Alexander of Aragon's Death
Alexander of Aragon died of natural causes on November 7th, 1468 at the age of 46, in his villa in Naples. He was thought to have died peacefully, in his sleep, before one of his servants discovered that he had passed.
After being born there in September of 1422, Alexander spent his entire life in Naples. The first and only son of Fredrick of Aragon and Lucia of Naples, he spent his early life in relative solitude; he received a secular education in the liberal arts from private scholars hired by his parents, rather than attending the foremost academy in Naples, which had been established by his grandfather years earlier. Later in life, he married Adria of Naples during the summer of 1445, and had 2 sons, Alexander II and Raphael of Aragon. in 1462, 6 years before he died, he set out to take part in Mediterranean trade, using the port of Naples to his advantage, and succeeded in establishing his own small trading network, importing textiles and other goods from landlocked city states to the north, and shipping them south and east, across the Mediterranean. Although he never managed to gain explicit control of Naples, as, during his lifetime, it was always being ruled over by another member of his family, his trading operation gave him the funds required for him to not only sustain himself, but also for him to keep several skilled artists under his patronage. He funded artists such as Antonello Da Messina, and Paolo Veronese, some of whom, under his sponsorship, created many majestic secular works, in addition to sacred ones, as had become custom during his time in the Renaissance. Popular in the view of the public, and respected by those of the upper class of Naples, Alexander left the world having made plenty of accomplishments.
He outlived both of his parents, but his younger sister, however, outlasted him by 8 years, residing in Florence for the last 15. His wife, Adria, lived for 3 years after his death, continuing to reside in Naples, with his elder son, Alexander II, who was left control over his father's fleet of trade ships. His other son, Raphael, moved to Venice, where he would study to become a cardinal.
Alexander lived a prosperous, outspoken, and influential life; although it was not the largest, his trading network would continue to play a substantial role in the economy of Naples long after his death. In addition, he was one of the few to successfully draw innovative artists to Naples, as most were more focused on other city states, such as Florence. His patronage of Paolo Veronese, a very secular artist, helped to keep Naples in line with the other city states in terms of new cultural developments and innovative ideas.
After being born there in September of 1422, Alexander spent his entire life in Naples. The first and only son of Fredrick of Aragon and Lucia of Naples, he spent his early life in relative solitude; he received a secular education in the liberal arts from private scholars hired by his parents, rather than attending the foremost academy in Naples, which had been established by his grandfather years earlier. Later in life, he married Adria of Naples during the summer of 1445, and had 2 sons, Alexander II and Raphael of Aragon. in 1462, 6 years before he died, he set out to take part in Mediterranean trade, using the port of Naples to his advantage, and succeeded in establishing his own small trading network, importing textiles and other goods from landlocked city states to the north, and shipping them south and east, across the Mediterranean. Although he never managed to gain explicit control of Naples, as, during his lifetime, it was always being ruled over by another member of his family, his trading operation gave him the funds required for him to not only sustain himself, but also for him to keep several skilled artists under his patronage. He funded artists such as Antonello Da Messina, and Paolo Veronese, some of whom, under his sponsorship, created many majestic secular works, in addition to sacred ones, as had become custom during his time in the Renaissance. Popular in the view of the public, and respected by those of the upper class of Naples, Alexander left the world having made plenty of accomplishments.
He outlived both of his parents, but his younger sister, however, outlasted him by 8 years, residing in Florence for the last 15. His wife, Adria, lived for 3 years after his death, continuing to reside in Naples, with his elder son, Alexander II, who was left control over his father's fleet of trade ships. His other son, Raphael, moved to Venice, where he would study to become a cardinal.
Alexander lived a prosperous, outspoken, and influential life; although it was not the largest, his trading network would continue to play a substantial role in the economy of Naples long after his death. In addition, he was one of the few to successfully draw innovative artists to Naples, as most were more focused on other city states, such as Florence. His patronage of Paolo Veronese, a very secular artist, helped to keep Naples in line with the other city states in terms of new cultural developments and innovative ideas.