Ramon Folc de Cardona i Anglesola (Italian: ''Raimondo di Cardona'') (1467 – 10 March 1522) was a Catalan general and politician, who served as the viceroy of Naples during the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

and commanded the Spanish forces in Italy during the

War of the League of Cambrai The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and several other names, was fought from February 1508 to December 1516 as part of the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fough ...

. He was granted the title count of Oliveto in the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as 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 ...

, on 12 December 1515.

Biography

The son of Antoni de Cardona-Anglesola i Centelles and Castellana de Requesens, he was 5th Baron of Bellpuig, Baron of

Linyola Linyola is a municipality in the ''Comarques of Catalonia, comarca'' of Pla d'Urgell in Catalonia, Spain. Notable individuals associated with Linyola: *Josep Maria Fusté (1941), former FC Barcelona Midfielder (football)#Centre midfielder, midfiel ...

and Baron of Utxafava, all three places in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

. Ramón de Cardona was born in Bellpuig, to one of the greatest families in the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

, the Cardona. On 12 December 1502 he was awarded the title of

Duke of Soma Duke of Soma ( es, Duque de Soma) is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, accompanied by the dignity of Grandee and granted in 1502 by Ferdinand II to Ramón Folch de Cardona, 11th Baron of Bellpuig and 1st Count of Oliveto, for his se ...

, taking part in 1505, with the role of admiral, in the capture of Mers-el-Kébir. King Ferdinand II of Aragon, of whom he has been postulated to be a natural son, made him Viceroy of Naples in 1509. He stayed as Viceroy of Sicily from 1507 to 1509 and coming back to Naples and staying there till his death in 1522. In 1510 he received instructions on introducing the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...

in Naples, a decision which caused a popular revolt; after which the Spanish king canceled the decree. In 1511 Cardona moved to northern Italy as the commander-in-chief of the League of Cambrai army, leaving the Neapolitan government to his wife Isabel de Requesens, 2nd countess of Palamós, 2nd countess of

Avellino Avellino () is a town and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...

, 2nd countess of Trivento, baroness of Calonge, daughter of Galceran de Requesens the first holder of these titles. In the following year he was defeated by Gaston of Foix, Duke of Nemours at the Battle of Ravenna. Cardona then moved to Tuscany to support the then Spanish-supported

House of Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the ...

. His troops besieged Prato, massacring the population after its fall. In 1513 Cardona returned to Lombardy with a new army the following year and fought successfully at the

Battle of La Motta The Battle of La Motta, also known as the Battle of Schio, Battle of Vicenza or Battle of Creazzo, took place at Schio, in the Italian region of Veneto, Republic of Venice, on 7 October 1513, between the forces of the Republic of Venice and a com ...

, defeating the

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

army led by Bartolomeo d'Alviano. He was however unable to prevent the Venetians from joining with the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

at the

Battle of Marignano The Battle of Marignano was the last major engagement of the War of the League of Cambrai and took place on 13–14 September 1515, near the town now called Melegnano, 16 km southeast of Milan. It pitted the French army, composed of the ...

. In February 1513, after the death of Pope

Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or the ...

, (1443–1513), a.k.a. Giuliano della Rovere and the arrival in Italy of King

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin onc ...

, Cardona was called back to Spain. In 1515 he had received the title of Count of Alvito, a fiefdom in what is now southern

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. In 1519 the new king of Spain, Charles I of Spain, a.k.a. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, made him Great Admiral of the

. He died at Naples in 1522. His cenotaph in Bellpuig, executed by Giovanni da Nola, is one of the most outstanding examples of Renaissance art in the region.

Children

He had two children : *

Fernando Folch de Cardona, 2nd duke of Soma Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...

, 3rd count of Oliveto, 2nd duke of Soma and other titles, Viceroy of Sicily, deceased 13 September 1571. * Caterina de Cardona y Requesens, deceased in 1577, married Don

Ferrante d' Aragona, 1st duke of Montalto Ferrante is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: ;Italian nobility *Antonio Ferrante Gonzaga, Duke of Guastalla (1687–1729) *Don Ferrante (1423–1494), Ferdinand I, King of Naples *Ferrante II of Naples (1469– ...

, illegitimate son of King

Ferrante I of Naples Ferdinando Trastámara d'Aragona, of the Naples branch, universally known as Ferrante and also called by his contemporaries Don Ferrando and Don Ferrante (2 June 1424, in Valencia – 25 January 1494, in Naples), was the only son, illegitimate, of ...

and Diana Guardato. Their descendants were the "Moncada" family, Sicilian Princes of Paternò and Grandees of Spain.

Notes

References

* * *http://www.grandesp.org.uk/historia/gzas/soma.htm

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardona, Ramon de 1467 births 1522 deaths People from Urgell Military leaders of the Italian Wars Viceroys of Naples Viceroys of Sicily 16th-century Neapolitan people