Ludwig II (Anjou)

Ludwig II of Anjou (French: Louis II d'Anjou ; * October 5, 1377 in Toulouse ; † May 25, 1417 in Angers ) was a Duke of Anjou , Count of Maine , Guise , Blois and Provence , and Titular King of Naples and Jerusalem . He came from the younger house of Anjou , a branch of the French royal family of the Valois .

Life

Duke Ludwig II of Anjou

He was the son of Duke Louis I of Anjou and Marie of Châtillon-Blois . After his father's death in 1384 inherited Ludwig not only the family possessions in France, but also the right to the throne in Naples , to the family by adoption of Queen Joanna I had received. Ludwig was given the title of Duke of Calabria by his father as early as 1383 , the official dignity of the Hereditary Prince of Naples-Sicily.

Ludwig was under the tutelage of his mother for the first few years until he was in Saint Denis in 1389 by his cousin, King Charles VI. of France , was knighted. In the same year, on November 1st, Louis was crowned King of Sicily (the official title of the Kings of Naples) and Jerusalem by the antipope Clement VII in Avignon . However, Ludwig had to fight for the claim to the Neapolitan throne against the competitor Ladislaus , who actually ruled in southern Italy. He managed to briefly take Naples, but lost it again to Ladislaus in 1399.

In 1400 Ludwig married Jolanthe von Aragón , under whose care the future Dauphin and King Charles VII was brought up in Angers . In the power struggles for reign for the incapacitated King Charles VI. Ludwig took the side of his cousin, Duke Ludwig von Orléans , and after his assassination in 1407 supported the Armagnacs against the claims to power of another cousin, Duke John of Burgundy . In 1409 he founded the University of Aix . After King Martin I of Aragón died in 1410 , Louis was considered one of the candidates for the succession in Aragón , but in the compromise of Caspe Fernando de Trastámara prevailed.

In 1412 Ludwig tried again to attack Ladislaus of Naples and moved to Italy with more than 12,000 men. He had previously sold Dalmatia to Venice for 100,000 ducats in 1409 . Supported by antipope John XXIII. , he advanced over the Liris , defeated Ladislaus at Rocca Secca , but did not use his victory and returned to France, divided with his allies. There he ensured the exclusion of Dauphin Johann , who was close to the Burgundian party, in the Privy Council. The Dauphin died in April 1417, which was followed by the Anjous' favorite, Charles VII. Ludwig himself died a little later and was buried in Angers Cathedral.

Ludwig and his wife had the following children:

• Ludwig III. († 1434), Duke of Anjou, Count of Provence, Guise and Blois
• René I , called "the good king" († 1480), Duke of Anjou and Lorraine , King of Naples
• Charles IV († 1472), Earl of Maine
• Maria († 1463), married to King Charles VII of France since 1422
• Yolande († 1440), married since 1431 to Duke Francis I of Brittany

Web links

• Material collection on www.mittelalter-genealogie.de

predecessor	Office	successor
Ludwig I.	Duke of Anjou Count of Provence Titular King of Naples and Jerusalem 1384–1417	Ludwig III.
Ludwig I.	Earl of Maine 1384-1417	Charles IV
Ludwig I.	Lord of Guise 1384-1417	René I.
Ludwig I.	Earl of Roucy 1384-1390	Simon