The Accademia Pontaniana was the first academy in the modern sense, as a learned society for scholars and humanists and guided by a formal statute. Patronized by Alfonso V of Aragon , it was founded by the poet Antonio Beccadelli in Naples during the revival of classical learning and later led by Giovanni Pontano who gave it a more official character to the meetings.
31-535: The Accademia Antoniana as it was first called, was founded in 1458, but its origins dates back to 1443 in an academic circle around the Neapolitan scholar and poet Antonio Beccadelli . This circle met informally in the Castel Nuovo of Alfonso V of Aragon . After the death of Beccadelli in 1471 these meetings were overseen by Giovanni Pontano , hence the name Accademia Pontaniana . During its centuries-old history,
62-484: A Philippic against Antonio Panormita (1431/32). Panormita had written invective poetry ridiculing Rho with obscene insults , but he would have to defend not only his work but also his life and morals. Rho discredited and vilified Beccadelli by making allegations about the poet's Sicilian background, orthodoxy , and practice of sexual taboos . He also wrote the Gaulish Epistles ( Epistulae gallicae ) (1474) and
93-505: A dispensation for their marriage. Maria was given a splendid dowry in form of land and revenues, while Alfonso was raised to the rank of infante of Castile. Her brother would later complain that the dowry was too large and that it was, in fact, the largest dowry ever given to an infanta of Castile. Family squabbles were frequent due to the politics of her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Eleanor of Alburquerque . The infantes of Aragon , her brothers-in-law, Henry , Peter and especially
124-407: A close friendship with Pontano, and introduced the young scholar to the royal chancery of King Alfonso. Beccadelli and Alfonso shared a great love of culture, and Beccadelli accompanied Alfonso during the vicissitudes of the king's career. When Alfonso became a prisoner in the hands of Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, in 1435, Alfonso persuaded his captor to let him go by making it plain that it
155-498: A political alliance. The few moments of marital happiness occurred during the early years of the marriage. The lack of children deeply affected their marriage and Alfonso's reign. Their relationship began visibly deteriorating in 1423, after Alfonso's return from Naples and upon learning that her husband's Italian lover, Giraldona Carlino, had given him a son, Ferdinand . Deeply hurt by his infidelity, she falsely informed him that his mother had died in order to inflict pain on him. Divorce
186-632: A student of Gasparino da Barizizza in Padua . In 1419 he had stayed for a short time in Florence , and then travelled to Siena in order to study jurisprudence . He continued to Bologna and remained there until August 1427. He returned to Florence, and then left for Rome , where he stayed until 1428. In 1429, he journeyed to Genoa . He became a guest of the Filippo Maria Visconti family at Pavia (1430–1433), where he completed his studies and entered
217-404: A woman of noble family named Lucrezia d'Alagno , who served as a de facto queen at the Neapolitan court as well as an inspiring muse . Beccadelli paid tribute to her with these Latin words: Quantum rex proceres, quantum Sol sȳdera vincit, / tantum Campānas superat Lucrētia nymphas . It is known that Beccadelli himself was married twice. After Alfonso's death, Beccadelli remained close to
248-426: Is no evidence that the politically active Queen Eleanor ever prepared her daughter-in-law for her role, as would have been customary. She was overshadowed by her formidable mother-in-law who continued to exercise strong political influence even after her husband's death. The young Queen appeared in public only when it was necessary and refrained from taking part in politics, instead deferring to Eleanor. Maria moved into
279-520: The Campanian Epistles ( Epistulae campanae ) (1474) He compiled The Sayings and Deeds of King Alfonso ( De dictis et factis Alphonsi regis ). He became a kind of panegyrist to Alfons V of Aragon, to whom the work refers. He also wrote the chronicle Liber Rerum Gestarum Ferdinandi Regis (1438–1458). The Palazzo del Panormita , in Naples, belonged to him. It was built in the second half of
310-513: The Priapea . This work was greeted with acclaim by scholars but subsequently condemned and censured as obscene by Christian apologists. Amongst those who praised this work was Guarino da Verona , who called Beccadelli a poetic scion of the Sicilian writer of antiquity, Theocritus . Beccadelli's critics included the theologian Antonio da Rho (1395–1447), a Franciscan from Milan , who would write
341-502: The Crown of Aragon , and served Ferdinand I of Naples . Alfonso had entrusted Beccadelli with the instruction of his son and successor. Beccadelli died in January 1471 at Naples. Beccadelli is most famous for his bawdy masterpiece Hermaphroditus (1425), a collection of eighty-one Latin epigrams , which evoke the unfettered eroticism of the works of Catullus and Martial , as well as of
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#1732837014563372-465: The Crown of Castile as regent during King John II's minority and the Infanta was able to observe her mother's statesmanship. The queen mother's political actions would later make Maria aware of her own responsibilities and prerogatives as a queen and as a regent. Mother and daughter were very close and remained in frequent correspondence even after the latter's marriage. The engagement of Maria and Alfonso
403-775: The naturalist Filippo Cavolini. Antonio Beccadelli (poet) Antonio Beccadelli (1394–1471), called Il Panormita (poetic form meaning "The Palermitan "), was an Italian poet, canon lawyer , scholar, diplomat, and chronicler . He generally wrote in Latin . Born in Palermo , he was the eldest son of the merchant Enrico di Vannino Beccadelli, who had played an active role in Sicilian politics, serving as Praetor of Palermo in 1393. He helped his father with his business until he became consumed with enthusiasm for humanistic studies. Beccadelli traveled to numerous Italian cities, and became
434-462: The "Atti dell'Accademia Pontaniana", as well as the annual "Quaderni della Accademia Pontaniana". The "Premio Tenore" was founded by Michele Tenore in 1853: on the session of the 26th of June 1955 the Academy resolved to honor him by continuing to award it, establishing the rules to be followed for the awarding. It is reserved only to Italian citizens: however, ordinary resident members are excluded from
465-561: The Academy was closed twice. The first closure was in 1542 by the Spanish viceroy of Naples Pedro Álvarez de Toledo, Marquis of Villafranca , as part of his harsh policy of "spagnolizzazione" ("Spanish-ization"). Revived in December 1808, and officially recognized by Royal Decree as an academy in 1825, it was again suppressed by the Fascist government in 1934 and its library burned in 1943. The Academy
496-491: The birth of her brother John (the future king) displaced the Princess in the line of succession; from that moment on, she was merely an infanta . Her childhood was quite happy by all accounts; the frailty of her health was not evident until she was a married adolescent. Her father died when she was four, leaving the crown to her only brother, John II, and making her heiress presumptive again. Her mother, Queen Catherine, governed
527-426: The competition. The prize is awarded every five years, by one of the five divisions in turn, to the author of a work on a topic chosen freely by the division: if the prize is not awarded when due, it can be awarded the following year by the same class. The "Premio Cavolini–De Mellis" was established in execution of a testament legacy of Baron Vincenzo De Mellis: the prize is named after an ancestor of Baron De Mellis,
558-517: The court of the Visconti. He would dedicate himself to philological studies, in particular to the tradition of Plautus . In 1434, he entered the service of Alfonso V of Aragon at Naples . Alfonso was a great patron of the arts, and in this city Beccadelli founded the academy Porticus Antoniana , later known as the Accademia Pontaniana , after Giovanni Pontano . In Naples, Beccadelli began
589-529: The fifteenth century under the direction of the architect Giovan Filippo de Adinolfo , and sold at the end of the seventeenth century to Giacomo Capece Galeota. A marble plaque on the Via Puglia in Palermo reads: IN QUESTO CHE FU ANTICO PALAZZO DE' BECCADELLI BOLOGNA NACQUE DI QUELLA STIRPE ANTONIO DETTO IL PANORMITA ONORE DI SUA CITTÀ E D'ITALIA NEL XV SECOLO In English: "In this (building), which
620-447: The king's eldest child, Maria was granted the title of Princess of Asturias , the title reserved for the first-in-line to the throne. Her father had her formally recognised as heiress presumptive at the Cortes of Toledo on 6 January 1402. At the same time, she was betrothed to her first cousin, Alfonso , the son of her paternal uncle Ferdinand , as a way to strengthen her status. However,
651-400: The meddlesome John would prove problematic and pertinent to Maria's regency. Maria had a delicate health; it is possible that she had epilepsy . A bout of smallpox left her permanently scarred and unattractive. She did not have her first menstrual period until she was sixteen and the consummation of the marriage had to be delayed; the couple would have no children. Her marriage was simply
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#1732837014563682-437: The public eye only when the queen mother's health began deteriorating. In 1420, Alfonso left Aragon to pursue his claim to the throne of Naples. He was unwilling to leave the regency to any of his ambitious and untrustworthy brothers who almost caused war between Castile and Aragon on several occasions. Instead, he declared Maria his regent. Before departing, he issued a document granting her authority second only to his own and
713-441: The reign of her spouse, as he was absent during most of his reign; those regencies lasted between 1420 and 1423 and between 1432 and 1458. She was also briefly Princess of Asturias in her own right as the heiress presumptive to the throne of Castile. She succeeded her father, Henry III of Castile , as Princess of Asturias in 1402. Maria was the eldest child of King Henry III of Castile and Catherine of Lancaster . Her godmother
744-640: The right to govern as if she were him. As the King was absent from Aragon almost his entire reign, the Queen was the de facto ruler of the kingdom, holding the formal title of lieutenant-general. While her personal retinue included many Castilians, Maria strategically appointed only Aragonese to the offices during her regency, which contributed to her popularity and the smooth functioning of her court. Her first tenure as regent lasted from 1420 until 1423, and her second from 1432 until her husband's death in 1458. As such, she
775-533: Was forced to handle the conflicts with the burghers and the peasants which broke out during her husband's reign. When Alfonso was captured after his defeat at Ponza in Italy in 1435, she organised the funds to pay his release. On one occasion, Queen Maria of Aragon and Queen Maria of Castile, the two cousins and sisters-in-law, mediated the peace treaty between Aragon and Castile in Valladolid on behalf of their husbands; it
806-434: Was her mother's aunt, Maria de Ayala , a nun and illegitimate daughter of King Peter of Castile . She grew up in an entirely Castilian household in which she lived until her marriage, which was unusual for a royal daughter destined to marry a foreign prince. Her education was supervised by the great steward, Pedro González de Mendoza , while her governess was Inés de Ayala y Toledo , 3rd Lady de Casarrubios del Monte. As
837-412: Was not an option and the couple remained together out of convenience. Less than one year later, on 1 April 1416, King Ferdinand I died, leaving the crown to Maria's husband and making her Queen of Aragon. Illness prevented her from attending both her father-in-law's and her mother's funeral. Like all queens of Aragon except for only five (her mother-in-law included), Maria was never crowned queen. There
868-490: Was not formalised until she was seven, but it had been reconfirmed by King Henry III's last will and testament. By the same arrangement, Maria's brother John was to marry Alfonso's sister Maria and Maria's sister Catherine was to marry Alfonso's brother Henry . The marriage of Maria and Alfonso was celebrated in the Cathedral of Valencia on 12 June 1415. The couple was wedded by Antipope Benedict XIII who had also provided
899-522: Was restored by decree on February 19, 1944. Benedetto Croce was the President of the Academy from 1917 to 1923. Today the activities of the Accademia Pontaniana includes meetings, reports and competitions. It has five divisions: Each class is composed of 20 regular members resident in Naples, 10 ordinary members and 20 foreign corresponding members. The Academy publishes many series, including
930-526: Was the ancient palace of the Bologna De'Beccadelli family, was born of that family Antonio, called "the Palermitan" (the one from Palermo), the pride of his city and of Italy, in the 15th century." Mar%C3%ADa de Castilla Maria of Castile (14 September 1401 – 4 September 1458) was Queen of Aragon and Naples as the spouse of Alfonso V of Aragon . Maria acted twice as the regent of Aragon during
961-585: Was the interest of Milan not to prevent the victory of the Aragonese party in Naples. Beccadelli, with his former connection to the Milanese court, played a role in these negotiations. Alfonso had been betrothed to María de Castilla (1401–1458; sister of Juan II of Castile ) in Valladolid in 1408; the marriage was celebrated in Valencia during 1415. They failed to produce children. At Naples, Alfonso fell in love with