Ferdinand I of Naples Was a Jerk to His Foes
Ferdinand I of Naples was not one to forgive and forget. As one historian put it: “his pleasures were of two kinds: he liked to have his opponents near him, either alive in well-guarded prisons, or dead and embalmed, dressed in the costume which they wore in their lifetime“. In 1465, Ferdinand defeated some rebellious barons. In the guise of forgiveness, he invited several former foes and their families to a celebration, then arrested them when they showed up. Some were imprisoned for decades, and others were killed.
One victim fell to his death after Ferdinand pushed him out of a window. One might think that nobody who had ever angered Ferdinand would accept an invitation from him again. Not so. On another occasion, some who had offended Ferdinand attended a wedding celebration at the king’s residence, the Castel Nouvou. At the height of the merriment, they were suddenly arrested, and whisked to the dungeons for torture, a death sentence after a quick trial, and execution. As seen below, he liked to put his enemies’ corpses on display.
