Administration and Her Court
Joanna immersed herself fully in the running of her kingdom, and enjoyed every aspect of government. Although she was a fair and judicious ruler, no law or edict, however minor, was ever carried out without her personal approval and seal. According to Joanna's biographer Nancy Goldstone, shortly after her coronation, the Queen continued the Angevin tradition of constructing churches and other public edifices including hospitals, employing the use of celebrated artisans. She also invited the writer Petrarch to reside at her court as a means of maintaining the high level of culture for which the Angevin rulers in Naples were responsible for establishing. Unusual for the period, Joanna took a modern approach to public health care, ordering that the poor were to receive medical treatment free of charge. The medical profession expanded in Naples and additionally had a higher number of licensed female practioners than any other kingdom in Europe.
Joanna's reign was also marked by her support and protection of local businesses, the creation of new industry, and her refusal to debase the currency. Crime was greatly reduced and she was an ardent promoter of peace within her vast realm of which she expanded to briefly include Sicily and Piedmont.
Despite Joanna's deep spirituality and friendships with Catherine of Siena and Saint Bridget of Sweden, her court was notable for its extravagance with her collection of exotic animals and servants of various origins including Turkish, Saracen, and African.
The contemporary writer Giovanni Boccaccio has left us with the following description of Queen Joanna in his On Famous Women: "Joanna, queen of Sicily and Jerusalem, is more renowned than other woman of her time for lineage, power, and character". An unknown 14th-century poet paid homage to her in this poem:
"Queen Joanna,
Neither fat nor thin, her face an oval of harmonious art,
Well-favored with all of the divine virtues,
A gentle, gracious soul, generous and light of heart".
Extant images reveal her to have been blonde-haired and fair-skinned.
Read more about this topic: Joanna I Of Naples
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