Battle of Capua (1348)

On September 19, 1345, in the town of Aversa, Andrew, Duke of Calabria, husband of Queen Joan I of Naples (1343-1382) was assassinated. His elder brother, King Louis I of Hungary (1342-1382) suspected that Joan was accessory in the assassination and wanted to get the throne of Naples. Therefore, after requisite diplomatic and military preparation he attacked the Kingdom of Naples, departing Hungary in the autumn of 1347.

The Neapolitan troops, led by Queen Joan's second husband Louis of Taranto were in the fortified town of Capua. King Louis did not attack Louis of Taranto at Capua because he had unreliable Italian and German mercenaries and his responsible, orderly Hungarian knights were unsuitable for the siege of fortresses.Therefore King Louis avoided Capua and headed for Benevento with his troops. To cover this manoeuvre he ordered Niccolo Gaetano, count of Fondi to attack the bridgehead of river Volturno with the Hungarian and German cavalry and Lombardian infantry.

Count Gaetano did not make a frontal attack against the bridgehead: he sent part of his force along the river Volturno toward Orticella where they crossed the river and launched a surprise attack on the right wing and rear of the Neapolitan army. The attacking troops consisted mainly of cavalry and some infantry, and were fewer than the Neapolitans, so there were just slight skirmishes until afternoon.

Around at 3PM the Hungarian light cavalry got “tired” these skirmishes and loosed a devastating flight of arrows on the Neapolitan cavalry so they lost their horses and had to fight on foot. Around at PM 5 Gaetano’s troops gained ascendancy over the Neapolitans. Louis of Taranto had to make a countermarch but it became shortly an inordinate run.

A smaller part of the Neapolitan army fled toward Teano followed by Gaetano’s cavalry. They were killed or captured. The larger part of the Neapolitan army retreated to Naples with Louis of Taranto. They arrived at Naples so raggedly that nobody could think of their sortie again.

After the collapse the Neapolitan mercenaries started to escape from Capua so the commandant of Capua had to capitulate. Some days later Queen Joan sailed to Provence, followed by her husband and the Kingdom of Naples fell to King Louis.

References

Bellér Béla: Magyarok Nápolyban; Móra Ferenc Könyvkiadó, Budapest, 1986., pp. 96-98.