Louis II, Count of Montpensier
The eldest son of Gilbert of Bourbon and Clara Gonzaga, Louis inherited the County of Montpensier upon the death of his father in 1496.
At the advent of Louis XII's reign in 1498, Montpensier involved himself in a dispute with the senior branch of the Bourbon's over their right to transmit the inheritance of their lands to a female heir, Suzanne.
He played a role in the capture and sack of Capua, the brutality of which would earn it an infamous reputation in the history of the Italian Wars.
[12][13] With Montpensier opposing the rights of the duc de Bourbon and duchesse de Bourbon to dispose of their lands to their daughter Suzanne, the family betrothed their daughter to the scion of the Valois-Alençon family, the duc d'Alençon, in the presence of Louis XII at Moulins in 1500 or 1501 (Crouzet says the former, David-Chapy the latter), according to Crouzet this was a form of retaliation against the head of the house of Bourbon-Montpensier for his attempts to frustrate their succession plans.
[7] The historian David-Chapy diverges from Crouzet's interpretation, arguing that the duc de Bourbon's favour towards the Alençon match derived from strategic considerations.
David-Chapy highlights that this latter match was a far more threatening prospect for the French king Louis, as it would consolidate a large swath of territory in the core of the kingdom.
It was for this very reason that the duchesse desired to see her daughter wed to the comte de Montpensier, through whom the strength of the house of Bourbon could be ensured.
[16] Montpensier was in opposition to this measure of the kings, and tried to oppose the registration of the act in the parlement (the highest sovereign court of France).
[17] That same year, Montpensier launched a claim against the senior branch of the house of Bourbon, in which he argued that he was their rightful heir, as opposed to their daughter Suzanne.
In his appearance before the parlement he declared that engaging in a legal fight with the duc de Bourbon was something that set him ill at ease.
[18] On 1 October 1500, Montpensier made a request of the marquis of Mantua, his maternal uncle, begging him to release the poet de Nesson from his captivity.
[24][22] It is likely this deal was not intended to be a permanent one, the arrangements making no mention of the provinces of Capitanata and Basilicata and involving complicated mandate for the equal share of royal revenues.
This Bull stated that the king of Naples, Federigo, was deposed, and the French and Aragonese sovereigns were invested with their respective titles and territories.
It was under the command of the seigneur d'Aubigny (lord of Aubigny) and according to Shaw contained around 1,000 lances (the squads that supported a man-at-arms) and 7,000 infantry, much of which was French.
[25] In early July, the Spanish commander Gonzalo de Córdoba landed unopposed in Calabria to secure the territories allotted to the Aragonese.
This method of service was ill used, last having seen employment in the fourteenth century, and Federigo was only able to count on around 6,000 infantry, 700 men-at-arms and 500 light horse.
Federigo charged the former with the defence of Capua which he was to guard with a large portion of the Napoli army, including some forces Fabrizio had brought down from the Papal States.
[29] Shaw holds the timeline a little differently, stating that the garrison of the fortress of Castelnuovo surrendered to the French on 2 August, and that the commander d'Aubigny entered Naples after this.
