Maria of Gaeta
Encyclopedia
Maria daughter of Pandulf IV of Capua
and Maria, was the wife (from before 1038) of Atenulf
, count of Aquino
, while her unnamed sister was the wife of Atenulf's brother Lando. According to Amatus of Montecassino
, Atenulf was consequently supported by Pandulf in taking the duchy of Gaeta
from Asclettin, Count of Aversa
, on the death of Ranulf Drengot in 1045.
Her eldest son was betrothed to a daughter of Richard I of Capua
in 1058, but died before the marriage could take place. Richard extorted the morgengab anyway and Gaeta became a feudatory of Capua
.
As senatrix and ducissa of Gaeta, Maria ruled as regent
for her and Atenulf's son Atenulf II
after her husband's death on 2 February 1062. On 1 June, a pact was confirmed between Maria and the counts of Traietto, Maranola, and Suio
. The allies were excluded from forming any pact with the Normans
and sworn to protect the territory of the Gaetan duchy. The treaty was finalised at Traietto and was to last for a year. The league was successful in preventing Richard of Capua from extending his conquests during the year. However, Richard skillfully negotiated to prevent a renewal of the pact and on 28 June 1063, he was in possession of Gaeta.
Maria allied with the counts of Traietto and Aquino, her sons Lando
and the aforementioned Atenulf, and with William of Montreuil
, who repudiated his wife in order to marry her, in late 1064. In February 1065, the revolted were put down by Richard of Capua and Maria and William were expelled from Gaeta. Richard offered to compensate her by marrying her to his son Jordan
.
Pandulf IV of Capua
Pandulf IV was the Prince of Capua on three separate occasions.From February 1016 to 1022 he ruled in association with his cousin Pandulf II. In 1018, the Byzantine catapan Boiannes destroyed the Lombard army of Melus of Bari and his Norman allies at Cannae...
and Maria, was the wife (from before 1038) of Atenulf
Atenulf I of Gaeta
Atenulf I was the Lombard count of Aquino who rose to become Duke of Gaeta in Southern Italy during the chaotic middle of the eleventh century....
, count of Aquino
Aquino
Aquino is a town and comune in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region of Italy, 12 km northwest of Cassino.-History:The ancient Aquinum was a municipium in the time of Cicero, and made a colony by the Triumviri...
, while her unnamed sister was the wife of Atenulf's brother Lando. According to Amatus of Montecassino
Amatus of Montecassino
Amatus of Montecassino , a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Montecassino is one of three Italo-Norman chroniclers, the others being William of Apulia and Goffredo Malaterra...
, Atenulf was consequently supported by Pandulf in taking the duchy of Gaeta
Duchy of Gaeta
The Duchy of Gaeta was an early medieval state centred on the coastal South Italian city of Gaeta. It began in the early ninth century as the local community began to grow autonomous as Byzantine power lagged in the Mediterranean and the peninsula thanks to Lombard and Saracen incursions.Our...
from Asclettin, Count of Aversa
Asclettin, Count of Aversa
Asclettin Drengot was the son of Asclettin, count of Acerenza, brother of Rainulf Drengot, whom he succeeded in the county of Aversa in 1045...
, on the death of Ranulf Drengot in 1045.
Her eldest son was betrothed to a daughter of Richard I of Capua
Richard I of Capua
Richard I Drengot was a count of Aversa and prince of Capua .He was the son of Asclettin, count of Acerenza, younger brother of Asclettin, count of Aversa, and nephew of Rainulf Drengot, the Norman adventurer who had first travelled to southern Italy in 1017 and progressed to set up the first...
in 1058, but died before the marriage could take place. Richard extorted the morgengab anyway and Gaeta became a feudatory of Capua
Principality of Capua
The Principality of Capua was a Lombard state in Southern Italy, usually de facto independent, but under the varying suzerainty of Western and Eastern Roman Empires. It was originally a gastaldate, then a county, within the principality of Salerno....
.
As senatrix and ducissa of Gaeta, Maria ruled as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for her and Atenulf's son Atenulf II
Atenulf II of Gaeta
Atenulf II was the duke of Gaeta for a brief two years under the regency of his mother, Maria. He was the son and successor of Atenulf I, who had been forced to recognise the suzerainty of the prince of Capua, Richard I, and his son Jordan in 1058.Atenulf I died on 2 February and on 1 June, Maria...
after her husband's death on 2 February 1062. On 1 June, a pact was confirmed between Maria and the counts of Traietto, Maranola, and Suio
Suio
Suio is a frazione of Castelforte, a municipality in southern Latium, central Italy.-Overview:It is located on the northernmost slopes of the Monti Aurunci, near the Garigliano river, and is composed of two villages: Suio Paese , situated on a hill with a medieval castle, and Forma di Suio, at the...
. The allies were excluded from forming any pact with the Normans
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...
and sworn to protect the territory of the Gaetan duchy. The treaty was finalised at Traietto and was to last for a year. The league was successful in preventing Richard of Capua from extending his conquests during the year. However, Richard skillfully negotiated to prevent a renewal of the pact and on 28 June 1063, he was in possession of Gaeta.
Maria allied with the counts of Traietto and Aquino, her sons Lando
Lando of Gaeta
Lando was the Duke of Gaeta briefly in 1064–1065. He was appointed by Richard I and Jordan I, co-princes of Capua, after the revolt of William of Montreuil, who attempted to repudiate Richard's daughter and marry Maria of Gaeta....
and the aforementioned Atenulf, and with William of Montreuil
William of Montreuil
William of Montreuil was an Italo-Norman freebooter of the mid-eleventh century. He was described by Amatus of Monte Cassino as an exceptional knight, small in stature, who was very robust, strong, valiant and by Orderic Vitalis as le Bon Normand, "the Good Norman."He was a son of the Guillaume...
, who repudiated his wife in order to marry her, in late 1064. In February 1065, the revolted were put down by Richard of Capua and Maria and William were expelled from Gaeta. Richard offered to compensate her by marrying her to his son Jordan
Jordan I of Capua
Jordan I , count of Aversa and prince of Capua from 1078 to his death, was the eldest son and successor of Prince Richard I of Capua and Fressenda, a daughter of Tancred of Hauteville and his second wife, also named Fressenda, and the nephew of Robert Guiscard, duke of Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily...
.
Sources
- Chalandon, FerdinandFerdinand ChalandonFerdinand Chalandon was a French medievalist and Byzantinist.Chalandon’s work remains the most substantial study of the Normans in Italy and though the details of what he wrote a hundred years ago have in places been modified, it remains the single most important work available to historians.Being...
. Histoire de la domination normande en Italie et en Sicilie. ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 1907. - Southern Italy.