Loritello
Encyclopedia
Loritello was an Italo-Norman
county along the Adriatic north of the Gargano
. It was carved out of the eastern seaboard of the Principality of Benevento following the Battle of Civitate
in 1053 by members of the Hauteville family
. The last Count of Loritello died in 1184 and the title was never revived.
Geoffrey of Hauteville
, a younger brother of Humphrey
, Count of Apulia, began the conquest of what would become Loritello when he attacked the Lombard
county of Larino
and captured the castle of Morrone
in Samnium Guillamatum
. In 1061, Geoffrey's son Robert
too the title primo comiti de Loritello: first count of Loritello. Robert continued expanding his county by conquering the county of Teate (modern Chieti
), with which he invested his brother Drogo, and attacking Ortona
, which was to become the chief objective of the count's latter career. Robert was at odds with the church, whose Papal States
neighboured Loritello. In 1080, Robert counted men, both Lombard and Norman, as far as the river Pescara
as his vassals and Pope Gregory VII
, concluding a truce with Robert's overlord, Robert Guiscard
, recognised Loritello as Robert's and requested that papal lands be treated with respect.
In the early twelfth century, Loritello was extended across the Fortore
to include Bovino
and Dragonara. Robert' successors, Robert II
and William
, allied themselves with the Church and the Empire
and opposed their own overlords, for which reasons Loritello was confiscated. It remained a part of the royal demesne of the Kingdom of Sicily
until William the Bad
granted it to Robert of Bassunvilla
in 1154.
Under Robert III, Loritello enjoined near complete autonomy from royal officials and the counts retained the right to administer justic (justiciaria). The power of the county peaked during the regency of William the Good
, but afterwards declined and when Robert III died in 1184, the county was not regranted.
Italo-Norman
The Italo-Normans, or Siculo-Normans when referring to Sicily, were the Italian-born descendants of the first Norman conquerors to travel to the southern Italy in the first half of the eleventh century...
county along the Adriatic north of the Gargano
Gargano
Gargano is a historical and geographical Italian sub-region situated in Apulia, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming the backbone of the Gargano Promontory projecting into the Adriatic Sea. The high point is Monte Calvo at . Most of the upland...
. It was carved out of the eastern seaboard of the Principality of Benevento following the Battle of Civitate
Battle of Civitate
The Battle of Civitate was fought on 18 June 1053 in Southern Italy, between the Normans, led by the Count of Apulia Humphrey of Hauteville, and a Swabian-Italian-Lombard army, organised by Pope Leo IX and led on the battlefield by Gerard, Duke of Lorraine, and Rudolf, Prince of Benevento...
in 1053 by members of the Hauteville family
Hauteville family
The family of the Hauteville was a petty baronial Norman family from the Cotentin which rose to prominence in Europe, Asia, and Africa through its conquests in the Mediterranean, especially Southern Italy and Sicily...
. The last Count of Loritello died in 1184 and the title was never revived.
Geoffrey of Hauteville
Geoffrey of Hauteville
Geoffrey of Hauteville was a Norman military leader, the second youngest son of Tancred of Hauteville by his first wife Muriella. He joined his brothers in the Mezzogiorno around 1053, arriving with his half-brothers Mauger and William...
, a younger brother of Humphrey
Humphrey of Hauteville
Humphrey of Hauteville , surnamed Abagelard, was the Count of Apulia and Calabria from 1051 to his death.Humphrey was probably the youngest son of Tancred of Hauteville by his first wife Muriel. Some sources make Geoffrey and Serlo his younger brothers...
, Count of Apulia, began the conquest of what would become Loritello when he attacked the Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
county of Larino
Larino
Larino is a town and comune of approximately 8,200 inhabitants in Molise, province of Campobasso, southern Italy. It is located in the fertile valley of the Biferno River....
and captured the castle of Morrone
Morrone
Morrone is a Scottish hill immediately southwest of the village of Braemar in Aberdeenshire.- Geography and topography :The hill reaches a height of 859 metres and qualifies as a Corbett and a Marilyn, although with a topographic prominence of 155 metres, it only just meets the prominence...
in Samnium Guillamatum
Samnium
Samnium is a Latin exonym for a region of south or south and central Italy in Roman times. The name survives in Italian today, but today's territory comprising it is only a small portion of what it once was. The populations of Samnium were called Samnites by the Romans...
. In 1061, Geoffrey's son Robert
Robert I of Loritello
Robert I was an Italo-Norman nobleman, the eldest son of Geoffrey of Hauteville, one of the elder sons of Tancred of Hauteville. He was the first count of Loritello in 1061....
too the title primo comiti de Loritello: first count of Loritello. Robert continued expanding his county by conquering the county of Teate (modern Chieti
Chieti
Chieti is a city and comune in Central Italy, 200 km northeast of Rome. It is the capital of the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region...
), with which he invested his brother Drogo, and attacking Ortona
Ortona
Ortona is a coastal town and municipality of the Province of Chieti in the Italian region of Abruzzo, with some 23,000 inhabitants.Ortona was the site of fierce fighting between German and Canadian forces during the Italian campaign in World War II...
, which was to become the chief objective of the count's latter career. Robert was at odds with the church, whose Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
neighboured Loritello. In 1080, Robert counted men, both Lombard and Norman, as far as the river Pescara
Pescara
Pescara is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. As of January 1, 2007 it was the most populated city within Abruzzo at 123,059 residents, 400,000 with the surrounding metropolitan area...
as his vassals and Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII
Pope St. Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal...
, concluding a truce with Robert's overlord, Robert Guiscard
Robert Guiscard
Robert d'Hauteville, known as Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, from Latin Viscardus and Old French Viscart, often rendered the Resourceful, the Cunning, the Wily, the Fox, or the Weasel was a Norman adventurer conspicuous in the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily...
, recognised Loritello as Robert's and requested that papal lands be treated with respect.
In the early twelfth century, Loritello was extended across the Fortore
Fortore
The Fortore is a river which flows through the provinces of Benevento, Campobasso and Foggia in southern Italy. It has a length of 110 km....
to include Bovino
Bovino
Bovino is a comune and hilltop town at the foot of the Irpinia mountains in the province of Foggia, in the region of Apulia/Puglia.Bovino is currently a member of the Italy's Most Beautiful Villages Club.- History :...
and Dragonara. Robert' successors, Robert II
Robert II of Loritello
Robert II was the son and successor of Count Robert I of Loritello. His father died in 1107. He married his second cousin Adelaide, a daughter of Roger II of Sicily and Elvira of Castile. They had a son, named William, who succeeded him....
and William
William of Loritello
William was an Italo-Norman nobleman, the son and successor of Count Robert II of Loritello in 1137.He reigned only briefly, because, immediately after his succession, the Emperor Lothair II descended the peninsula to fight the royal pretensions of Roger II of Sicily in the Mezzogiorno. On the...
, allied themselves with the Church and the Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and opposed their own overlords, for which reasons Loritello was confiscated. It remained a part of the royal demesne of the Kingdom of Sicily
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
until William the Bad
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...
granted it to Robert of Bassunvilla
Robert III of Loritello
Robert II of Bassunvilla was the count of Conversano and Loritello . His family had a long history in Vassonville, near Dieppe....
in 1154.
Under Robert III, Loritello enjoined near complete autonomy from royal officials and the counts retained the right to administer justic (justiciaria). The power of the county peaked during the regency of William the Good
William II of Sicily
William II , called the Good, was king of Sicily from 1166 to 1189. William's character is very indistinct. Lacking in military enterprise, secluded and pleasure-loving, he seldom emerged from his palace life at Palermo. Yet his reign is marked by an ambitious foreign policy and a vigorous diplomacy...
, but afterwards declined and when Robert III died in 1184, the county was not regranted.
Counts of Loritello
| Year(s) | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1061-1107 | Robert I of Loritello Robert I of Loritello Robert I was an Italo-Norman nobleman, the eldest son of Geoffrey of Hauteville, one of the elder sons of Tancred of Hauteville. He was the first count of Loritello in 1061.... |
first Count of Loritello |
| 1107-1137 | Robert II of Loritello Robert II of Loritello Robert II was the son and successor of Count Robert I of Loritello. His father died in 1107. He married his second cousin Adelaide, a daughter of Roger II of Sicily and Elvira of Castile. They had a son, named William, who succeeded him.... |
son of Robert I |
| 1137 | William of Loritello William of Loritello William was an Italo-Norman nobleman, the son and successor of Count Robert II of Loritello in 1137.He reigned only briefly, because, immediately after his succession, the Emperor Lothair II descended the peninsula to fight the royal pretensions of Roger II of Sicily in the Mezzogiorno. On the... |
son of Robert II |
| 1137-1154 | none | |
| 1154-1182/4 | Robert III of Loritello Robert III of Loritello Robert II of Bassunvilla was the count of Conversano and Loritello . His family had a long history in Vassonville, near Dieppe.... (also known as Robert II of Bassunvilla) |
not related to the previous counts |
Source
- Matthew, Donald. The Norman Kingdom of Sicily (Cambridge Medieval Textbooks), 1992.
- History of the Norman World.