Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 04.djvu/148

LEFT TERDINAND 118 FEBDINAND olutionary movements, set afloat by the secret Carbonari, compelled the estab- lishment of a constitution against the advice and interests of Austria, Russia, and Prussia; the first named power marched an army across the Po, defeated the Neapolitan army, and occupied Naples. Ferdinand who, refusing to sanction the liberal declarations of his subjects, had quitted his capital, was then re-established, and ruled thencefor- ward with absolute power. He died in Naples, Jan. 4, 1825. Ferdinand II. of the Two Sicilies (surnamed Bomba, from his bombarding Palermo and other cities during an in- surrection), son of Francis I. of Naples, by Isabella of Spain; born in Palermo, Sicily, Jan. 10, 1810; succeeded his father in 1830. His reign was marked by un- bridled tyranny and frequent insurrec- tion of the oppressed people. In 1848, when half the thrones in Europe were trembling in the balance, Sicily burst out into open rebellion. Naples followed suit and Ferdinand was compelled to summon a parliament, and take oath to adopt and maintain a constitution. After succeeding in suppressing the Neapolitan revolt, Ferdinand, in 1849, dissolved the parliament, and violated his oath by an- nulling the constitution. After succeed- ing in subjugating Sicily, his tyranny knew neither bounds nor sense of com- mon decency. Even the most absolute of European sovereigns condemned his rule and grave remonstrances were addressed to him at the Congress of Paris in 1856. These proving unavailing, France and England proceeded in the same year to recall their ambassadors, and suspended all diplomatic intercourse. He died in Naples, May 22, 1859. KINGS OF PORTUGAL Ferdinand I.; born about 1345; suc- ceeded his father Pedro I., in 1367. On the death of Peter the Cruel, King of Castile, he assumed the latter title, which produced a war between him and Henry of Transtamara, who ravaged Portugal, and forced Ferdinand to make peace and marry his daughter. This marriage he afterward disowned, and entered into an alliance with John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who laid claim to the Cas- tilian throne. This war proved very dis- astrous to the Portuguese, and Ferdi- nand was obliged to sue for peace. An- other war was entered into in which he was supported by the English, and was for a time successful, but was at last under the necessity of making peace. He died in 1383. Ferdinand, infant of Portugal, son of John I.; passed into Africa, at the age of 14, to attack the Moors, and laid siege to Tangier. He was, however, made prisoner by the Moors, and spent the remainder of his life in captivity, dying of chagrin, 1443. kings OF SPAIN Ferdinand I., King of Castile and Leon, called the Great, second son of Sancho III., King of Navarre; born about 1000. By the death of Bermudo, in 1037, he became King of Leon. He then made war against the Moors, from whom he took several cities, and pushed his conquests as far as Portugal. He next declared war against his brother, Garcias III., King of Navarre, in which that prince lost his kingdom and his life. He died in Leon, Spain, Dec. 27, 1065. Ferdinand XL, son of Alphonso VII. King of Leon and Castile, gained great advantages over the Portuguese, and made their king, Alphonso Henriquez, prisoner, whom he used with moderation. In the reign of this prince the military order of St. James was instituted, for the purpose of defending the dominions of the Christian powers against the Saracens. Ferdinand III., surnamed The Saint, son of Alphonso IX.; born about 1200. He obtained the crown of Castile by the abdication of his mother, Berengaria, in 1217, and that of Leon by the death of his father in 1230. He took many places from the Moors; but while he was pro- jecting an expedition against Morocco, died. He_ was canonized by Pope Clement X., and is regarded as the founder of the University of Salamanca. He died in Seville, Spain, May 30, 1252. Ferdinand IV., son of Sancho IV.; born in Seville, in 1285, succeeded to the throne of Castile in 1295, at the age of 10 years, under the guardianship of his mother, who governed the kingdom with great prudence. In 1309 Gibraltar was taken from the Moors by the Spaniards. This prince, in a fit of anger, caused two noblemen to be precipitated from a high rock. Just before undergoing this fate, they told him that he would appear be- fore God in 30 hours from that time. Their prediction was verified, and thence he obtained the name of the "Sum- moned." He died in 1312. Ferdinand V., called The Catholic, son of John II., King of Navarre and Aragon; born in Soz, Spain, March 10, 1452. He married, in 1469, the Princess Isabella of Castile, in whose right he succeeded on the death of her brother, Henry IV., to the throne of Castile. A rival claimant, Joanna, was supported by Alfonso, King of Portugal, who invaded Leon, and was defeated by Ferdinand at Toro, in 1476. Three years later Ferdinand succeeded his father in the