Louis and Joanna married in Naples on 22 August 1347, From early 1349 onwards, all documents for the kingdom were issued in the names of both husband and wife, and Louis was indisputably in control of military fortresses. Although he was not officially recognised by Clement as king and co-ruler until 1352, it is likely that Neapolitans considered him their monarch from the moment he started acting as such. Their younger daughter, Françoise, was born soon thereafter. Louis received Clement's formal recognition as his wife's co-ruler in all her realms on 20 Françoise, by then the couple's only surviving child, died on their coronation day. Louis founded the
Order of the Knot on the occasion of the coronation, most likely hoping to enhance the tarnished reputation he shared with Joanna. In 1356, they were crowned in
Messina as rulers of Sicily, but failed to capture the entire island, which had been seized from the House of Anjou by the
House of Barcelona in 1285 and thereafter ruled as a separate kingdom. The death of their supporter, Clement VI, was a blow to Louis and Joanna. His successor,
Innocent VI,
excommunicated them for failing to pay their annual tribute to the
Holy See. The issue was resolved by a visit to Avignon in 1360. Louis' attempt in 1360 to dethrone
Frederick the Simple and regain Sicily ended in a failure, though he did manage to occupy much of the island (including
Palermo, the capital) before its barons rebelled. At home, he faced opposition from his and his wife's cousins, the
House of Anjou-Durazzo, who strongly resented his dominance, with
Louis of Gravina stirring revolts in
Apulia. == Death and legacy ==