Ferdinand I of Naples



Ferdinand I (2 June 1423 – 25 January 1494), also called Ferrante, was the King of Naples from 1458 to 1494. He was the son of Alfonso V of Aragon and his mistress, Giraldona Carlino.

Ferdinand was known as a politically adept but completely ruthless, evil king. He maintained power by treachery -- often imprisoning and executing his enemies. As an example of his antisocial character, on one occasion he invited many of his enemies to a banquet supposedly to celebrate a peace agreement. However, at the banquet's conclusion, many of the guests were gruesomely murdered. Some were fed to the crocodiles that guarded the castle's moat. The bodies of others were mummified so that Ferdinand could display the corpses dressed in their usual costumes in the local dungeon. Even during Ferdinand's time, such disrespectful treatment of one's enemies was considered unacceptable.