We’re in Aix-en-Provence, prepping ourselves for a visit to Avignon. If you’ve been following along, you know about the power struggles, strategies, and intrigue involving the mighty Kingdom of Naples in the 14th century. If not, go here to find out why Queen Joanna is Coming to Avalon.
Quick Recap
When we left off, things had gone from bad to worse. (Several times, in fact). King Louis and Queen Elizabeth of Hungary had managed to get the pope to decree that their son Andrew would be the king of Naples. But then Andrew was murdered. A few poor souls were convicted for show, but in many peoples’ minds, Joanna was the prime suspect.
Louis and Elizabeth raised a royal stink with the pope to have justice done. In their minds, “justice” meant pronouncing Joanna guilty and getting rid of her, (leaving Naples for them). Joanna lobbied the pope on her own behalf. Finally, the pope took charge of the investigation himself, sending his own guys to Naples to get it done.
But they didn’t get it done. The investigation dragged on. Joanna’s enemies inside Naples did their best to stir up the populace. Joanna moved from Castel Nuovo to another castle, Castel dell’Ovo, for safety. Good thing, too, because her enemies stormed Castel Nuovo and got inside. They didn’t get Joanna, but they captured her most trusted staffers. Those guys didn’t fare well.
The Hungarian Army Moves In
Meanwhile, King Louis of Hungary got tired of waiting for the pope to take action. One day, while Joanna’s enemies were declaring themselves in power and running amok at Castel Nuovo, Louis and his huge Hungarian army appeared on the hill overlooking the city. Just when things seemed to be about as bad as they could be – well, things couldn’t really get any worse at this point.
That night, under cover of darkness, three galleys appeared in Naples harbor. Joanna snuck out of Castel dell’Ovo, boarded one of the galleys, and set sail for Marseilles.
Naples surrendered to Louis without a fight. Once in Naples, the Hungarians did as they pleased. They rounded up people at will and convicted them of being in on Andrew’s murder plot. The occupying army made life miserable for the locals.
Joanna made it to Marseilles in 3 weeks. Marseilles is in Provence, as is Avignon, which was part of the extended kingdom of Naples at the time. Joanna was still popular in Marseilles, and she received a queen’s welcome.
After setting herself up in Aix-en-Provence – where we are now – she prepared to make the short trip to Avignon to see the pope. The meeting would be her trial for the murder of her husband. The trial would end with the pope and his council deciding her fate. The ravages of the plague in Avignon were at their peak, but Joanna went anyway.
Joanna’s Day in Court
On March 15th, 1348, Queen Joanna rode into Avignon at the head of a procession of forty mounted horsemen. The parade route was strewn with flowers in honor of her visit. Tapestries were hung from balconies and windows. After all, it isn’t every day that a visiting queen, accused of murdering her almost-king husband, rides into town to meet with the pope. It must have been quite a spectacle.
Joanna had the equivalent of her lawyers with her, but she pleaded her case herself. Apparently she did a good job. After a short deliberation, the pope declared that there was no way she had done it, and that no one should ever suspect her of doing it again.
Finally a break for Queen Joanna! Now it was time to go get her capital city back. Louis had left town, but he’d left most of his army there for keeps. Joanna needed money to raise an army of her own. And that’s how Queen Joanna of Naples came to sell Avignon to the pope.
You probably forgot a long time ago how we got on the subject of Queen Joanna, Naples, and the rest. It started when we wanted to know how it came to pass that the city of Avignon, way back in the miserable 14th century, came to be purchased by the pope from Queen Joanna of Naples.
I know. I didn’t think it would take this long, either!
To be continued…
Beautiful photo of the facade of the Palace of the Popes in Avignon at the top of this post, Credit: Chimiji/Wikimedia Commons
