He did so with support from his distant relative Ferdinand II of Aragon, who as ruler of the neighbouring Kingdom of Sicily viewed French expansion in Southern Italy as a threat.

Based on the previous administrative structure, Ferdinand argued the first two belonged to Calabria while the third was part of Apulia, and thus fell within his sphere of control, a claim disputed by the French.

[6] The agreement was severely criticised by contemporaries like Niccolò Machiavelli and modern historians, who argue Ferdinand had already agreed to remain neutral in the 1499 Treaty of Marcoussis.

Much of the town was destroyed, women subjected to mass rape and sold into slavery, while estimates of the dead ranged from 2,000 to 4,000, actions that caused consternation throughout Italy.

In late 1502, minor skirmishes between the two sides led to full scale war; by the end of 1503, the French had been expelled from Naples once again and Ferdinand took control of the whole kingdom.