Alfonso II of Naples (4 November 1448-18 December 1495) was the King of Naples from 1494 to 1495, succeeding Ferrante I of Naples and preceding Ferrante II of Naples, and King of Sicily from 1494 to 1495.
Biography[]
Alfonso was the oldest son of Ferrante I of Naples and Isabella de Clermont, and was a cousin of Fernando II of Aragon. Alfonso became the new claimant to the throne of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1465 after the death of his mother, as he was a member of the House of Brienne. In 1485 he defeated the Conjure of the Barons and fought against the Papal States' claims to the throne of the Kingdom of Naples. Later becoming a condotierro, Alfonso fought in the Pazzi Conspiracy (1478-1480) and the Salt War (1482-1484).
Italian Wars[]
Alfonso's corpse on display
When his father died in 1494, he inherited a kingdom of Naples that lost its wealth and influence. Ludovico Sforza and King Charles VIII of France allied against Naples that year and invaded Italy, so Alfonso made a reluctant alliance with the papal States against France. Alfonso was confirmed as King of Sicily by Cardinal Juan Borgia the Elder on 8 May 1494, but his reign was cut short by the French conquest of southern Italy. In 1495, King Charles VIII took over Naples, and he blamed Alfonso for a plague that broke out in the city. Charles was eager to add a dead and stuffed Alfonso to King Ferrante's horrific supper table display, which featured several dead nobles being arranged in an order similar to the Last Supper. Charles' French troops captured Alfonso at Mount Vesuvius and had him brought to Naples alive, and he dined with King Charles, who informed him of the plague. King Charles then had him give the French a "tour" of his father's dungeons and his torture chamber, and he was subjected to the "Judas Cradle" first, then the "Pear of Anguish", which was inserted into his rectum and opened. He was revived seven times during that long night of torture, and he was then left to die. He was then stuffed by a taxidermist and seated at his father's display as "Judas".