Joanna I of Naples

Joanna I of Naples, born in December 1325, was a formidable political figure who reigned as Queen of Naples and Countess of Provence and Forcalquier from 1343 until 1381. As the eldest daughter of Charles, Duke of Calabria, and Marie of Valois, she was named heir by her grandfather, King Robert the Wise, who sought to secure her position through strategic alliances, including a proposed marriage to Andrew, the younger son of King Charles I of Hungary.

Her reign was marked by personal tragedies and political turmoil. The murder of her first husband, Andrew, in 1345, ignited conflicts with King Louis I of Hungary, who sought vengeance for his brother's death. Joanna's subsequent marriages to Louis of Taranto, James IV of Majorca, and Otto, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, further complicated her political standing and strained her relationship with the Holy See, especially during the Western Schism when she supported the Avignon Papacy against Pope Urban VI.

Despite her efforts to maintain power, Joanna faced significant challenges, particularly from her own family. With all her children predeceasing her, her legacy relied on her sister Maria's descendants. Joanna attempted to secure her succession by arranging the marriage of her niece, Margaret of Durazzo, to Charles of Durazzo. However, this alliance turned against her, culminating in her capture and imprisonment by Charles, who ultimately ordered her assassination on July twenty-seventh, 1382.