Andrew count of Rupecanina, was a Norman

Normans

The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...

 nobleman of the Mezzogiorno

Mezzogiorno

The Midday is a wide definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the southern half of the Italian state, encompassing the southern section of the continental Italian Peninsula and the two major islands of Sicily and Sardinia, in addition to a large number of minor islands...

. He was a longtime adversary of the royal power.

On 22 July 1138, Pope Innocent II

Pope Innocent II

Pope Innocent II , born Gregorio Papareschi, was pope from 1130 to 1143, and was probably one of the clergy in personal attendance on the antipope Clement III .-Early years:...

 and his supporters, Robert II of Capua

Robert II of Capua

Robert II was the count of Aversa and the prince of Capua from 1127 until his death .He was the only son and successor of Jordan II of Capua...

 and Richard of Rupecanina, were ambushed at Galluccio

Galluccio

Galluccio is a comune in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about 60 km northwest of Naples and about 45 km northwest of Caserta.-History:...

. Innocent was captured, but Robert and Richard escaped to Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, where they were received by King Conrad III

Conrad III of Germany

Conrad III was the first King of Germany of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. He was the son of Frederick I, Duke of Swabia, and Agnes, a daughter of the Salian Emperor Henry IV.-Life and reign:...

. Frederick Barbarossa succeeded Conrad in 1152 and, at the Diet of Würzburg, with the Normans present, decided to fulfill the dreams of the Emperor Lothair II and bring all Italy to heel. By the time he was ready to cross the Alps

Alps

The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....

, Richard had died and was succeeded, formally, by his son Andrew, raised since childhood in Germany, at the imperial court.

After Barbarossa's imperial coronation on 18 June 1155, the Germans returned to their homes and the three Normans, still in rebellion, Robert of Capua, Andrew, and Robert of Loritello continued on. On the false report that William I of Sicily

William I of Sicily

William I , called the Bad or the Wicked, was the second king of Sicily, ruling from his father's death in 1154 to his own...

 was dead, the three entered the Campania

Campania

Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...

 and successfully recovered all of their lands. But in May 1156, William countered. He defeated the rebels at Bari

Bari

Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...

 by the treason of Richard of Aquila. William then moved on Benevento

Benevento

Benevento is a town and comune of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, 50 km northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill 130 m above sea-level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino and Sabato...

, where Pope Adrian IV

Pope Adrian IV

Pope Adrian IV , born Nicholas Breakspear or Breakspeare, was Pope from 1154 to 1159.Adrian IV is the only Englishman who has occupied the papal chair...

 was sheltered by Robert of Militello and Andrew.

In June 1156, an agreement was reached between king and pope—the so-called Treaty of Benevento

Treaty of Benevento

The Treaty of Benevento was an important treaty between the papacy of Adrian IV and the Norman Kingdom of Sicily. After years of turbulent relations, the popes finally settled down to a peace with the Hauteville kings....

—whereby Robert of Loritello and Andrew, among others, were granted exile. Nonetheless, after withdrawing to the Abruzzi, Andrew rejoined Robert in returning to Apulia. He invaded Capua

Capua

Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...

 and Fondi

Fondi

Fondi is a city and comune in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy, halfway between Rome and Naples. Before the construction of the highway between the latter cities in the late 1950s, Fondi had been an important settlement on the Roman Via Appia, which was the main connection from Rome to...

 in 1157. The Byzantine army

Byzantine army

The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces, serving alongside the Byzantine navy. A direct descendant of the Roman army, the Byzantine army maintained a similar level of discipline, strategic prowess and organization...

 left, but the pope sent reinforcements. At San Germano, now re-named Cassino

Cassino

Cassino is a comune in the province of Frosinone, Italy, at the southern end of the region of Lazio.Cassino is located at the foot of Monte Cairo near the confluence of the Rapido and Liri rivers...

, in January 1158, Andrew defeated the royal troops.

Andrew abandoned his newfound hold over Montecassino to defend his city of Ancona

Ancona

Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....

 from Reginald of Dassel and Otto of Wittelsbach

Otto of Wittelsbach

-People:*Otto IV, Count of Wittelsbach , father of Otto I of Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria*Otto I of Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria *Otto VIII...

, generals of Barbarossa besieging the city. Peace was made before Spring was out and Andrew accompanied Reginald and Otto north to Milan

Milan

Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

 and joined the ongoing siege under Barbarossa's command. He continued there until 7 September, when the city fell.

In 1161, Andrew rejoined Robert of Loritello again in rebellion against King William. The rebels burnt Butera

Butera

Butera is an Italian town and comune in the province of Caltanissetta, in the southwestern part of the island of Sicily. It is bounded by the comuni of Gela, Licata, Mazzarino, Ravanusa and Riesi. It has population of 5,063 and is far from Caltanissetta, the province's capital....

 but were forced to abandon their cause by the king's personal intervention. Andrew fled to Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 to beg for men and money but received none, for peace was established between Palermo and Byzantium. Andrew only reappears in 1167 assisted by Christian of Buch with imperial troops to repossess his fiefs, including Ancona. He failed. He was present at the Battle of Monte Porzio

Battle of Monte Porzio

The Battle of Monte Porzio was fought on 29 May 1167 between the Holy Roman Empire and the Commune of Rome...

 according to Romuald of Salerno.

Sources

• Matthew, Donald. The Norman Kingdom of Sicily. Cambridge University Press
  Cambridge University Press
  Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
  
  : 1992.