Charles III of Naples
Charles of Durazzo, called the Small ( * 1345, † February 24, 1386 in Visegrád ) from the House of Anjou was when Karl III. King of Naples since 1382 and, as Charles II, King of Hungary since 1385th Since 1383, he was also prince of Achaia.
Life
Charles, son of Louis of Durazzo was, at the Hungarian King Ludwig I (1326-1382), also from the House of Anjou and a second cousin yard, educated, who made him regent in Croatia and Dalmatia.
Queen Joan I of Naples, his second cousin whose children had all died young, adopted him in order to ensure the succession in Naples. When they selected for their fourth marriage ( with Duke Otto IV of Brunswick- Grubenhagen from 1376 ) and their role in the Western Schism ( from 1378 onwards ) in contrast to Pope Urban VI. came, and finally - in an effort to win France as an ally - 1380 Louis I of Anjou ( 1336-1384 ), the brother of King Charles V of France adopted and made her heir, Charles of Durazzo occupied with the support of the Church Naples.
On June 24, 1381 Charles of Durazzo defeated at Anagni the opposing army under Otto IV of Brunswick and moved on July 16 in Naples, where he as Charles III. was proclaimed king. Charles established himself in the Castel Nuovo and threw the Queen Johanna to jail in order to force them to its legal legitimacy as heir to the throne. When Louis of Anjou of the captive queen rushed to help and was already with a 15,000 -strong French army over the Alps coming in Lombardy, Karl had to act quickly. He let strangle Johanna on May 22, 1382 in the dungeon and put her body six days to show, so the population of Naples remained no doubt about her death. Charles of Durazzo was when Karl III. her successor, and reigned from 1382 to 1386 as King of Naples.
The further efforts of Louis of Anjou to conquer Naples consumed immediately his fortune, without that they were crowned with success. Ludwig's army degenerated completely without pay, he himself succumbed in September 1384 of a disease in Bari and inherited his claim to the throne to his son Louis II
With the help of rebel Hungarian nobleman Karl won in the battle against Queen Mary, the daughter of King Ludwig I, on December 31, 1385 In addition, the Hungarian throne, but was already eight weeks later, on February 24, 1386 in Visegrád, Hungary (German Plintenburg ) of those killed, who had raised him on the shield, including the Slovak nobles Blazej Forgáč.
Marriage and issue
Karl married in February 1369 his cousin Margaret of Durazzo (* July 1347; † August 6, 1412 ), with whom he had three children:
- Maria ( * 1369, † 1371 )
- Johanna II (* 1373, † 1435 ), Queen of Naples from 1414 to 1435
- Ladislaus (* 1376, † 1414), King of Naples from 1386 to 1414