble groups.
- Spanish governors requested repeated donatives (extraordinary tax grants), creating periodic friction.
Gonzalo de Córdoba and the Transition of Power
- Gonzalo de Córdoba, the “Great Captain,” secured the kingdom but was recalled to Spain amid suspicions he harbored royal ambitions.
- His successor, Juan of Aragon, Count of Ribagorza, briefly held the position.
- From 1509 to 1522, real influence lay with Ramon de Cardona, who oversaw:
- The transition from Ferdinand of Aragon to Charles V
- Continued management of noble rivalries
- Spanish dominance during key phases of the Italian Wars
The Battle of Ravenna (1512)
- De Cardona commanded Spanish forces against the French under Gaston de Foix.
- Though defeated, the French victory was short-lived due to Foix’s death on the battlefield.
- Naples remained securely Spanish.
Charles V, Pavia, and Rising...
