JOHN OF NAPLES AND PASTORAL CARE FOR THE DEAD AND DYING AT THE COURT OF ROBERT OF ANJOU

This paper explores how John of Naples, one of the most prominent theologians associated with the court of Robert of Anjou, was involved in the pastoral care of the dead and dying Neapolitan elite on both practical and theoretical levels. The first part of the paper surveys the evidence for John's connections with the court of Robert of Anjou, with particular attention to his appearances in the testaments of several important members of Robert's administration. The second part provides a brief overview of his funeral and memorial preaching for members of the Neapolitan royal family and aristocracy, highlighting references to testaments and the effectiveness of prayers for the dead.The third part examines a selection of discussions of testaments in his quodlibets. Some of John's quodlibetal questions on this subject were inspired by contemporary confessors' manuals, others perhaps by gaps in the pastoral literature. One may have originated from a written consultation, possibly in response to a question from Robert himself. John's activities as preacher and executor were limited to a local context, but some of his academic works had a lasting influence, since several of his questions about testaments were included in popular pastoral handbooks.