Alfonso, to escape from his wife's
interference, turned his attention to foreign expeditions.
According to the authors of _L'Art de Verifier les Dates_,
Queen Mary never once set foot in Italy, and this statement
is borne out by Mariana, who shows that whilst Alfonso was
reigning in Naples his wife governed the kingdom of Aragon,
making war and signing truces and treaties of peace with
Castile. In the _Heptameron_, therefore, Margaret departs
from historical accuracy when she represents the Queen as
residing at Naples with her husband. Moreover, judging by
the date of Mary's marriage, she could no longer have been
young when Alfonso secured the Neapolitan throne. It is to
be presumed that the Queen of Navarre designedly changed the
date of her story, and that the incidents referred to really
occurred in Spain prior to Alfonso's departure for Italy.
There is no mention of Mary in her husband's will, a
remarkable document which is still extant.
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