The study attempts to show how the presence and writings of Antonio Beccadelli helped to transform the image of Alfonso IV of Aragon into the most admired and exalted sovereign and Patron of the Arts, Alfonso V the Magnanimous, King of Naples. The first chapter treats the historical, political, and religious conditions of Italy prior to Alfonso's conquest of Naples in 1442, especially from the Anjou period to the court of Robert The Wise, who started a tradition of literary and artistic Patronage in Naples. Chapter two examines the Neapolitan years of Alfonso, his judicial and administrative reforms as well as the King's relation with his subjects. Alfonso's humanistic court, the creation of his library, his passion for manuscripts and the works written in the King's honor represent the contents of the third chapter. Beccadelli's major work De dictis et factis Alphonsi Regis Aragonum is analyzed in Chapter Four with the purpose of showing the idealization of Alfonso's figure and the rapport between the author and his friend and royal protector. Additional elements, such as the Triumphal Arch, medals and coins showing Alfonso as a symbol of imperial glory are included in the fifth chapter to further validate the thesis's premise of Alfonso's transformation. Literary sources from the centuries following Alfonso's era illustrate the fame acquired in Spain and in Italy by the Aragonese sovereign, especially through the ever-increasing popularity of Beccadelli's Dictis et factis. In fact, the work was translated into several languages and excerpts of it were even incorporated in other collections of similar genre, for the transformation of Alfonso's image and his renown through the centuries that followed his death is indeed due exclusively to Antonio Beccadelli's book. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-02, Section: A, page: 0501. / Major Professor: David H. Darst. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1989.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_78175 |
| Contributors | Patrone, Nadia., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 202 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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