Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of I Heart Radio
Speaker 1: and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankie Listener discretion advised.
Speaker 1: Once upon a time, in the Kingdom of Naples, there
Speaker 1: lived a king named Robert the Wise. Whether or not
Speaker 1: he was particularly wise is contested, but he did know Latin,
Speaker 1: had a large library and served as a patron for
Speaker 1: a number of scholars, which counted for a lot in
Speaker 1: the fourteenth century. As the third son of King Charles
Speaker 1: of Naples, Robert had not been destined for the throne,
Speaker 1: but a strange series of events had catapulted him into power.
Speaker 1: In twelve ninety five, when Robert was nineteen, his oldest brother,
Speaker 1: Charles Martel, the heir apparent, died. Rightfully, Charles Martel's place
Speaker 1: in line should have been passed to his own son, Caroberts. However,
Speaker 1: King Charles decided that young Carobert, at only seven years old,
Speaker 1: was too young for the job, especially the military duties,
Speaker 1: which included things like reconquering Sicily. The king's second son, Louis,
Speaker 1: might have been next, except Louis had become extremely religious
Speaker 1: and wouldn't even wear fancy clothes, let alone take any
Speaker 1: part in royal life, so King Charles settled on his
Speaker 1: third son, Robert. The young Carobert's presence made Robert's position
Speaker 1: as heir awkward, so King Charles decided to send the
Speaker 1: young boy off to rule another one of his territories, Hungary.
Speaker 1: That might seem like a promotion for the seven year old.
Speaker 1: I know it's confusing, but at this point the Kingdom
Speaker 1: of Naples included not just the city of Naples, but
Speaker 1: it also much of southern Italy, as well as parts
Speaker 1: of present day France, Albania, Greece, and Hungry. King of
Speaker 1: just Hungry was a downgrade. So with Carobert and Hungry,
Speaker 1: it seemed like Robert's succession was assured. It was certainly
Speaker 1: unorthodox for a thirdborn son to become heir to the throne,
Speaker 1: but even the Pope gave his approval to King Charles's plan,
Speaker 1: so everything was settled. Of course, as you can guess,
Speaker 1: everything was not really settled. And while a contested succession
Speaker 1: isn't an unusual occurrence in the Royal Annals, what happened
Speaker 1: in Naples nearly half a century after Robert became air
Speaker 1: was shocking, mainly because of this episode's real protagonist Robert's granddaughter,
Speaker 1: a glamorous, beautiful, intelligent, and relentless queen named Joanna. And
Speaker 1: what she stood accused of murder? I'm Dani Schwartz and
Speaker 1: this is noble blood. Joanna, future Queen of Naples, was
Speaker 1: born in thirteen twenty six. She was the eldest daughter
Speaker 1: of the Crown Prince, but she would barely know her parents.
Speaker 1: Her dad died when she was two and her mom
Speaker 1: when she was five, so Joanna and her younger sister
Speaker 1: Maria would be raised by their grandfather, King Robert the Wise,
Speaker 1: the third born, who rose to power, and his second wife, Sancha.
Speaker 1: Robert and Sancha were a study in contrasts Robert delighted
Speaker 1: in earthly pleasures. He collected books, commissioned works from musicians
Speaker 1: and playwrights, hosted elaborate banquet, and spoiled his court with
Speaker 1: all the luxuries money could buy. Sancha, on the other hand,
Speaker 1: was so devout that she had actually petitioned the Pope
Speaker 1: to let her live as a nun after her marriage
Speaker 1: to Robert. The Pope denied her, but Sancha didn't let
Speaker 1: that get in the way of her religious aspirations. She
Speaker 1: lived simply and piously and refused to let Robert enter
Speaker 1: her bed chamber. This was a problem because Robert had
Speaker 1: only ever had two sons by his first wife. One
Speaker 1: of the sons had died very young. His surviving son,
Speaker 1: Joanna's father, died in thirteen twenty eight, and when that happened,
Speaker 1: Robert had no living legitimate male heirs, but he did
Speaker 1: have Joanna. Robert officially designated Joanna as his heir in
Speaker 1: thirteen thirty, when she was only four years old. This
Speaker 1: decision did not sit well with other members of the
Speaker 1: royal family, including Robert's younger brothers, Philip of Taranto and
Speaker 1: John of Gazzo, both of whom thought they were more
Speaker 1: deserving of the title. The decision was also questioned by
Speaker 1: political and religious leaders throughout Europe on the basis of
Speaker 1: Joanna's sex. Robert and Joanna were part of the Compecian
Speaker 1: House of Anjou, a cadet branch of the Compecian dynasty
Speaker 1: that ruled France. In France, the royal family had recently
Speaker 1: declared that women could not succeed to the throne. You
Speaker 1: can hear more about that in our episode The Bewitched.
Speaker 1: Events at the tordonell All. That is to say, a
Speaker 1: female air was certainly unusual, despite Joanna's unique status, though
Speaker 1: her childhood was fairly typical, typical for an extraordinarily wealthy princess.
Speaker 1: Of course, Joanna scared rooms in the Castel Nuovo with
Speaker 1: her younger sister Maria and their enormous retinue of household staff,
Speaker 1: including twenty four ladies in waiting, kitchen staff, and a
Speaker 1: valet specifically tasked with getting quince's for Joanna's favorite jam.
Speaker 1: The girl's grandmother, Queen Sancha, made sure that they attended
Speaker 1: Mass every morning, while King Robert exposed them to the
Speaker 1: greatest artists and performers of the day at banquets every night.
Speaker 1: In between, the two girls road hunted, strolled the palace gardens,
Speaker 1: and sailed to nearby beaches for picnics. One other thing
Speaker 1: besides her succession status, set Joanna apart from the other
Speaker 1: young girls at the palace. She was married. On September
Speaker 1: thirty three, when Joanna was seven years old, She had
Speaker 1: married six year old and Drew of Hungary, her first
Speaker 1: cousin once removed. Andrew was the son of Carobert remember him.
Speaker 1: The young boy who King Charles had shipped off to
Speaker 1: Hungary forty years earlier to make way for Robert's succession.
Speaker 1: Caroberts had thrived in Hungary, winning a claim for his
Speaker 1: military prowess and accumulating vast wealth thanks to the discovery
Speaker 1: of gold in Slovakia in the thirteen twenties. As the
Speaker 1: historian Nancy Goldstone notes, quote, having been deprived of his
Speaker 1: birthright because it was feared he could not take sicily,
Speaker 1: Carobert's controlled an area approximately three times the size of
Speaker 1: the Kingdom of Naples by the thirteen thirties. I say
Speaker 1: good for him. Carobert, though never forgot the injustice done
Speaker 1: to him by the Neapolitan royal family and his desire
Speaker 1: to regain his birthright only with time. As Hungary grew
Speaker 1: in both size and power, people started to take more
Speaker 1: notice of Carobert's fairly legitimate claim to the Neapolitan throne.
Speaker 1: One of those people taking notice was Pope John the
Speaker 1: twenty second. Although a previous Pope had supported King Charles's
Speaker 1: succession plan to put Robert the Wise on the throne,
Speaker 1: Pope John was not convinced. On December thirteen, thirty two
Speaker 1: weeks after Joanna had officially been announced as King Robert's successor.
Speaker 1: The Pope wrote to Queen Sancha suggesting a path to reconciliation.
Speaker 1: What if, the Pope wrote, Joanna were married to one
Speaker 1: of Carobert's sons, and then their children descended from the
Speaker 1: Neopolitan royal family on both sides could inherit the throne.
Speaker 1: It was a neat albeit somewhat in say to a solution.
Speaker 1: The Neapolitans were skeptical. Robert's younger brothers, Philip and John,
Speaker 1: wanted Joanna to marry one of their sons, and Robert
Speaker 1: wasn't interested in diluding Joanna's power. But it's hard to
Speaker 1: argue with a pope, and when John issued a decree
Speaker 1: in June thirty two that Joanna and her younger sister
Speaker 1: Maria were to marry the sons of the King of Hungary,
Speaker 1: there was no turning back. Carobert and Robert negotiated the
Speaker 1: terms of the marriage, but they left one important term vague,
Speaker 1: whether or not Joanna's husband would be King of Naples
Speaker 1: in his own right or only Joanna's consort without any
Speaker 1: real power. A year later, in September thirteen thirty three,
Speaker 1: King Carobert arrived in Naples alongside his second son Andrew.
Speaker 1: Although Carobert had been born and raised in Naples, he
Speaker 1: had spent decade in Hungary, which was in those days
Speaker 1: a sparsely populated, largely rural, and heavily forested kingdom. Naples,
Speaker 1: on the other hand, was one of only four cities
Speaker 1: in Europe at the time to boast more than one
Speaker 1: hundred thousand citizens. Traders from all over the world brought spices, fabrics,
Speaker 1: and rare materials to the Naples marketplaces. The streets buzzed
Speaker 1: with activity. It must have been a shocking site for
Speaker 1: all of the Hungarians, especially young Prince Andrew. After a
Speaker 1: week of festivities, Andrew and Joanna were married at the
Speaker 1: Castel Nuovo. Since both bride and groom were no older
Speaker 1: than seven, they would not live together for some years,
Speaker 1: but it was decided that Andrew would stay in Naples
Speaker 1: so that he could become accustomed to his new home
Speaker 1: and way of life. It was not an easy transition
Speaker 1: for the young Prince and Drew. He didn't speak the
Speaker 1: two most common languages of the court, Italian and Provincial.
Speaker 1: He also faced ethnic prejudice. Though Andrew was literally the
Speaker 1: great nephew of their current king. Many Neapolitans saw him
Speaker 1: as inherently foreign. They called Andrew a barbarian. Nonetheless, like Joanna,
Speaker 1: Andrew was raised in luxury, with a full set of
Speaker 1: apartments in the castle and a large staff of his own.
Speaker 1: He didn't interact with his wife much growing up, although
Speaker 1: they occasionally played marbles together. Sweet Despite the strangeness of
Speaker 1: the arrangement, it seems to have been a pleasant childhood
Speaker 1: for both Joanna and Andrew, with days spent amongst splendor
Speaker 1: and the luxury of court. But the Golden Age would
Speaker 1: not last because in thirteen forty three, King Robert the
Speaker 1: Wise died, which meant Joanna was queen and then all
Speaker 1: Hell broke loose. Hell had actually started plotting its escape
Speaker 1: a year earlier, in thirteen forty two. In July of
Speaker 1: that year, Carobert died in Hungary, and his eldest son, Louis,
Speaker 1: only sixteen, became king of Hungary. Per the Papal Bull
Speaker 1: of thirteen thirty two, which had decreed the marriage of
Speaker 1: Andrew and Joanna, Louis was supposed to marry Maria, Joanna's
Speaker 1: younger sister, but that wedding had never taken place, and
Speaker 1: now that Louis was king, his mother, Elizabeth of Poland,
Speaker 1: wanted a more prestigious and strategic match for her son.
Speaker 1: That fall, Louis wed Margaret of Bohemia. Robert was furious,
Speaker 1: seeing the wedding as a betrayal, and he wanted to
Speaker 1: punish the Hungarians. He rewrote his will, making it clear
Speaker 1: that Joanna was his sole inheritor and explicitly excluding Andrew
Speaker 1: from any formal power. To ensure that Joanna's power would
Speaker 1: not be challenged on account of her youth, Robert declared
Speaker 1: that a council of advisers led by Sancha would rule
Speaker 1: for her until she reached the age of twenty five.
Speaker 1: It was a provocative document, one that resolved the question
Speaker 1: of Andrew's unofficial role in a way that decidedly favored Joanna.
Speaker 1: And then, only four days after dictating his new will,
Speaker 1: Robert died. He left Joanna with a little bit of
Speaker 1: a mess on her hands. First, there was the matter
Speaker 1: of her marriage. Though Joanna was by this point seventeen
Speaker 1: older than many medieval royal brides, her marriage had yet
Speaker 1: to be consummated due to some scholars believe Andrew's emotional
Speaker 1: immaturity that would be the final step in formalizing her marriage,
Speaker 1: and Robert had made it clear that the couple could
Speaker 1: no longer wait. Just two days after the King's death,
Speaker 1: Andrew was knighted, which signified his transition into manhood. He
Speaker 1: was then immediately taken to Joanna's bed chamber, where they
Speaker 1: consummated the marriage once and for all. Though this act
Speaker 1: would solidify the marriage and the eyes of the public,
Speaker 1: it likely didn't do much to satisfy the Hungarians once
Speaker 1: they learned the terms of Robert's will. Besides the issue
Speaker 1: of her husband and her soon to be very unhappy
Speaker 1: in laws, Joanna also faced a naples in decline. Robert,
Speaker 1: wise as he was possibly, had also accrued massive debts
Speaker 1: while trying to retake Sicily, and the taxes that he
Speaker 1: had levied left any citizens of all classes entire straits.
Speaker 1: Gangs of noblemen roved the countryside, fighting one another and
Speaker 1: sparking decades long feuds, while crime rates in the cities
Speaker 1: were exploding. Even inside the walls of the Castel Nuovo,
Speaker 1: trouble was brewing. Two of Joanna's aunts, Agnes of Gazzo,
Speaker 1: and Catherine of Toronto were engaged in a power struggle,
Speaker 1: which culminated in the scandalous Lee executed marriage of Joanna's
Speaker 1: younger sister Maria to Agnes his son Charles, which nearly
Speaker 1: led to outright war between the two families. Joanna barely
Speaker 1: had a moment to breathe between the domestic and international
Speaker 1: troubles she faced in her first year as queen. She
Speaker 1: faced scrutiny from her subjects, from the Hungarians, and from
Speaker 1: now Pope Clement, who, in trying to appease both the
Speaker 1: Neapolitans and the Hungarians, succeeded only in frustrating everyone. Joanna
Speaker 1: even faced the indignity of being temporarily replaced by a
Speaker 1: papal legate, a representative of the Pope who assumed control
Speaker 1: of the government for several months in thirty four, who
Speaker 1: unsurprisingly just made everything worse. As part of her lobbying
Speaker 1: to get Pope Clement to remove the Leggate, Joanna tried
Speaker 1: to reconcile with her husband Andrew. By this point, the
Speaker 1: couple were on bad terms. Andrew was openly belittled by
Speaker 1: Joanna's courtiers, and in response he tried to assert his
Speaker 1: power in increasingly ridiculous ways, like releasing controversial convicts from
Speaker 1: prison and raising military forces to threaten his enemies. However,
Speaker 1: the reconciliation seemed to work at least enough that by April,
Speaker 1: Joanna was pregnant. Like most royal pregnancies, Joanna's had enormous
Speaker 1: political implications. The original terms of the deal between Carobert
Speaker 1: and Robert had stated that Joanna and Andrew's child would
Speaker 1: inherit Naples, so hopefully the birth of such a child
Speaker 1: would calm down the Hungarians now that their bloodline would
Speaker 1: be firmly established in the ruling family. The pregnancy also
Speaker 1: cemented Joanna's queenly status in the eyes of the Neapolitans,
Speaker 1: because it proved that she could provide airs and maintain
Speaker 1: the royal line. However, the queen's pregnancy alone could not
Speaker 1: quell the power struggles of the court, especially after the dowager,
Speaker 1: Queen Sancha, died in July. Sancha had led the Regency
Speaker 1: Council that had guided Joanna through the years of her reign.
Speaker 1: The council had already been weakened by the papal legged,
Speaker 1: and upon Sancha's death it was dissolved completely. At nineteen,
Speaker 1: Joanna was now the sole ruler of Naples. As her
Speaker 1: political life got even more complicated, so too did her
Speaker 1: personal life. Around this time, despite her quasi reconciliation with Andrew,
Speaker 1: rumors began to swirl that Joanna was having affairs. The
Speaker 1: allegations focused on two men, Robert de Cabani, a member
Speaker 1: of her government and a longtime friend, and Louis of Taranto.
Speaker 1: Her first cousin. Louis was, for lack of a better phrase,
Speaker 1: a notorious hattie. He had silky blonde hair, a graceful
Speaker 1: athletic build, and golden skin. He was matched in beauty
Speaker 1: only by Joanna herself, who was cut from the same
Speaker 1: genetic cloth and whose good looks were remarked upon by
Speaker 1: numerous observers. The two were drawn to each other, two
Speaker 1: golden birds of a feather, and as the distance between
Speaker 1: Joanna and her husband Andrew once again grew after Sancha's death,
Speaker 1: the closeness between Joanna and her cousin Louis increased. Aware
Speaker 1: of the growing troubles in Naples, Pope Clement wrote to
Speaker 1: Joanna that she and Andrew ought to be coronated together.
Speaker 1: Not to give Andrew any real power, but as a
Speaker 1: symbolic gesture of unity. Joanna was not pleased at the suggestion.
Speaker 1: She feared that a coronation would inevitably give Andrew some
Speaker 1: sort of power, and would also position him to seize
Speaker 1: the throne should she die in childbirth. Throughout thirteen forty
Speaker 1: four and thirteen forty five, she had to aided with
Speaker 1: Pope Clement over the roles she and Andrew should play.
Speaker 1: Though Clement had once written to Joanna that she was
Speaker 1: the rightful inheritor of the kingdom quote just as if
Speaker 1: she were a man end quote, he reminded her in
Speaker 1: a later letter that quote the husband is the head
Speaker 1: of the wife end quote, and that Andrew's involvement could
Speaker 1: only serve both Naples and Joanna herself. As the historian
Speaker 1: Elizabeth Castine notes, Joanna would later turn this argument on
Speaker 1: its head, telling Pope Clement that it was she who
Speaker 1: could promote Andrew's best interests, not the other way around, revealing,
Speaker 1: as Castine says, quote, an interesting inversion in Joanna's understanding
Speaker 1: of gender roles within her marriage unquote. Throughout the early
Speaker 1: fall of Pope Clement made staunch in his position that
Speaker 1: both Andrew and Joanna should be crowned together, but in September,
Speaker 1: his papal legate, Andrew Americ, returned to Avignon. While in Naples,
Speaker 1: Americ had witnessed Andrew's emotional and political immaturity, and he
Speaker 1: made it clear to Pope Clement that putting Andrew in
Speaker 1: power would be a disaster. So on September twenty and
Speaker 1: twenty one, the Pope wrote letters to both Joanna and Andrew,
Speaker 1: chastising Andrew for his bad behavior and making it clear
Speaker 1: that Andrew would only be coronated if he swore not
Speaker 1: to interfere in government affairs. But before those letters could
Speaker 1: reach Naples, before those letters were even written, in fact,
Speaker 1: a shocking event changed the royal dynamic between the couple forever.
Speaker 1: That September, the court was at Aversa, a castle surrounded
Speaker 1: by lush gardens and a large forest perfect for hunting.
Speaker 1: At a Versa, Joanna and Andrew shared an apartment, but
Speaker 1: they had separate bedrooms, and on the evening of September,
Speaker 1: the royal couple each retired to their respective rooms. Sometime
Speaker 1: after he got to his room, after he began to undress,
Speaker 1: Andrew was summoned by his chamberlain, Tomaso Mambricio, who said
Speaker 1: that there were important papers that Andrew needed to see.
Speaker 1: Exiting his bedroom for the outer chamber, Andrew was suddenly
Speaker 1: set upon by a group of men who viciously beat him.
Speaker 1: Official reports of the crime reveal the brutality of the attack.
Speaker 1: Clumps of Andrew's hair were missing, his genitals were mutilated,
Speaker 1: and iron gauntlet gloves worn by soldiers had been pressed
Speaker 1: so firmly over his mouth that their outlines could be
Speaker 1: seen in bruises. The men wrapped a cord around Andrew's
Speaker 1: neck and dangled him from the window, strangling him. As
Speaker 1: he slowly died, his assailants saw a light coming down
Speaker 1: the corridor. This was Isabel, Andrew's nurse from childhood, who
Speaker 1: had come looking for him. Panicked, the men threw the
Speaker 1: now dead Andrew into the garden and fled. Isabel, arriving
Speaker 1: only minutes later, looked out of the window saw the
Speaker 1: body of the young man she had known since childhood,
Speaker 1: and she screamed. Andrew was only seventeen years old. As
Speaker 1: news of the murder spread, people began to speculate on
Speaker 1: who the guilty party might be Andrew's acts had left
Speaker 1: him with no shortage of enemies, but one name stood out, Joanna.
Speaker 1: Sensing an opportunity, Joanna's cousin, Charles of Dorazzo, decided to
Speaker 1: do an investigation of his own. He declared that the
Speaker 1: crime had been committed by a group of nobles, which
Speaker 1: included a woman named Philippa of Catania, who was Joanna's
Speaker 1: childhood nurse turned political adviser, and that she was acting
Speaker 1: along with two of her grandchildren. Many of the accused
Speaker 1: were subjected to torture, much of it in public, until
Speaker 1: they confessed, after which they were imprisoned or executed. For
Speaker 1: the most part, the investigation brought closure to the Neapolitans
Speaker 1: who had suspected the queen because they now had new
Speaker 1: people who pin their blame to, But others thought that
Speaker 1: the investigation was a little dubious. Many of those who
Speaker 1: were convicted were conveniently enough, political rivals of Charles of Durazzo.
Speaker 1: Another suspicious piece of gossip, Tomasso Mambriccio, Andrew's chamberlain, was
Speaker 1: implicated in the plot, and the rumor was that before
Speaker 1: his execution, he had his tongue cut out so that
Speaker 1: he couldn't reveal his true co conspirators. As all of
Speaker 1: this was occurring, Joanna was holed up in a fortress,
Speaker 1: safe from the crowd, who called her the Horror Queen.
Speaker 1: She was also very, very pregnant. On December, she gave
Speaker 1: birth to a healthy baby boy, who she named Charles
Speaker 1: Martel in a clever political move to appease the Hungarians.
Speaker 1: Charles Martel, remember, was Roberts older brother, the father of
Speaker 1: Carobert and grandfather of Andrew, whose untimely death had sparked
Speaker 1: the whole succession drama. In the prologue of this episode,
Speaker 1: Joanna sent diplomat to Hungary, tasked with revealing the birth
Speaker 1: of the baby and his symbolic name. She also sent
Speaker 1: them with another mission. Now that she had given birth
Speaker 1: to this child, she felt that she had fulfilled the
Speaker 1: terms of the thirteen thirty three deal struck by Carobert
Speaker 1: and her grandfather Robert. She had united the Neapolitan and
Speaker 1: Hungarian lines in the form of a healthy male baby
Speaker 1: who could inherit the kingdom. Since she had done so,
Speaker 1: she argued she should be released from the terms of
Speaker 1: the treaty and allowed to remarry. After all, her husband
Speaker 1: was dead. This wasn't a frivolous request on her part.
Speaker 1: Joanna was deeply vulnerable in this moment, and as a
Speaker 1: young female royal, marriage was the fastest way to secure
Speaker 1: her position. But the Hungarians were outraged. How dare this woman,
Speaker 1: they spat wished to marry again so quickly after the
Speaker 1: death of her husband, a death which they believed she
Speaker 1: was probably responsible for. King Louis wrote to Pope Clement,
Speaker 1: calling Joanna quote husband killer and widow of my brother
Speaker 1: end quote, and suggesting that Pope Clement hand control of
Speaker 1: Naples over to him Louis until young baby Charles Martel
Speaker 1: came of age. Interestingly, the Hungarians had never publicly accused
Speaker 1: Joanna of Andrew's murder until the moment she proposed to remarry.
Speaker 1: At the same time Joanna faced this renewed assault from
Speaker 1: the Hungarians, she was also dealing with one of her cousins,
Speaker 1: Robert of Toronto, who declared his intention to marry her
Speaker 1: and forcibly occupied the castle in a bizarre half coup
Speaker 1: half marriage proposal. Rob Bert's brother, Louis of Toronto, Joanna's
Speaker 1: alleged lover. You remember her cousin lover allegedly took up
Speaker 1: arms against his brother. As the war of these brothers
Speaker 1: ravaged the country, the Hungarians ramped up their threats, writing
Speaker 1: to the Pope that they saw the delay of justice
Speaker 1: as acceptable grounds for an invasion. Pope Clement knew that
Speaker 1: action had to be taken publicly and dramatically to reassure
Speaker 1: the Hungarians. He let it be known to his envoys
Speaker 1: in Naples that justice needed to be done. The bloodier
Speaker 1: the better, and so on December twenty nine, Philippa of Catania,
Speaker 1: the woman who had been like a mother to Joanna,
Speaker 1: and Philippa's granddaughter were paraded through the streets of Naples
Speaker 1: naked and then tortured to death. It must have been
Speaker 1: a deeply wretching day for Joanna. Worst of all, their
Speaker 1: deaths were for nothing. They did not appease the Hungarians,
Speaker 1: because on March twenty seven, Louis of Hungary declared war unnapled.
Speaker 1: Joanna had prepared for this moment. She had spent much
Speaker 1: of early thirteen forty seven working on uniting her kingdom.
Speaker 1: She had successfully maneuvered Robert of Taranto out of the
Speaker 1: castle and helped arrange an advantageous marriage for him often Grace,
Speaker 1: and she had convinced Charles of Grazzo to back the
Speaker 1: Neapolitans by arranging for a betrothal between her son, Charles Martel,
Speaker 1: and one of Charles of Girazzo's daughters. And then, knowing
Speaker 1: that she needed another military leader, and aware that it
Speaker 1: no longer mattered whether or not the Hungarians or even
Speaker 1: the Pope approved, she married Louis of Taranto, the cousin
Speaker 1: that she had allegedly been in love with the entire time. Finally,
Speaker 1: Joanna had brought together three of the leading military men
Speaker 1: of her kingdom and yoked them to her cause. The
Speaker 1: next few months were spent rallying an army and preparing
Speaker 1: for war. The generals decided that the best place to
Speaker 1: make a stand was in Capua, twenty miles outside of Naples,
Speaker 1: and set out in December to establish their defenses. Joanna,
Speaker 1: now pregnant again with Louie's child, stayed in Naples. Unfortunately,
Speaker 1: Robert of Tarento and Charles of Gazzo had been better
Speaker 1: enemies of the state than allies to it. As news
Speaker 1: of multiple Hungarian victories reached the men, they decided to
Speaker 1: turn trader and they abandoned Louis, taking many of their
Speaker 1: troops with them. Upon hearing of her cousin's betrayal, Joanna
Speaker 1: knew that all hope was lost. The only chance she
Speaker 1: had of saving her life was to flee. The decision
Speaker 1: to run to Provence, territory under her control, was an
Speaker 1: easy one. The decision to leave behind her infant son,
Speaker 1: Charles Martell, was not. But the boy was barely two
Speaker 1: years old and the trip was going to be arduous.
Speaker 1: She knew King Louis, her husband, wouldn't hurt Charles Martell,
Speaker 1: who was his stepson and also nephew and the Hungarian's
Speaker 1: best shot at the throne. Her mind was made up.
Speaker 1: Joanna gathered a small group of trusted advisers, took as
Speaker 1: much from the royal treasury as she could, and snuck
Speaker 1: out of Naples on January, shortly after Louis of Toronto
Speaker 1: made his own escape. Hearing of Joanna's flight, he knew
Speaker 1: that he could not stay, and he decided to go
Speaker 1: to Florence to request military aid. On January, King Louis
Speaker 1: of Hungary took Naples. He took Charles Artell, the toddler prince,
Speaker 1: into his custody and declared that he was to be
Speaker 1: sent to Hungary for safe keeping. As Joanna had predicted,
Speaker 1: the rough travel conditions of winter were too hard on
Speaker 1: a young boy. He died shortly after his arrival in Hungary.
Speaker 1: Ignorant of that, Joanna was hard at work in Provence.
Speaker 1: She wanted to raise funds and an army to reclaim
Speaker 1: Naples from Louis. Getting the support she needed, Joanna knew
Speaker 1: required rehabilitating her reputation. The best and most effective way
Speaker 1: to do this would be a judgment of innocence by
Speaker 1: the Pope. As she lobbied the Pope for an audience,
Speaker 1: Joanna was strengthened by the arrival of her husband. He
Speaker 1: had been rebuffed in Florence, and so Louis of Toronto
Speaker 1: had decided to seek aid from the Pope as well,
Speaker 1: and so he traveled to France. For much of February.
Speaker 1: The couple and their advisers beseeched Clement to meet with them,
Speaker 1: but the Pope resisted. As an aside, you might be
Speaker 1: wondering what the Pope was doing in France in Avignon
Speaker 1: instead of Rome for much of the fourteenth century. In fact,
Speaker 1: the popes resided in Avignon. Why they did so is
Speaker 1: a very long, complicated tale involving politics, popes anti popes.
Speaker 1: It's fascinating, but it isn't particularly relevant to Joanna's story
Speaker 1: and this episode is long enough, so back to Joanna. Surprisingly,
Speaker 1: it was the Hungarians who finally convinced Clement in Avignon
Speaker 1: to meet with Joanna, although they didn't intend that. In
Speaker 1: early March, Joanna's younger sister, Maria, came to France and
Speaker 1: brought with her a shocking story. In January, Maria said
Speaker 1: King Louis had welcomed her husband, Charles of Dirazzo, who
Speaker 1: had recently pledged allegiance to the Hungarians, to a banquet,
Speaker 1: but instead of being thanked for his support, Charles had
Speaker 1: been arrested and summarily executed by King Louis of Hungary,
Speaker 1: who accused him of being involved in Andrew's murder. Pope
Speaker 1: Clement was appalled by this news and decided that the
Speaker 1: Hungarian had gone too far. Soon, Joanna received a summons.
Speaker 1: She was to appear at the papal court in Avignon
Speaker 1: and plead her case. On the fifteenth of March thirteen
Speaker 1: forty eight. Queen Joanna of Naples and her husband Louis
Speaker 1: of Taranto, rode into Avignon, despite the literal war she
Speaker 1: had just escaped. This might have been the most dangerous
Speaker 1: moment of Joanna's life, because Avignon, like ports all across
Speaker 1: southern Europe, was in the grips of a mysterious and
Speaker 1: devastating illness which would soon come to be known as
Speaker 1: the Black Death. The plague had hit Auverignon hard, and
Speaker 1: the city would eventually lose half its population to the disease.
Speaker 1: Bodies filled the streets and the rivers, The sick and
Speaker 1: dying moaned from their beds, and chaos reigned. Into this
Speaker 1: hellscape came Joanna and Louis, infamous for their alleged crimes,
Speaker 1: and resplendent. As they arrived in their royal regalia, hundreds
Speaker 1: of townsfolk crowded the roads for a glimpse of the
Speaker 1: glamorous couple, whose shimmering robes and golden locks must have
Speaker 1: practically glowed in the death stricken streets. Soon Joanna and
Speaker 1: Louis arrived at the papal Palace. Joanna was offered refreshments
Speaker 1: and then escorted to the Great Hall At the opposite
Speaker 1: end of the long haul sat Pope Clement, wearing a
Speaker 1: crown and white robes, presiding over the room from his throne.
Speaker 1: On either side of the narrow aisle that led from
Speaker 1: the entrant to the Pope's throne stood hundreds of spectators
Speaker 1: representing the governments of dozens of European kingdoms. As Joanna
Speaker 1: walked down the aisle, her long mantle held up by
Speaker 1: two aids, all eyes were following her. When she reached
Speaker 1: the Pope, she knelt and kissed his slipper. The Pope
Speaker 1: bade her to stand, kissed her on the mouth, and
Speaker 1: told her to sit on the throne beside him. Then
Speaker 1: the charges were read. As Joanna and the Pope, along
Speaker 1: with a council of cardinals sat listening, a delegation sent
Speaker 1: by King Louis of Hungary, presented their case against the queen.
Speaker 1: Once they had finished, it was Joanna's turn to give
Speaker 1: a defense. Instead of relying on spokesman, Joanna spoke on
Speaker 1: her own behalf, using the Latin she had learned at
Speaker 1: the knee of her famous grandfather. We have no record
Speaker 1: of what she said. Unfortunately, Pope Clement kept the meeting
Speaker 1: out of official church annals so that he could have
Speaker 1: plausible deniability with the Hungarians, but whatever she said seems
Speaker 1: to have worked. After conferring, Pope Clement and the cardinals
Speaker 1: declared that Joanna was completely innocent of all charges against her.
Speaker 1: Whether this decision was entirely impartial is impossible to know,
Speaker 1: and the fact that the Pope soon broke heard a
Speaker 1: sweetheart deal with Joanna in which she pawned him the
Speaker 1: city of Avignon for a relatively small sum hadn't helped
Speaker 1: the queen's cause. Modern historians remain ambivalent about Joanna's involvement
Speaker 1: in her first husband, Andrew's death, although they do point
Speaker 1: out that his death did more to hurt her then
Speaker 1: help her, an outcome which would have been clear to
Speaker 1: this queen, who, throughout the subsequent decades she held power,
Speaker 1: proved that she was a strategic thinker. After Joanna's appearance
Speaker 1: in Avignon, the tide began to turn in her favor.
Speaker 1: Pope Clement denied King Louis of Hungary's request to be
Speaker 1: crowned King of Naples, a desire which by this point
Speaker 1: the Hungarians had begun to have second thoughts about. Anyways,
Speaker 1: given the trouble the king was having in winning over
Speaker 1: the Neapolitan nobility, not to mention the challenges faced by
Speaker 1: the arrival of the plague. In late May, Louis of
Speaker 1: Hungary left Naples. Joanna and her husband quickly began planning
Speaker 1: for their return, funding their efforts through the aforementioned pawning
Speaker 1: of Avignon to the papacy. In August thirteen forty eight,
Speaker 1: Joanna and Louis arrived in Naples along with their new
Speaker 1: born otter, and they began beating back the Hungarian forces. Unfortunately,
Speaker 1: it would not be completely smooth sailing for the embattled queen.
Speaker 1: As she fought off the Hungarians, she faced a new
Speaker 1: enemy inside her home, her husband, Louis of Taranto, who,
Speaker 1: upon their return to Naples became physically abusive, domineering, and
Speaker 1: power hungry. He had forced Joanna to make him king.
Speaker 1: He had taken complete control of the military, and he
Speaker 1: kept her all but imprisoned in their home. The Hungarians
Speaker 1: finally retreated from Naples in thirteen fifty two on the
Speaker 1: condition that Joanna be retried for Andrew's murder. Once again.
Speaker 1: She was acquitted, but she would not be free of
Speaker 1: her second husband, Louis of Taranto, for another ten years.
Speaker 1: On May thirteen sixty two, the man who had once
Speaker 1: been Joanna's military savior and then became her abuser, died
Speaker 1: after catching a cold in the bath. He had been
Speaker 1: predeceased by the couple's daughters, none of whom lived to adulthood.
Speaker 1: Seven months later, Joanna wed James, the fourth of Mayorka,
Speaker 1: but this marriage was not a happy one either. James
Speaker 1: had some problems. To put it lightly, he had spent
Speaker 1: fourteen years imprisoned in an iron cage by his uncle,
Speaker 1: and unshockingly, had never mentally recovered from the ordeal. Incidentally,
Speaker 1: sometimes when I talk about this podcast, people ask me
Speaker 1: if I'm ever worried that I'll run out of interesting
Speaker 1: noble stories, and the answer honestly is no. But back
Speaker 1: to Joanna. After her third husband, James's death in thirty
Speaker 1: Joanna married again Otto of Brunswick. This marriage, fortunately seems
Speaker 1: to have been a good one. After Louis of Taranto's
Speaker 1: death back in thirteen sixty two, Joanna had become once
Speaker 1: again the sole ruler of Naples, and it was a
Speaker 1: position that she would hold for the rest of her life.
Speaker 1: The Archbishop of Naples, writing to the pope shortly after
Speaker 1: Louise's death, wrote of Joanna, quote, the Queen delights in governing.
Speaker 1: She wants to do everything because she has waited for
Speaker 1: so long for this moment end quote. Despite her joy,
Speaker 1: though ruling would not be easy, Joanna was nearly always
Speaker 1: involved in one war or another, either as the aggressor
Speaker 1: or the defender. She had to navigate constant political turmoil
Speaker 1: inside her own country, and she ran into the wrath
Speaker 1: of the church when she chose to support one pope
Speaker 1: over another in the midst of western chisholm of It
Speaker 1: was the latter event that would lead to her downfall.
Speaker 1: Because Joanna had no surviving children, she decided to designate
Speaker 1: Charles of Drazzo. These names are incredibly confusing. No, not
Speaker 1: her cousin who had once been married to her sister
Speaker 1: and then executed by the King of Hungary for his betrayal,
Speaker 1: but his son in law as her heir. Unfortunately, this
Speaker 1: Charles disagreed with Joanna's choice to support Pope Clement. No,
Speaker 1: not that Pope Clement who had judged her trial, but
Speaker 1: a later Pope Clement over Pope Urban In the Western schism,
Speaker 1: and he began to scheme against her. In November, this
Speaker 1: new Charles of Drazzo invaded Naples, leading an army comprised
Speaker 1: of Joanna's old enemies, the Hungarians. In July his forces
Speaker 1: reached the Castel Nuovo, and after more than a month
Speaker 1: under siege, Joanna was forced to surrender. She spent nearly
Speaker 1: a year in captivity before dying on July two. The
Speaker 1: queen was fifty six years old. Charles claimed she died
Speaker 1: of natural causes, but nearly every other source says that
Speaker 1: she was murdered, strangled by a chord, or smothered by pillows.
Speaker 1: It was a violent end to a difficult life, a
Speaker 1: life marked by tragedy, warfare, and betrayal, but above all
Speaker 1: by resiliency that hasn't stopped observers passed and present from
Speaker 1: calling Joanna a murderer and adulteress, a pawn and a sinner.
Speaker 1: But I'll leave you with this description of her from
Speaker 1: the famous writer Giovanni Boccaccio, who wrote of Joanna in
Speaker 1: the year of Louis of Toronto's death, the year that
Speaker 1: she reclaimed her full power. Quote, if we examine her
Speaker 1: domain closely, our amazement will equal its fame, for it
Speaker 1: is a mighty realm of the sort not usually ruled
Speaker 1: by women. Yet far more admirable is the fact that
Speaker 1: Joanna's spirit is equal to its governance. So well has
Speaker 1: she preserved the luminous character of her ancestors. That's the
Speaker 1: story of Joanna of Naples. But keep listening after a
Speaker 1: brief sponsor break to hear a little bit more about her.
Speaker 1: Where and how one is buried often has great significance,
Speaker 1: especially for royals. Joanna's parents were buried in Santa Ciara,
Speaker 1: a magnificent church that had taken Robert the wa Eyes
Speaker 1: nearly twenty years to complete. When Robert himself died, Joanna
Speaker 1: had commissioned Florentine sculptors to build a three story tomb
Speaker 1: for him in Santa Ciara, complete with a sculpted representation
Speaker 1: of their entire family. Joanna also made sure that her
Speaker 1: first husband, Andrew, was given a dignified resting place. He
Speaker 1: was buried in the Grand Cathedral of Naples in the
Speaker 1: Chapel of St. Louis, where many members of the royal
Speaker 1: family were interred, including his paternal grandfather Charles Martel, the
Speaker 1: First but Joanna herself, despite her achievements and her fame,
Speaker 1: was not so lucky. After her murder, her body was
Speaker 1: displayed in Santa Ciara, where onlookers barely recognized their queen,
Speaker 1: so changed was her appearance after her year in captivity.
Speaker 1: And then it came time to bury her. Because of
Speaker 1: her choice to support Pope Clement in the Western Schism,
Speaker 1: the other Pope Urban had excommunicated Joanna, which meant that
Speaker 1: she couldn't be buried in consecrated ground, and she had
Speaker 1: died as a hostile prisoner of the new ruler of Naples,
Speaker 1: who didn't feel particularly inclined to give the dead queen
Speaker 1: the same royal treatment that she had given her own family. Eventually,
Speaker 1: a solution was found. The remains of Joanna, former Queen
Speaker 1: of Naples, one of the most powerful, recognizable, infamous figures
Speaker 1: of medieval history, were tossed in a well often used
Speaker 1: for the bones of the unknown dead, just behind the
Speaker 1: church of Santa Ciara, where her bones still likely lie
Speaker 1: unmarked today. Noble Blood is a production of I Heart
Speaker 1: Radio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood
Speaker 1: is hosted by me Danish Wortz, Additional writing and researching
Speaker 1: done by Hannah Johnston, hannah's Wick, Miura Hayward, Courtney Sunder,
Speaker 1: and Laurie Goodman. The show is produced by rema Il Kali,
Speaker 1: with supervising producer Josh Thayne and executive producers Aaron Mankey,
Speaker 1: Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio,
Speaker 1: visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.