The term "Kingdom of Naples" denotes the ancient Italian state that, with alternating events, from the 13th to the 19th century extended to the entire southern part of the Italian peninsula. The official name was Regnum Siciliae citra Pharum ("Kingdom of Sicily on this side of the Lighthouse," meaning the Lighthouse of Messina), as opposed to the contemporary Regnum Siciliae ultra Pharum ("Kingdom of Sicily beyond the Lighthouse," more simply known as the Kingdom of Sicily, which included the entire island of Sicily). Originally the territory was an integral part of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily, established in 1130, which included virtually all the territories of the Mezzogiorno (it was the largest among the ancient Italian states!). The formal division of the kingdom into two occurred in 1302 with the Peace of Caltabellotta, considered the conventional founding act of the Kingdom of Naples.

The kingdom experienced periods of great economic, civic and intellectual flourishing with the succession of various dynasties.

The following is a chronological list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Naples from its birth until its union with the Kingdom of Sicily and the subsequent formation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Kings of Naples

Charles I of Anjou (1226-1285)

Son of King Louis VIII the Lion of France and Blanche of Castile. He married Beatrice, daughter of Count of Provence and Forcalquier Raymond Berengar IV, inheriting his father-in-law's titles from 1246. In 1247 his brother Louis IX the Holy, King of France, made him count of Anjou and Maine, thus founding a new cadet branch of the Capetians: the Angevins.

Charles I of Anjou was King of Sicily from 1266 until 1282, when he was driven from the island following the rebellion movements known as the Sicilian Vespers. Until his death, however, he continued to rule as King of Naples over the peninsular territories of the Kingdom.

And right on the facade of the Royal Palace of Naples, in the third niche from the left is a famous statue of him, sculpted by Tommaso Solari in the 19th century.

Charles II "the lame" (1254-1309)

Son of Charles I of Anjou and Beatrice of Provence. He went down in history as "the lame man" because of a congenital impairment, which, however, did not prevent him from always fighting valiantly. He inherited his father's titles and in 1285 succeeded him as King of Naples, ruling until 1309 (the year of his death). A year later, his body was transported to Aix, Provence, the land of his ancestors, which is perhaps why there are no important monuments or other works named after him in Naples, except for a couple of portraits of uncertain attribution. Moreover, as did his father before him, Charles II had the carlins minted in the Mint of Naples: gold and silver coins that featured on the obverse the Angevin coat of arms (a shield party with the fleur-de-lis of France and the Cross of Jerusalem), and on the reverse the scene of the Annunciation.

Robert of Anjou "the Wise" (1277-1343)

Son of Charles II of Anjou and Queen Mary of Hungary, he was first Duke of Calabria from 1296 to 1309, the year of his coronation as King of Naples. He also inherited all his father's other titles, retaining them until his death. Having no legitimate heirs still living, he was succeeded by his niece Giovanna, daughter of his son Charles, Duke of Calabria.

Robert of Anjou was called "the Wise One" or even "the Peacemaker": first of all because, soon after being elected, he actively participated in the reconciliation between Guelphs and Ghibellines. Moreover, with him, the Kingdom of Naples experienced a long period of peace after having long been plagued by bloody wars. His court was frequented by important writers, such as Petrarch and Boccaccio, and artists including Simone Martini, Tino di Camaino, and Giotto. It is precisely to Simone Martini that the 1317 painting (now preserved at the National Museum of Capodimonte) depicting the coronation of King Robert by his brother St. Louis of Toulouse (the latter, born in the castle of the Nocera Inferiore Park).

Joan I of Anjou (1327-1382)

She became queen of Naples in 1343. She was also Countess of Provence and Forcalquier, Princess of Achaia and titular Queen of Jerusalem and Sicily. She was a cultured and refined woman, of whom we remember an effigy from a manuscript of Giovanni Boccaccio's De mulieribus claris, as well as some portraits of uncertain attribution (mostly by Provençal artists).

In 1380, being without an heir, Joan named Louis I of Anjou-Valois (1339-1384) as her rightful heir to the throne of Naples. But in 1381 Charles of Anjou-Durazzo, her cousin, who had been designated heir first, entered Naples, causing her to be imprisoned and murdered in the fortress of Lucanian Wall Basilicata, and proclaimed himself king. Louis I was nevertheless king of Naples until his death.

Charles III "the Short" (1345-1386)

Charles of Anjou-Durazzo became King of Naples in 1382 under the name Charles III, and King of Hungary in 1385 under the name Charles II known as "the Short." He was also prince of Achaia and titular king of Jerusalem, like his predecessors. He was the first member of the Anjou-Durazzo family to take the throne of Naples, ousting and assassinating his cousin Joan I. He was also assassinated in 1386 in Visegrád, Hungary, in a conspiracy organized by Queen Elizabeth of Bosnia, wife of Louis I and mother of the Queen of Hungary ousted by Charles. Upon his death he was succeeded by his children, first Ladislaus and then Joan II. Both, however, died without legitimate heirs, thus bringing about the end of Angevin rule over the Kingdom of Naples.

Ladislaus I (1377-1414)

Also known as Ladislas of Anjou-Durazzo or Ladislas of Durazzo, he was King of Naples from 1386 to 1414, the year of his death. He also held many other titles, mostly inherited from his predecessors. Ruthless and bloodthirsty (his motto was Aut Caesar auti Nihil, "Either Caesar or nothing!"), he was the last legitimate male heir of the Anjou-Durazzo family. He married three times: his first wife Constance of Chiaromonte, repudiated after only three years, lived in the Marigliano Palace (also known as Palazzo di Capua), in what is now Via San Biagio dei Librai in Naples, now the headquarters of the Archival and Bibliographic Superintendence of Campania.

Ladislaus I was succeeded by his sister Joan II.

Joan II (1373-1435)

Joan II of Anjou-Durazzo was Queen of Naples from 1414 to 1435, the year of her death.

There are many legends about Joan II, most of them centering on her many vices: in fact, it seems that she hosted numerous lovers of all kinds and walks of life in her alcove, whom she got rid of immediately after satisfying her cravings. It is said that she even had a trapdoor built in her chamber at New Castle (now better known as Angevin Male), into which she threw her lovers, destining them to be devoured by sea monsters. This fiery and violent nature of her lover often earned her the nickname "Queen Mantis."

The queen also gave vent to her lechery (and crimes) at her summer residence at Capo di Sorrento, of which all that remains today are a few ruins and a secluded beach (the famous Queen Joan's Baths).

As she died without legitimate heirs, the House of Anjou-Durazzo became extinct, definitively sanctioning the end of the Angevin dynasty.

Renatus I "the Good" (1409-1480)

Joan II was succeeded by Renato of Valois-Anjou, brother of Louis III (the heir designated by the queen, who, however, died before her). Louis III and his brother Renato were members of the Valois-Anjou family, which had claimed the throne of Naples since 1380 and held the title of King of Naples, by virtue of the hereditary right that Queen Joan I of Anjou had granted to Louis I of Valois-Anjou before being ousted by Charles III.

Renato I was King of Naples from 1435 to 1442 when he was deposed and driven from the Kingdom by Alfonso V King of Aragon. He was the first and last King of Naples of the Valois-Anjou dynasty.

He was a patron of the arts, and under his reign so many plates and miniatures were made.

Alfonso I "the Magnanimous" (1396-1458)

Alfonso V of Aragon (originally Alfonso of Trastámara) was the progenitor of the Aragonese branch of Naples. He had previously been named titular heir by Louis III, but although he had been disowned by Joanna II, the weak reign of Renato I and the sudden poverty of his lineage provided him with the legal basis to claim the continental Mezzogiorno at the expense of the rightful Neapolitan king. He militarily conquered the Kingdom of Sicily Citeriore and, once united with his Kingdom of Sicily Ulterior, assumed the title of Rex Utriusque Siciliae, formally unifying the two kingdoms.

However, upon his death he left Naples to his natural son Ferdinand I, while the crown of Aragon and Sicily went to his brother John II of Aragon, thus again separating the two kingdoms.

Alfonso the Magnanimous is represented in the statue housed in the fourth niche from the left on the facade of the Royal Palace of Naples. The work, executed by Achille d'Orsi at the end of the 19th century, is presented as a combination of classicism and verismo; however, it has been little acclaimed by critics due to its "poor placement within its niche."

Alfonso I also had the Maschio Angioino rebuilt, after destroying it during his final siege of the city of Naples in 1441, and changed its name to Castel Nuovo. The entrance portal of the main facade is dedicated precisely to the "triumph of Alfonso I," in a style reminiscent of the triumphs of ancient Rome.

Ferdinand I (1423-1494)

He was king of Naples from 1458 to 1494. Better known as Ferrante I and also known as Don Ferrante, he was the only illegitimate male child of Alfonso I of Naples: his mother, Gueraldona Carlino, was in fact a noblewoman of probably Neapolitan origin who was the mistress of King Alfonso V of Aragon.

Ferdinand I married twice, producing six sons from the first marriage and one daughter from the second marriage, respectively--as well as a large number of illegitimate children.

Ferdinand I is portrayed on many Neapolitan coins of the period (Neapolitan armellini, horses, and crowns). The Capodimonte Museum also houses a bust, attributed to Guido Mazzoni and dated circa 1491, which depicts him with rather weighted features, the wrinkles of mature age, and the collar of the Order of the Ermine (which he founded in 1465). However, it has recently been thought that the bust actually depicts his successor Alfonso II of Naples, the eldest son he had from his first wife Isabella di Chiaromonte.

Alfonso II (1448-1495)

He was Duke of Calabria and then King of Naples for about a year, from January 25, 1494 to January 23, 1495. As mentioned earlier, it is now in doubt whether the bust preserved at the Capodimonte Museum and attributed to Guido Mazzoni (dated c. 1491), depicts Alfonso II or his predecessor Ferdinand I.

Alfonso II had three children by his first wife Ippolita Maria Sforza and two illegitimate children by his mistress Trogia Gazzella. He was succeeded by his eldest son Ferdinand.

Among the various works promoted by Alfonso II was the purchase of a farm outside the walls of Naples to build an extra moenia residence: what would become the famous Villa di Poggioreale, one of the most important buildings of the Neapolitan Renaissance.

Ferdinand II "Ferrandino" (1469-1496)

When he was still a general he chose as his home the current Petrucci Palace, incorporating it along with other properties confiscated from the nobles during the so-called "conspiracy of the barons" (1487). He was King of Naples for less than two years, from January 23, 1495 to September 7, 1496 (the day of his death). From February to July 1495 he was ousted by Charles VIII of France, who descended on Italy to claim the Angevin inheritance by leveraging a distant hereditary right to the throne of Naples. But with the assistance of his cousin Ferdinand II of Aragon (King of Sicily and Spain) and the loyalty of the people, Ferrandino was able to regain the Kingdom of Naples following the Battle of Seminara.

Having no direct heirs, upon his death (which occurred early at the age of 28) the crown was inherited by his uncle Frederick (Alfonso II's legitimate brother), who ascended the throne as Frederick I.

Charles IV (1470-1498)

Charles VIII of Valois was King of France from 1482 to 1498 and King of Naples in 1495 under the name Charles IV. His descent into Italy to oust Ferdinand II was unsuccessful, but it inaugurated the so-called "Italian Wars": eight long conflicts that profoundly changed the political geography of Italy (the great European powers disputed control of the peninsula) and ended only in 1559 with the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis. Charles IV's entry into Naples is recorded in a 15th-century Figurative Chronicle by the Neapolitan chronicler Melchiorre Ferraiolo.

Frederick I (1452-1504)

He was king of Naples from 1496 to 1501. He married twice: the first time to Anna of Savoy (daughter of Duke Amadeus IX of Savoy), by whom he had one daughter, Carlotta; the second time to Isabella del Balzo, daughter of the Duke of Andria, by whom he had five children.

Frederick I was the last King of Naples of the Angevin dynasty.

Louis II (1462-1515)

Louis XII of Valois-Orléans, known as "the Father of the People," conquered Naples in the summer of 1501, thanks in part to the Treaty of Granada (which provided for a partition of the conquests between France and Spain) and had himself crowned with the name Louis II of Sicily. After nearly two years of repression, the French army was defeated first at the Battle of Cerignola and then near the Garigliano in 1503. The Armistice of Lyon in 1504 marked the end of the second Capetian rule over the Parthenopean kingdom, and Naples was reconquered. However, the line of succession prior to the invasion was not respected, and Ferdinand III had himself crowned at the expense of his cousin Ferdinand Duke of Calabria (legitimate holder of the Sicilian Crown), who was instead imprisoned and deported to Spain.

Ferdinand III "the Catholic" (1452-1516)

Ferdinand of Trastámara was King of Sicily (1468-1516) under the name Ferdinand II; King Consort of Castile (1474-1504) under the name Ferdinand V; King of Aragon, Valencia, Sardinia, Majorca and titular of Corsica, Count of Barcelona and the Catalan Counties (1479-1516) as Ferdinand II; King of Naples (1504-1516) as Ferdinand III; Regent of Castile (1507-1516) and King of Upper Navarre (1512-1516). Pope Alexander VI nicknamed him Ferdinand the Catholic because of his efforts to defend the Catholic faith within his own kingdoms. He married Isabella of Castile, Queen of Castile and Leon, also referred to as "The Catholic." After her death (1504) Ferdinand married Germana de Foix (second daughter of the infante of Navarre), with whom he visited Naples for the first time in 1506: in the refectory room of the Convent of San Lorenzo expressed his joy at the crown of Naples and received the oath of allegiance and loyal homage.

Joan III "the Mad" (1479-1555)

Joan of Trastámara (or Joan of Castile and Aragon) was the third child of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, los Reyes Católicos, whose many titles she inherited. From 1506 she was confined to the monastery-castle of Tordesillas for her -true or alleged?- madness: she is in fact sadly known as "Joan the Mad" (Juana la Loca). The marriage policy of the time meant that Joan was given in marriage to Philip of Habsburg (Philip I known as "the Handsome," 1527-1598), second son of Emperor Maximilian I. They had six children, including Charles of Ghent (future emperor of the Holy Roman Empire under the name Charles V) and Catherine of Aragon (the ill-fated first wife of English ruler Henry VIII).

With the death of first Ferdinand III, and then his daughter Joan, the territories attached to the Crowns of Aragon and Castile then passed to the House of Habsburg, which handed down the Kingdom of Naples through its Spanish line (initiated by Charles V).

Stories and legends of the Kingdom of Naples are often attributed to Joan the Mad, actually relating to her contemporary Joan of Aragon (granddaughter of Ferrante I of Aragon) but especially to Joan II, the "mantis queen."

Charles V of Habsburg (1500-1558)

Upon the death of his maternal grandfather Ferdinand of Aragon, Charles of Ghent was appointed King of Spain in 1516, finding himself at the head of a vast empire that included the Netherlands, Castile and Aragon, southern Italy, and the lands discovered by Christopher Columbus in America.

Moreover, upon the death of his paternal grandfather Maximilian of Habsburg, Charles became a candidate for the crown, but to become emperor of the Holy Roman Empire he needed the support of the seven great electors designated by the Golden Bull. To gain their favor he decided to pay them with resources from the Americas.

On June 27, 1519, he was proclaimed emperor of an empire over which "the sun never set."

His dream was to build an immense empire of the Christian religion. In line with his universalist project, Charles V traveled a great deal during his lifetime, but without ever settling in a single capital city.

In 1555 he abdicated as Duke of Burgundy in favor of his son Philip II, and in 1556 he also ceded to him the crowns of Spain, Castile, Sicily and the New Indies, the Netherlands and Franche-Comté, and finally the Aragonese crown. Also in 1556 he ceded the imperial crown to his brother Ferdinand and then left for Spain, where he spent the last two years of his life in the monastery of San Jerónimo in Yuste (Extremadura).

Charles V is depicted in the fifth statue on the facade of the Royal Palace of Naples (by Raffaele Esposito) and in some very famous portraits by Titian, many of which are kept at the Prado Museum in Madrid. An entire room on the second floor of the Maschio Angioino (Castel Nuovo) is also named after him: the Charles V Room, in fact.

Philip II (1527-1598)

Also known as Philip the Prudent, son of Charles V and Elizabeth of Portugal. He inherited from his father the vast dominions in Europe and the Americas, except for the title of emperor and the Habsburg throne. He secured dominance over Europe with the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559), taking possession of Flanders and much of Italy. He occupied Portugal in 1580, unified the Iberian Peninsula and faced the revolt of Flanders in 1581. A fervent supporter of the strictest Catholicism, he intervened against England after the execution of Mary Stuart, but was beaten in 1588 and Spanish sea power collapsed. In Spain he implemented a fierce repression of Jews and Arabs, in the name of the strictest principles of the Counter-Reformation.

After the death of his first wife Maria Emanuela of Aviz, Philip remarried Mary I of England. They had no children, so upon Mary's death Philip lost his rights to the English throne, which passed to Elizabeth I (daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn). His successor was Philip III, the last son he had with his fourth wife Anne, Archduchess of Austria.

Philip III (1578-1621)

Also known as "Philip the Pious," he succeeded his father Philip II in 1598, leaving to rule the Duke of Lerma F. Gómez Sandoval y Rojas, and later the Duke of Uceda. During his reign Spain continued the war against England and the Netherlands and found itself implicated against Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy in the dispute over the succession of Monferrato and in the early events of the Thirty Years' War.

Philip III permanently moved the court to Madrid, expelling all Moors from Spain in 1609, severely damaging the national economy. He was succeeded by his son Philip IV.

On the facade of the Royal Palace of Naples is a marble sculpture executed by Domenico Fontana and depicting the Coat of Arms of Philip III: a coat of arms divided into four parts (each depicting the emblems of the territories he ruled) and decorated at the top with three helmets, surmounted by as many dragons.

Philip IV (1605-1665)

Also called Philip the Great or The Planet King, he was King of Spain from 1621 until his death, ruler of the Spanish Netherlands and King of Portugal and the Algarve as Philip III until 1640. With him the Spanish Empire reached its maximum territorial extent (12.2 million square kilometers!), although it was now in decline. And the situation could only get worse, due to Philip's fickleness and failure to reform domestic and military policy.

Philip IV is remembered as a great lover of the arts and theater, and great artists (including Velázquez) worked under his reign. The king also invested much capital in court ritual and the construction of new palaces in Spain to demonstrate his power.

On October 22, 1647, La Neapolitan Republic, a short-lived political entity formed in an anti-Spanish mood after the suppression of Masaniello's revolt. Under the leadership of Gennaro Annese, the Neapolitans drove the Spanish troops out of the city, proclaiming the republic and entrusting its leadership to Henry II (1614-1664) Duke of Guise, with the position of Doge of Naples. Following some disagreements, the republic collapsed on April 5, 1648, and Don John of Austria entered Naples with his troops, restoring Spanish viceroyal rule.

Philip IV was succeeded by his son Charles II, who became King of Naples under the name Charles V.

Charles V of Naples (1661-1700)

He was King of Spain (the last Habsburg, under the name Charles II) and of the overseas empire of Spain, Sicily and Sardinia, Duke of Milan, ruler of the Spanish Netherlands, Count Palatine of Burgundy and King of Naples under the name Charles V. He was nicknamed "Charles the Bewitched," as he suffered from very strong attacks of migraine, epilepsy and continuous flu-like illnesses, which popular belief attributed to a curse.

The famous Fountain of Monteoliveto in the square of the same name (for years a meeting place for young Neapolitans) is named after him and features a bronze statue of him on top.

Charles V married first Marie Louise of Orleans and then Marie Anne of the Palatinate-Neuburg, but died without heirs. This was followed by a phase of dynastic tension in Europe that led to the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1714). The crown then passed to the Bourbon dynasty with Philip II Duke of Anjou, second son of Louis of France (son of Louis XIV and Maria Theresa of Habsburg, sister of Charles II).

Philip V of Bourbon (1683-1746)

Philip V of Spain was thus the first King of Spain of the Bourbon dynasty. His accession to the throne gave rise to the long Spanish war of succession, in which his rival Charles of Austria succeeded in being crowned king in Madrid in 1706. However, the war of succession ended with Philip's final victory, although he was forced to renounce all the dominions of the Spanish crown in Italy and Flanders.

Philip married Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy but, widowed in 1714, later married Elisabetta Farnese. From that time he left the queen and ministers (including Francesco Alberoni) to deal with politics. He abdicated in 1724 in favor of his eldest son Louis, but following the latter's death a few months later, he had to resume the crown.

Under the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713, the Kingdom of Sicily Citeriore passed to Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor.

Charles VI (1685-1740)

Second son of Leopold I and his third wife, Eleanor of the Palatinate. He inherited the Spanish crown in 1703 as Charles III, and with the help of the anti-French coalition managed to establish himself temporarily in Catalonia and Madrid; after the death of his brother Joseph I he became King of Hungary under the name Charles III.

With the Peace of Rastadt he strengthened Austria's power over Spain in the Flemish and Italian possessions (Milan, Naples), and became King of Naples under the name Charles VI. He obtained numerous other territories, including Sicily in exchange for Sardinia (which went to Victor Amadeus II). In the War of Polish Succession he lost Naples and Sicily, and his son-in-law Francis Stephen of Lorraine exchanged the Duchy of Lorraine for Tuscany. He finally lost almost all the territories conquered in 1718 in the war against the Turks (1737-1739).

Basically, he was a king with a mediocre personality, little capable of implementing remarkable reforms and civil works and confronting the "states" and the nobility.

Once conquered by the Spanish armies in 1734 during the War of Polish Succession, the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily were recognized as independent, and assigned to a cadet branch of the Bourbons of Spain by the Treaty of Vienna (1738), beginning the Sicilian-Napolitan branch of the Bourbons.

Charles III (1716-1788)

Charles Sebastian of Bourbon was Duke of Parma and Piacenza under the name Charles I (1731-1735), King of Naples without numbering (1734-1759), King of Sicily under the name Charles III (1735-1759) and King of Spain until his death (1759) as Charles III.

He was the eldest son of the second marriage of Philip V of Spain to Elizabeth Farnese. In 1734, during the War of Polish Succession, he removed the Kingdom of Naples from Austrian rule, and the following year also the Kingdom of Sicily. In 1735 he was crowned King of the Two Sicilies in Palermo, and three years later he was recognized as ruler of the two kingdoms in exchange for renouncing the Farnese and Medici states in favor of the Habsburgs and Lorraine.

He was the progenitor of the dynasty of the Bourbon of Naples and ushered in an important period of political, economic and cultural revival.

Upon the death of his half-brother Ferdinand VI (1759), he was called to succeed him on the Spanish throne, where he promoted a reformist policy that earned him a reputation as an "enlightened monarch."

Among the various works he promoted were the construction of the Palace of Portici and of the Palace of Capodimonte: the former, work on which began in 1738, had essentially a residential function; the latter was initially intended to be a "hunting lodge," being surrounded by a large green area, but soon the sculptures from the Farnese Collection found in Rome, which the king had inherited from his mother Elizabeth, were housed there.

Also the Royal Palace of Caserta was desired by Charles III, who entrusted its design to Luigi Vanvitelli: the latter was also charged with arranging the surrounding urban layout by installing a new aqueduct (Carolino aqueduct) that passed through the adjoining complex of San Leucio.

Charles III is also represented in the third-to-last statue on the facade of the Royal Palace of Naples, as well as the famous square at the end of Via Foria: Charles III Square precisely, formerly Reclusory Square.

It also appears that Charles, who was very devoted to St. Gennaro, had taken some of the saint's blood with him when he left to sit on the throne of Spain, removing it from the larger ampulla (which in fact is not completely full). He then had the ampulla kept in the Escorial chapel, having a mass celebrated for St. Gennaro every September 19.

Ferdinand IV of Naples (Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, 1751-1825)

The third son of Charles III of Spain and Mary Amalia of Saxony, he was the first ruler born in the kingdom of the Bourbon line of Naples, and the third Bourbon to rule over the Two Sicilies (under the name Ferdinand I) after his father Charles and grandfather Philip. He inherited the throne of Naples in 1759, when he was only eight years old.

His reign, which lasted more than 65 years, is one of the longest in the history of the Italian Pre-Unitarian States, and ranks ninth in the list of the longest reigns in history. It was, however, characterized by uneven attitudes and positions, as Ferdinand was always influenced by the politicians around him, relations with family members, and complex international events.

Initially Ferdinand seemed rather in line with the enlightened despotism of the time, going along with or even promoting Enlightenment-style changes and reforms; however, with the revolutionary and Napoleonic danger, reactionary and revengeful positions prevailed in him. He was then entrusted to a Regency Council that was to take charge of his education and the government of the country until he came of age. During this period Ferdinand resided in the royal palaces of Portici, Caserta and Naples, in a policy of economy and in an atmosphere of intrigue, jealousy and bigotry fomented by his preceptors.

In the following years Ferdinand adopted a rather unscrupulous domestic and foreign policy (ecclesiastical, feudal, school reforms, etc.) until the French Revolution. In 1799 he lost Naples, but soon regained it, only to lose it again in 1806 at the hands of Napoleon. From 1808 to 1815 the King of Naples was Joachim Murat (1767-1815), former French general and Marshal of the Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte (depicted in the penultimate statue on the facade of the Royal Palace of Naples).

During the period when Joachim Murat was King of Naples (under the name Joachim Napoleon), Ferdinand IV took refuge in Sicily, leaving his son Francis as vicar to rule the island. In 1814 he resumed power in Sicily and the following year regained the Kingdom of Naples. After the Congress of Vienna he created the United Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, specifically in 1816.

Under his reign a number of projects started by his father were completed, such as the Archaeological Excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the manufacture of Capodimonte Porcelain and the Royal Palace of Caserta.

Ferdinand IV of Naples has been somewhat condemned by historiography because of his attitudes unbecoming of a monarch (which earned him the attribute "King Lazzarone"), but he was a man of good character and loved his people very much. He also went down in history as "King Nasone," for reasons that are easy to guess: just look at one of his many portraits, many of which are preserved in the Museum of the Historical Apartment of the Royal Palace.

Some of the works he promoted include the Vanvitellian Casina at Lake Fusaro (Bacoli), which he commissioned from Luigi Vanvitelli in 1782: initially conceived as a lakeside hunting lodge, it was later used as a residence for distinguished guests who came to visit royalty in the capital.