In less than two years after, on August 20th, 1347, Joanna married
Louis of Tarentum, her cousin, who had been one of the prime
investigators of the murder. But Louis, King of Hungary, was determined
to avenge the death of his brother, and he marched an army against
Naples, under a black flag, on which was embroidered a representation
of the murder of Andrew.
Louis of Tarentum headed an army of Neapolitans against the invader,
but it dispersed of itself, and Joanna fled with him to Provence in
January, 1348, leaving behind her, in heartless indifference, her son,
the child of the murdered Andrew.
On reaching Provence she found the barons there by no means disposed to
receive her with cordiality. The atrocity of the crime revolted them,
and for a whole year they held her in prison. She was arraigned before
the world as an adulteress and a murderess.
At length, thanks to the intervention of Pope Clement VI., she was
allowed to take refuge in Avignon, where she arranged terms with
Clement, that he should declare her innocent and sanction her marriage
with her cousin, in exchange for which favour she was to make over
to him, for a nominal sum, the city of Avignon without the Venaissin
previously acquired. The stipulated sum was 80,000 gold florins,
amounting to about £128,000 in modern money. The sale was in direct
contravention to the terms of the will of King Robert, who constituted
her heiress with the proviso that she was not to dissipate the Crown
lands and rights in the Two Sicilies and in Provence. It was further
a breach of a solemn oath she had taken to the barons “that she would
never alienate or wrong her royal and loyal estates of Provence.” But
Joanna was in need of money to prosecute the war against Louis of
Hungary. For this purpose she sold rights and domains wherever she
could find a purchaser. She disposed of the forests of the Montagnes
des Maures to the town of Hyères, and the fishing in the lake of
Hyères as well. The rights of the Crown to the harvest of the kermes
or cochineal insect that lived on the oaks, were also sold. Parts of
the Estérel were alienated. Marseilles and other towns bought of her
valuable privileges.
Meanwhile, Louis of Hungary had lost much of his army about Naples,
swept off by plague. He himself returned to Hungary, carrying with
him the son of Joanna, born two months after the death of Andrew,
deserted by her at Naples; the child, however, died soon after. Joanna,
whitewashed by the Pope, returned to Naples in 1348, in August,
whereupon Louis again appeared in Italy at the head of an army, but met
with small success, and a truce was arranged; whereupon Joanna returned
to Avignon, there to have her guilt or innocence formally tried before
three cardinals nominated by the Pope.
Louis accused Joanna of being more than accessory to the murder of her
husband, and Louis of Tarentum of being an instigator of the crime, and
Cardinal Talleyrand Perigord as having also been in the plot.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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