Alfonso II Piccolomini (10 March 1499 – 17 February 1559) was a

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and High ...

nobleman and military leader who held the office of

Duke of Amalfi Medieval Amalfi was ruled, in the tenth and eleventh centuries, by a series of dukes (), sometimes called ''dogi'' (singular: ''doge''), corresponding with the republic of Venice, a maritime rival throughout the Middle Ages. Before the title of Du ...

throughout his life. He belonged to the Sienese

Piccolomini The House of Piccolomini (pronounced ) is the name of an Italian noble family, Patricians of Siena, who were prominent from the beginning of the 13th century until the 18th century. The family achieved the recognized titles of Pope of the Catho ...

family and served as imperial governor of the

Republic of Siena The Republic of Siena (, ) was a historic state consisting of the city of Siena and its surrounding territory in Tuscany, Central Italy. It existed for over 400 years, from 1125 to 1555. During its existence, it gradually expanded throughout south ...

from 1529 until 1541. Alfonso was born in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

on 10 March 1499, the posthumous son of

Alfonso I Piccolomini Alfonso I Piccolomini (1468–1498) was Duke of Amalfi. He was the son of Antonio Piccolomini, who had been granted the title Duke of Amalfi in 1461, for his services to king Ferdinand I of Naples. His mother was Maria Marzano d'Aragona. In 149 ...

by his wife Giovanna d'Aragona. In 1517, he married Costanza, the daughter of Innico II d'Avalos and protégée of

Costanza d'Avalos, Duchess of Francavilla Costanza d'Avalos (1460–1541), Duchess of Francavilla al Mare, Francavilla, was an Italian ruler. She was the ruler of the Duchy of Francavilla between 1501 and 1541. Life She was the daughter of Innico I d'Avalos, Innico I d'Avalos of ...

. Contemporary chroniclers report his numerous infidelities, but he had seven legitimate children, four sons and three daughters, all but two of whom survived to adulthood. Alfonso was a

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

loyalist during the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars were a series of conflicts fought between 1494 and 1559, mostly in the Italian Peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and Mediterranean Sea. The primary belligerents were the House of Valois, Valois kings o ...

. When the fighting came to Naples during the

War of the League of Cognac The War of the League of Cognac (1526–1530) was fought between the Habsburg dominions of Charles V—primarily the Holy Roman Empire and Spain—and the League of Cognac, an alliance including the Kingdom of France, Pope Clement VII, the Re ...

in 1528, he was appointed to the war council that advised the viceroy,

Philibert of Chalon Philibert de Chalon (18 March 1502 – 3 August 1530) was the last Prince of Orange from the House of Chalon. Biography Born at Nozeroy to John IV of Chalon-Arlay, Philibert served Emperor Charles V as commander in Italy, fighting in the Wa ...

. He personally oversaw the defence of the cities he held in fief:

Amalfi Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramatic c ...

Ravello Ravello (Campanian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) situated above the Amalfi Coast (exactly 782 stairs above the town of Atrani), in the province of Salerno, Campania, with approximately 2,500 inhabitants. Its scenic location makes it a popular ...

and Scala. Castello di Nisida

In the summer of 1529, Alfonso was appointed captain-general of the Republic of Siena with command of the garrison of Spanish troops sent by the Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

, who was also king of Spain and Naples. The return of exiled Noveschi rendered the situation at Siena unfavourable, and Alfonso was recalled to Naples in 1531. He returned to Siena in 1532 and remained there as the imperial governor and captain-general of the Spanish garrison until 1541, mediating between political factions to maintain the peace. His removal in 1541 has been related to rumours that Alfonso had entered talks with the French, but there is no evidence for actual disloyalty. In 1553, Alfonso purchased the island of

Nisida Nisida is a volcano, volcanic islet of the Flegrean Islands archipelago, in southern Italy. It lies at a very short distance from Cape Posillipo, just north of Naples; it is connected to the mainland by a camera-enforced 1km-long pedestrian zone. ...

and began constructing a massive castle that could serve as both the centre of a refined aristocratic court and part of a strategic line of defence in the

Gulf of Naples The Gulf of Naples (), also called the Bay of Naples, is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9.3 mi) gulf located along the south-western coast of Italy (Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania region). It opens to the west into the Mediterranean ...

. He liquidated much of his family's silver to fund the building. On 1 April 1554, Alfonso was appointed to the Collateral Council, the highest governing body in the kingdom. He died in his castle on Nisida after an attack of

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

on 17 February 1559. He was succeeded as duke of Amalfi by his son Innico, who in 1538 had married his cousin, Silvia Piccolomini, thus uniting the Sienese and Neapolitan branches of the family. Another son, Pompeo, became the bishop of Tropea.

Notes

{{reflist 1499 births 1559 deaths People from the Kingdom of Naples Dukes of Amalfi House of Piccolomini People of the War of the League of Cognac