Maria of Calabria (6 May 1329 – 20 May 1366), Countess of Alba, was a Neapolitan princess of the

Capetian House of Anjou The Capetian House of Anjou, or House of Anjou-Sicily, or House of Anjou-Naples was a royal house and cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. It is one of three separate royal houses referred to as ''Angevin'', meaning "from Anjou" in France. Foun ...

whose descendants inherited the crown of Naples following the death of her older sister, Queen Joanna I.

Life

Early years

Maria was the fifth and posthumous child of Charles, Duke of Calabria (eldest son of King Robert the Wise of Naples) and Marie of Valois (half-sister of King

Philip VI of France Philip VI (; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (), the Catholic (''le Catholique'') and of Valois (''de Valois''), was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 until his death in 1350. Philip's reign w ...

). She was born approximately six months following her father's death, on 9 November 1328. At the time of her birth, from her older three sisters and one brother, only her sister Joanna, born in March 1325, was alive. Two years later, on 23 October 1331, Maria's mother Marie of Valois died during a pilgrimage to

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

, leaving Maria and her older sister Joanna (now heiress of the throne of Naples) orphans. Both were raised at the court of their paternal grandfather King Robert 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 ...

. By a

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

dated on 30 June 1332,

Pope John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Papacy, Avignon Pope, elected by ...

officially decreed that Maria and her older sister would be married to the sons of the King

Charles I of Hungary Charles I, also known as Charles Robert (; ; ; 128816 July 1342), was King of Hungary and Croatia in the union with Hungary, Croatia from 1308 to his death. He was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou and the only son of Charles Martel of A ...

: Joanna was betrothed with Andrew of Hungary, while Maria was destined to his older brother and heir of the Hungarian throne,

Louis I of Hungary Louis I, also Louis the Great (; ; ) or Louis the Hungarian (; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370. He was the first child of Charles I of Hungary and his wife, Elizabeth of ...

; however, this engagement was conditioned that if Joanna died before her marriage could be consummated, then Maria would marry his younger brother Andrew.Nancy Goldstone: ''Joanna: The Notorious Queen Of Naples, Jerusalem And Sicily''
etrieved 7 January 2015 In this way, King Robert wanted to reconcile his bloodline with the descendants of his older brother, deprived from the crown of Naples in his favor. Maria's grandfather died on 20 January 1343. By the provisions of his will, her elder sister Joanna was to become ruler of Naples, while Maria was not only given the County of Alba and a vast inheritance but also was confirmed to be betrothed to Louis I of Hungary, or in the case that this union never happened, the King of Naples instructed that she then could marry John, Duke of Normandy, heir of the French throne (although he was already married since 1332).

First marriage

However, shortly after the death of her grandfather King Robert, Maria was abducted by Agnes of Périgord, widow of John, Duke of Durazzo who arranged the marriage of Maria to her son, Charles, Duke of Durazzo. The marriage took place on 21 April 1343, the bride being almost fourteen years old and the groom twenty. They had five children: * Louis of Durazzo (December 1343 – 14 January 1344) *

Joanna, Duchess of Durazzo Joanna of Durazzo (1344 – 20 July 1387) was the eldest daughter and eldest surviving child of Charles, Duke of Durazzo, and his wife, Maria of Calabria. She succeeded as duchess on the death of her father in 1348 when she was only a child of f ...

(1344 – 20 July 1387); married firstly on 19 June 1366 to Infante Louis, Count of Beaumont (d. 1372), and secondly on 1376 to

Robert IV of Artois, Count of Eu Robert IV of Artois (1356 – 20 July 1387), son of John of Artois, Count of Eu and Isabeau of Melun, was Count of Eu from April to July 1387 and Duke of Durazzo from 1376 to 1383. About 1376, he married Joanna of Durazzo, daughter of Cha ...

(d. 1387). There was no issue from either marriage. * Agnes of Durazzo (1345 – 15 July 1388, Naples), married firstly on 6 June 1363 Cansignorio della Scala, Lord of Verona (d. 1375), and secondly on 1382 to James of Baux, Emperor of Constantinople (d. 1383). There was no issue from either marriage. * Clementia of Durazzo (1346 – 1363, Naples) *

Margaret of Durazzo Margaret of Durazzo ( 28 July 1347 – 6 August 1412) was Queen of Naples and Hungary and Princess of Achaea as the spouse of Charles III of Naples. She was regent of Naples from 1386 until 1393 during the minority of her son Ladislaus of Nap ...

(28 July 1347 – 6 August 1412, Mela), married in January 1369 to Charles of Durazzo, Conte of Gravina and Morrone, who later became King of Naples and Hungary. Maria and her husband Charles headed a faction opposing Maria's sister Queen Joanna of Naples and her second husband,

Louis of Taranto Louis I (Italian: ''Luigi'', ''Aloisio'', or ''Ludovico'' ; 1320 – 26 May 1362), also known as Louis of Taranto, was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou who reigned as King of Naples, Count of Provence and Forcalquier, and Prince of Tar ...

. On 15 January 1348, Maria's husband was named Lieutenant General and Governor of the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

. Charles apparently seeing an opportunity to claim power when the King and Queen of Naples had fled Naples in the face of an invasion by King

. He was however captured by the Hungarians only days later, near

Aversa Aversa () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Caserta in Campania, southern Italy, about 24 km north of Naples. It is the centre of an agricultural district, the ''Agro Aversano'', producing wine and cheese (famous for the typical dome ...

. On 23 January 1348, Maria's husband was decapitated in front of San Pietro a Maiella. His period of power had lasted less than a week. Maria thus became a nineteen-year-old widow.

Second marriage

With Charles dead, Maria fled Naples for

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

. She sought refuge at the court of

Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI (; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death, in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Black Death (1 ...

. In 1348, the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

reached the Italian Peninsula, forcing the King of Hungary and the majority of his army to retreat back to their homeland in hope of escaping the spreading epidemic. Maria returned to Naples and settled at the

Castel dell'Ovo Castel dell'Ovo ("Egg Castle") is a seafront castle in Naples, located on the former island of Megaride, now a peninsula, on the Gulf of Naples in Italy. The castle's name comes from a legend about the Roman Republic, Roman poet Virgil, who had a ...

. According to the ''Chronicle of Parthénope'', the Neapolitan Princes, whom King Louis I of Hungary had imprisoned during his first campaign in Southern Italy, proposed him to marry Maria, his previous bride. During the siege of Aversa in the summer of 1350, the Hungarian King met her envoy in the nearby Trentola-Ducenta and the terms of their marriage were accepted. However before the marriage could take place, she was abducted again, this time by Hugh IV, Count of Avellino and Lord of Baux, who forced Maria to marry with his eldest son and heir, Robert of Avellino. They had no children. Count Hugh IV of Avellino was murdered on the orders of Maria's brother-in-law Louis of Taranto in 1351. Two years later (1353), Maria was finally rescued by King Louis I, however her husband Robert was captured and imprisoned by her brother-in-law at Castel dell'Ovo, where he was killed by Maria's orders. She reportedly witnessed the murder first hand.

Third marriage

Shortly after her second husband's death, Maria was again imprisoned, this time by her brother-in-law himself, Louis of Taranto, and was released only after her marriage in April 1355 to Philip II of Taranto, the younger brother of Louis. Maria and Philip had three sons who died young: Philip (1356), Charles (1358), and Philip (1360). They also had two stillborn sons, in 1362 and in 1366. In 1364, Philip succeeded as titular

Latin Emperor of Constantinople The Latin Emperor was the ruler of the Latin Empire, the historiographical convention for the Crusader realm, established in Constantinople after the Fourth Crusade (1204) and lasting until the city was reconquered by the Byzantine Greeks in 1 ...

and

Prince of Achaea The Prince of Achaea was the ruler of the Principality of Achaea, one of the crusader states Frankokratia, founded in Greece in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204). The principality witnessed various overlords during its more than tw ...

and

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

on the death of his oldest brother, Robert II of Taranto, Emperor of Constantinople. Due to her grandfather's will, Maria was the heiress to the

in the event that her elder sister Joanna I died childless. When Maria died in 1366, her claims passed to her three surviving daughters, of whom Charles of Durazzo –husband of her third daughter Margaret– eventually claimed the throne of Naples in 1382 as King Charles III after deposed and killed Joanna I.Marcelle-René Reynaud, ''Le temps des princes: Louis II & Louis III d’Anjou-Provence 1384-1434'', Collection d’histoire et d’archéologie médiévales 7 (Lyon, France: Presses Universitaires, 2000), pp 20-21. Maria died at age 37, probably from childbirth complications, and was buried at Santa Chiara Basilica, Naples.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria of Calabria Albanian royal consorts 1329 births 1366 deaths House of Anjou-Naples House of Anjou-Durazzo House of Anjou-Taranto Latin Empresses of Constantinople Princesses of Taranto Princesses of Achaea 14th-century Italian women Deaths in childbirth Joanna I of Naples Heirs presumptive