| Joanna I Of Sicily |
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She was the daughter of branch of the House Of Anjou , the son of Charles I Of Hungary and younger brother of Louis I . On the death in 1343 of her grandfather, ( 1320 – 1362 ); 3) James IV, titular King Of Majorca and Prince Of Achaea ( 1336 – 1375 ) and 4) Otto, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen ( 1376 – 1398 ). Her one son by Andrew died at a young age. Her reign was marked by violent political struggles among the members of the Angevin house. The assassination of Andrew brought about the enmity of Hungary and an invasion led by Louis I. Her second husband, Louis of Taranto, was crowned as co-king in 1353 , the only one of her husbands to whom she willingly accorded that status. In 1373 , her cousin and former brother-in-law Philip II Of Taranto resigned to her his rights to the Principality Of Achaea . Her third husband James also left to her, at his death in 1375, his own claim to the Principality. On August 8 , 1347 she opened a large Brothel on the property in Avignon which was to be used by the wealthy and nobility of Europe. She later sold all the property in Avignon to Pope Clement VI , effectively ending the prostitution trade in Avignon. In addition, Joan supported the Avignon Papacy during the Western Schism and allied herself with France, adopting Louis I Of Anjou , a younger son of John II Of France as her heir. France and Antipope Clement VII counted Naples to give them a foothold in Italy useful for the idea of resolving the schism by force in their favor. In retaliation, Pope Urban VI declared her kingdom (a papal fief) to be forfeit and bestowed it upon Charles Of Durazzo , her niece's husband and the heir-male. With Hungarian support, Charles advanced on Naples and captured Joan in 1381 . She was strangled in prison in the Castle of San Fele on May 12 , 1382 . After her death, Charles of Durazzo succeeded her in the Kingdom of Naples. The Neapolitan kingdom was left to decades of recurring succession wars. Her adopted heir, Louis of Anjou, was able to retain the mainland counties of Provence and Forcalquier. James Of Baux , the nephew of Philip II of Taranto, claimed the Principality of Achaea after her deposition in 1381. Alexandre Dumas, Pere wrote a romance, ''Joan of Naples,'' part of his eight-volume series ''Celebrated Crimes'' (1839–40). A fictionalised account of her life can also be found in the novel ''Queen of the Night'' by Alan Savage. EXTERNAL LINK
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