Isabella del Balzo

Isabella of Balzo (d. 1533) was the second wife and only Queen consort of Frederick IV of Naples.

Family

She was a daughter of Pietro del Balzo, Duke of Andria and Maria Donata Orsini. Pietro had served as Grand Constable of the Kingdom of Naples but had been strangled to death in 1487.

Her paternal grandparents were Francis of Baux, Duke of Andria (1410 - 1482) and Sancia of Chiaramonte, Countess of Copertino, daughter of Tristan di Chiaromonte. Francis had served as Grand Constable of the Kingdom of Naples.

Francis was a son of William of Baux, Duke of Andria and Maria Brunforta.

William was a son Francis of Baux, Duke of Andria and his third wife Sueva Orsini. William was a younger, paternal half-brother of James of Baux and Antonia of Balzo.

Sueva was a daughter of Nicolo Orsini, 3rd Count of Nola and Jeanne of Sabran. She was also a paternal half-sister of Raimondo del Balzo Orsini.

Marriage

On 28 November, 1486, Isabella maried Prince Frederick of Naples. He was the second son of Ferdinand I of Naples and his first wife Isabella of Taranto.

Frederick had only one daughter, Carlotta of Naples, from his previous marriage with Anna of Savoy.

They had five children:

* Ferdinand of Aragón, Duke of Calabria (15 December, 1488 - 1550). Married first Germaine of Foix (her third marriage) and secondly Mencia of Mendoza, Marchiones Cenete.
* Giulia of Naples (c. 1492 - 10 March, 1542). Married John George of Montferrat.
* Isabel of Naples (d. 1550).
* Alfonso of Naples. Considered to have died youn.
* Cesare of Naples. Considered to have died young.

On 7 September, 1496, Frederick succeeded his childless nephew Ferdinand II of Naples. Isabella became his Queen consort but only for five years. A combination of King Louis XII of France and King Ferdinand II of Aragon had continued the claim of Louis' predecessor, King Charles VIII of France, to Naples and Sicily. In 1501 their alliance deposed Frederick; Naples initially went to Louis.

Frederick and Isabella spend the following years in exile. Frederick died in Tours on 9 November, 1504. Isabella survived him by twenty-nine years but had no further marriages.

External links

* [http://genealogy.euweb.cz/baux/baux3.html#IP A listing of descendants of the House of Baux]