The guards ushered in a young woman, tall, and of dark complexion. Kneeling, she offered King Friedrich a letter. It read:
“Charles d’Anjou, by the grace of God, King of Naples and Jerusalem, Prince of Achaea and Durazzo, Duke of Apulia, Calabria, Anjou and Provence, et cetera, to Friedrich IV von Wettin, King of Trinacria, Margrave of Meissen, Duke of Swabia, et cetera.
For a long time – since your conquest of Trinacria, and marriage to its Queen – there has existed great enmity and hatred between the courts of Palermo and Naples. However, it is not to the past that we must look and ponder, but to the future.
We have heard much of your prowess, which is such that you are called ‘the Warlike’. And we have studied your worthy claims, to the patrimony of Swabia, and to the Imperial throne – yes, indeed we would not be surprised to hear of the Electors choosing a Wettin over a Luxembourg, when the time comes.
Having considered all this, I have begun to contemplate the beneficial effects that would result from an alliance between the courts of Palermo and Naples. You will, no doubt, be aware that Louis of Anjou has seized the lands of Provence, and seeks to dethrone me as king here in Naples. As aforementioned, we have considered worthy your claim to be the legitimate heir of the Hohenstaufens, and I know that by this you consider the crown of Jerusalem rightfully yours. Whilst in the past, we the King jealously guarded our rights to the latter crown, the title and its claims have become empty and meaningless to us, and we would happily consider transferring all of our rights to it over to your personage, and your heirs, as part of this proposed alliance .
Furthermore, I wish to remind you that Louis of Anjou does not merely claim the crown of Naples and Jerusalem; no, for he also uses the style ‘King of Sicily’, in clear opposition of your rule, and that of your Queen. And know that he is supported in this by the Bishop of Avignon, despite of your wife’s loyalty to him. Whilst I detest the Bishop of Avignon, and serve the one true Pope in Rome, I am also a man of the world, and I know that such matters of religion do not matter overmuch to you, and that you do not owe allegiance to Rome. However, your wife is the ardent child of Avignon, and by your union you have become one flesh, therefore it is reasonable that you may one day become a child of Avignon also. When that day comes, I believe it would be most helpful to both of us if you could use your own, and your wife’s great influence upon the Bishop of Avignon to abandon his support of that usurper of Anjou, and recognise you and Maria as the only rightful sovereigns of Trinacria. For it is by the same descent from a daughter of Naples that Louis of Anjou claims the throne of Naples, and the throne of Trinacria; thus, the loss of his claims to Trinacria, mean the immediate loss of any potential claim also to Naples.
It is because of this that we seek your friendship, and that of your Queen. You may ask, What does the House of Wettin have to gain by this alliance? My answer is, The full and continual support, both diplomatically and militarily, of the Kingdom of Naples for the House of Wettin, in both the Empire and the Mediterranean, should you, your Queen, or your heirs seek to pursue your claims in those places.
And now I come to the final, and most important, point of this correspondence. I do not know exactly to what extent you have knowledge of my court, but it has long been noted that my only legitimate son, and royal heir, Ladislaus, is a weak and sickly child, and may well not live to father heirs. In this instance, which to me and my advisors seems highly probable, the crown will devolve upon my daughter, the princess Joanna. Unlike her brother, she is a healthy and strong child, sharp and clever. As Queen of Naples, she will require a strong and powerful husband, and it is to this effect that I seek the hand of your younger brother, the duke of Noto, for her husband; this way, I will also be able to see the succession to my throne fully secure before my own death.
You are an infamously shrewd and prudent man, and I hope that you will not pass up this opportunity of securing a throne for your own brother, as you have done for yourself; otherwise, after my death, it would be most unfortunate for you or your successor for the throne of Naples to pass to some other candidate for Joanna’s hand, in case he or his heirs become hostile to von Wettin interests.
By his own hand,
Charles, King of Naples, et cetera."
