The Union of Aix, founded in 1382, was a confederation of cities of Provence. It supported the party of Charles of Durazzo against the Capetian Louis I, Duke of Anjou during the unrest that followed the capture and death of Queen Joanna I of Naples, Countess of Provence. The resultant civil war finally ended in the defeat of the Union of Aix and the recognition of Louis II of Anjou as Count of Provence, along with the cession of Nice to Savoy. Background The childless Joan, Queen of Naples and Countess of Provence, designated her cousin, Charles of Durazzo, as her heir in 1370. However, she soon alienated him by marrying Otto, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, thus also making an enemy of Louis I of Hungary, the ally and overlord of Charles, who governed Croatia. As a result, she turned to Louis of Anjou, the powerful son of the King of France, whom she secretly adopted in exchange for military assistance. The news of this event escaped authorized circles quickly and arrived at Tarascon on 22 October 1380, where it caused worry among the Provençal lords, who had fought Louis in the past As the news reached Charles, he immediately descended on Naples with a Hungarian army reaching Rome on the 11th of November. Having misjudged the situation, Joan was left with no option but to fight. She called on her Provençal subjects and Louis I for help, but before they could arrive Charles had defeated Otto of Brunswick and taken Naples. Joan was imprisoned just as a fleet from Marseille arrived to relieve the city. Formation The Provençal cities gathered in response to these threats. Ignorant of the Queen's fate, they sent several embassies to Naples, but these were unsuccessful. The cities and towns of Provence, led by Aix, eventually organized into a union. When Louis travelled to Avignon to receive the allegiance of the Provençal lords, Aix refused. While some lords were willing to offer support for Louis, particularly Marseille and Arles, this was conditional on the rescue of Joan. As Louis marched south to rescue the Queen and take Naples at the head of a powerful army, Charles, who had been largely abandoned by his Hungarian allies, had her suffocated, but in such a way that suggested a natural death. On July 31, 1382, he had her remains transported to Santa Chiara so that they could be inspected