Alfonso II (1448-1495)

King of Naples 1494-95. He was the son of Ferrante I and Isabella of Naples. Widely regarded as cowardly and cruel, he was highly unpopular. He was involved in various Italian conflicts, defeating Florence at Poggio in 1479 and the Turks at Otranto in 1481. When Charles VIII of France was advancing on Naples in early 1495 Alfonso abdicated in favour of his son, Ferdinand II (1467-96).

Long before succeeding his father, Alfonso was associated with his father's misrule, for it was during his father's reign that Alfonso pursued his military exploits, as Duke of Calabria, fighting not only Florence and the Turks, but also Venice in 1484 and the Neopolital barons in 1486, suppressing them with characteristic cruelty. These engagements in Italian political struggles came about largely through his marriage to Ipolita, the sister of Lodovico Sforza of Milan, and also through his sister's marriage to Ercole d'Este of Ferrara.