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Ferdinand IV of Naples

Son of Charles III, he received the separate crowns of Naples and Sicily as a child in 1759. Revolutionary crises interrupted his control of the mainland; the two kingdoms were formally united in 1816.

1751 – 1825KingBourbon · ES
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This complete profile is available in English. Bibliographic titles retain their original language. Links marked ES open the Spanish edition.

Historical profile

Key details

Birth: 12 January 1751 Documented

Death: 4 January 1825 Documented

Role: King

Other recorded names: Fernando III de Sicilia · Fernando I de las Dos Sicilias

Dynasty: Bourbon · ES

Territories: Naples (ES) · Trinacria (ES)

Recorded governments and reigns
King · Naples · Reign Approximate1759–1805Effective ruleKingdom separate from Sicily; the short-lived republic of 1799 remains unresolved at annual scale.
King · Naples · Reign Pending review1806–1815TitularHe governed from Sicily while Naples was under Joseph Bonaparte and Joachim Murat.
King · Naples · Reign Pending review1815–1816Effective ruleRestoration before the formal union of the two kingdoms in 1816.
King · Trinacria · Reign Documented1759–1816Effective ruleKingdom legally distinct from Naples until the creation of the Two Sicilies in 1816.
Family network

Recorded relationships

Parents
Crowns and unions

Their titles over time

Follow the changing territories and offices of Ferdinand IV of Naples. Each title retains its own status.

Governments in 1759

  • Monarchy of Naples and Sicily2 titles and offices
    View titles and jurisdictions
    • Naples · ESKing · Effective rule1759–1805 · Kingdom separate from Sicily; the short-lived republic of 1799 remains unresolved at annual scale.
    • Trinacria · ESKing · Effective rule1759–1816 · Kingdom legally distinct from Naples until the creation of the Two Sicilies in 1816.

    Crowns united under Charles of Bourbon and his son Ferdinand. The two kingdoms retained their identities; the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, created in 1816, is not projected backwards. The Neapolitan Republic of 1799 retains its own territorial attribution. Source for this grouping

Annual dates: overlap within one year does not prove that two offices were held on the same day. Regencies and co-rulerships retain their labels.

How these titles came together
  1. 1759 · Naples · TrinacriaInheritance

    Charles of Bourbon ceded the kingdom to his son Ferdinand when he succeeded Ferdinand VI in Spain; Ferdinand was a minor and a regency council initially governed.

    Treccani · Fernando IV de Nápoles / III de Sicilia

Selected explained accessions. Other titles remain in the profile’s list of recorded governments.

Documentation

Sources for this profile

Biographical and contextual references in their original language. Sources and methodology.

Evidence for this profile

10 recorded claims · 2 without a claim-specific source. Context references do not by themselves verify every fact.

Dates (2/2 with a precise source)
Family and relationships (2/2 with a precise source)
Governments (2/4 with a precise source)
Successions (2/2 with a precise source)
Biographical and contextual references (7)
Editorial history
  • 2026-10-12 · Claim registry added; existing historical data kept. Specific sourcing remains to be reviewed.
  • 2026-10-08 · Claim registry added; existing historical data kept. Specific sourcing remains to be reviewed.
  • 2026-10-04 · Claim registry added; existing historical data kept. Specific sourcing remains to be reviewed.
  • 2026-10-04 · Claim registry added; existing historical data kept. Specific sourcing remains to be reviewed.
  • 2026-10-03 · Claim registry added; existing historical data kept. Specific sourcing remains to be reviewed.
  • 2026-09-30 · The duchy is limited to Dijon and Autun; each other fief now enters the map only under its dated ruler. John III of Namur and the Nevers/Rethel branch were added. The previous shape combined later counties and unrelated lands as if all belonged to the duchy from 1363.
  • 2026-09-28 · Claim registry added; existing historical data kept. Specific sourcing remains to be reviewed.

Keep exploring

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