Alfonso of Aragon (1481–1500)

Alfonso of Aragon
Duke of Bisceglie, Prince of Salerno
Alfonso of Aragon (age 7) by Pinturicchio
Born	1481 Kingdom of Naples
Died	18 August 1500 (age 18–19) Rome, Papal States
Burial	Santa Maria della Febbre?
Spouse	Lucrezia Borgia (m. 1498–1500; his death)
Issue	Rodrigo of Aragon
House	House of Trastámara
Father	Alfonso II of Naples
Mother	Trogia Gazzela
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Alfonso of Aragon (1481– 18 August 1500), Duke of Bisceglie and Prince of Salerno of the House of Trastámara, was the illegitimate son of Alfonso II King of Naples and his mistress Trogia Gazzela. His father, cousin of Ferdinand II King of Aragon, abdicated in favour of his legitimate son Ferdinand II of Naples.

Alfonso received a thorough education in the humanities. His first tutor was Giuniano Maio who was then followed by the Florentine poet Raffaele Brandolini (also known as "Lippus Brandolinus" because of his blindness). From an early age Alfonso was involved in the crisis that hit the Aragonese dynasty of Naples. In 1495, during the French occupation, his father fled and later died in Sicily. Alfonso, aged 14, fought for the return to the throne of his half-brother Ferdinand, who became king of Naples in 1495 but died one year later. In 1497, with the restoration of the Aragonese control under his uncle Frederick IV of Naples, Alfonso was assigned to the first position of responsibility and became the Lieutenant general of Abruzzo.

"He was the most beautiful youth that I have ever seen in Rome" - The chronicler Talini

In order to strengthen ties with Naples, Pope Alexander VI arranged marriages between the House of Borgia and the royal family of Aragon. Alfonso's sister Sancha of Aragon was already given to the Pope's youngest son Gioffre Borgia in 1494. Alexander VI's idea was for his son Cesare Borgia to marry Carlotta of Naples, legitimate daughter of the newly crowned King Frederick IV of Naples, but Carlotta would not agree to marry him. To appease the Pope, King Frederick eventually consented to a match between the Pope's daughter Lucrezia Borgia, aged 18, and the 17-year-old Alfonso of Aragon.