v11_0794 - ITALY - SULMONA - CHARLES VIII Cavallo n.d. Sulmona

ITALY - SULMONA - CHARLES VIII

(1494-1498)

On the occasion of the death of the King of Naples Ferdinand of Aragon (died January 25, 1494), Charles VIII entered Italy in September in order to claim his succession. After crossing Italy without difficulty, he arrived in Naples on January 22, 1495. His solemn entry was celebrated on May 12, 1495 and Charles VIII was proclaimed King of Sicily and Jerusalem. On May 20 he left Naples, leaving behind a viceroy, a French coalition attacking French troops in northern Italy. Following the uprising of the Neapolitans, the French lost the city. Taranto was the last French place to fall, on February 25, 1497. The letters SMPE on the coins of Sulmona are taken from Ovid (Tristes, IV,10-3) "Sulmo mihi patria est" because the poet was from there.