August 17th, 1462
Hello, I am Alexander of Aragon, a member of the ruling family of Naples. Among my family are some of the most influential men Naples has ever seen. Take for instance my grandfather, Alfonso V of Aragon; he fought against the Anjou dynasty for the right to rule Naples, and won. Afterwards, he set out to make the city even greater than it had already been; he fixed the aqueducts, built monuments, paved streets, and even created an academy, and that is not to mention his support of the arts. Alfonso was a great man, he funded many artists, and he helped to spread humanist ideas north of italy. Along with my grandfather Alfonso, Naples’ current ruler, Ferdinand I of Naples, is also an esteemed member of the Aragon clan, and he makes a fine ruler, although he is quite ruthless and unforgiving. Ferdinand’s son, Ferdinand II of Aragon, is still very young, yet he is already showing great interest and devotion to Catholicism, our family’s faith. Someday, his father will pass on the rule of the city to him, and he will carry our Dynasty’s great legacy upon his shoulders.
Asides from the king and his family, my relatives and I are basically the landlords of Naples, we are in charge of the buying and selling of land, the taxes, keeping the peace, all of these things. It can be rather tedious at times, but it does pay well; being in the royal family has its perks. The job often calls upon us to use our best judgement, just as we learned to during our schooling. You see, in Naples, as in many other places, our schools do not teach about religion, like they used to; they have changed and are now teaching from a humanistic standpoint. Instead of getting lectured on faith, we were taught the liberal arts; we learned about poetry and grammar, speaking, music, history, all sorts of different fields of math, and even morality. This kind of secular education serves us much better than a sacred one would on a day to day basis, as we handle problems and situations throughout our great city.
And what a great city it is. Naples has been gifted with great wealth, from our local assets and our trade, which has, in turn, attracted many attackers who wish to control Naples themselves, but none of them have or ever will be successful in taking it from us. No, Naples will be ruled over by the Aragon dynasty for years to come, at least I hope. Our monarchs are mostly benevolent, they funnel much of their wealth back into the city, providing funds for the arts and for education, attracting many artists and scholars into our city’s ranks. There are, of course, still those who are less fortunate within the city, but that does not stop it from acting as a magnet to those who would further promote it’s culture and wealth. For years Naples has, and will continue to, serve as one of the main centers for growth, be it economic, artistic, scholarly, or any other important field one can think of.
Other pages:
Some more citizens of Naples: http://lovinovargasrenaissance.weebly.com
More about the city of Naples: http://renaissancenaples.weebly.com/
More about the Renaissance: http://rainesarenaissance13.weebly.com/
Sources:
"A Divided Italy: Home of the Renaissance." Renaissance and Reformation Reference Library. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, Peggy Saari, and Aaron Saari. Vol. 1: Vol.1: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 45-89. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
"Education and Training." Renaissance and Reformation Reference Library. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, Peggy Saari, and Aaron Saari. Vol. 2: Vol. 2: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 515-539. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.
Abaterusso, Federica, screenwriter. Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance. Prod.
Justin Hardy. PBS, 2004. Film.
"Ferdinand I of Naples (1423–1494)." The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of The Renaissance. Tom Streissguth. Ed. Konrad Eisenbichler. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 123. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.
"Alfonso V of Aragon (the Magnanimous) (1396–1458)." The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of The Renaissance. Tom Streissguth. Ed. Konrad Eisenbichler. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 24. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.
"Naples." The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of The Renaissance. Tom Streissguth. Ed. Konrad Eisenbichler. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 225-226. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.
"Ferdinand II of Aragon (Ferdinand V of Castile) (1452–1516)." The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of The Renaissance. Tom Streissguth. Ed. Konrad Eisenbichler. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 123-124. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.
Hello, I am Alexander of Aragon, a member of the ruling family of Naples. Among my family are some of the most influential men Naples has ever seen. Take for instance my grandfather, Alfonso V of Aragon; he fought against the Anjou dynasty for the right to rule Naples, and won. Afterwards, he set out to make the city even greater than it had already been; he fixed the aqueducts, built monuments, paved streets, and even created an academy, and that is not to mention his support of the arts. Alfonso was a great man, he funded many artists, and he helped to spread humanist ideas north of italy. Along with my grandfather Alfonso, Naples’ current ruler, Ferdinand I of Naples, is also an esteemed member of the Aragon clan, and he makes a fine ruler, although he is quite ruthless and unforgiving. Ferdinand’s son, Ferdinand II of Aragon, is still very young, yet he is already showing great interest and devotion to Catholicism, our family’s faith. Someday, his father will pass on the rule of the city to him, and he will carry our Dynasty’s great legacy upon his shoulders.
Asides from the king and his family, my relatives and I are basically the landlords of Naples, we are in charge of the buying and selling of land, the taxes, keeping the peace, all of these things. It can be rather tedious at times, but it does pay well; being in the royal family has its perks. The job often calls upon us to use our best judgement, just as we learned to during our schooling. You see, in Naples, as in many other places, our schools do not teach about religion, like they used to; they have changed and are now teaching from a humanistic standpoint. Instead of getting lectured on faith, we were taught the liberal arts; we learned about poetry and grammar, speaking, music, history, all sorts of different fields of math, and even morality. This kind of secular education serves us much better than a sacred one would on a day to day basis, as we handle problems and situations throughout our great city.
And what a great city it is. Naples has been gifted with great wealth, from our local assets and our trade, which has, in turn, attracted many attackers who wish to control Naples themselves, but none of them have or ever will be successful in taking it from us. No, Naples will be ruled over by the Aragon dynasty for years to come, at least I hope. Our monarchs are mostly benevolent, they funnel much of their wealth back into the city, providing funds for the arts and for education, attracting many artists and scholars into our city’s ranks. There are, of course, still those who are less fortunate within the city, but that does not stop it from acting as a magnet to those who would further promote it’s culture and wealth. For years Naples has, and will continue to, serve as one of the main centers for growth, be it economic, artistic, scholarly, or any other important field one can think of.
Other pages:
Some more citizens of Naples: http://lovinovargasrenaissance.weebly.com
More about the city of Naples: http://renaissancenaples.weebly.com/
More about the Renaissance: http://rainesarenaissance13.weebly.com/
Sources:
"A Divided Italy: Home of the Renaissance." Renaissance and Reformation Reference Library. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, Peggy Saari, and Aaron Saari. Vol. 1: Vol.1: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 45-89. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
"Education and Training." Renaissance and Reformation Reference Library. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, Peggy Saari, and Aaron Saari. Vol. 2: Vol. 2: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 515-539. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.
Abaterusso, Federica, screenwriter. Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance. Prod.
Justin Hardy. PBS, 2004. Film.
"Ferdinand I of Naples (1423–1494)." The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of The Renaissance. Tom Streissguth. Ed. Konrad Eisenbichler. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 123. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.
"Alfonso V of Aragon (the Magnanimous) (1396–1458)." The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of The Renaissance. Tom Streissguth. Ed. Konrad Eisenbichler. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 24. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.
"Naples." The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of The Renaissance. Tom Streissguth. Ed. Konrad Eisenbichler. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 225-226. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.
"Ferdinand II of Aragon (Ferdinand V of Castile) (1452–1516)." The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of The Renaissance. Tom Streissguth. Ed. Konrad Eisenbichler. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 123-124. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.