He was born in Brignoles, Provence, (or in Italy, at Nocera, where he spent a part of his early life), the second son of Charles of Anjou "the Lame" and Maria Arpad of Hungary,[REF] daughter of King Stephen V of Hungary.
When Charles II of Naples was taken prisoner in Italy, during the war with King Peter III of Aragon that followed the Sicilian Vespers, he obtained his own freedom by giving over his three sons as hostages [REF].