Seniorectus was the Abbot of Montecassino in the early twelfth century.

Seniorectus was opposed to the policy of Roger II of Sicily

Roger II of Sicily

Roger II was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, later became Duke of Apulia and Calabria , then King of Sicily...

, who intended in the late summer of 1136 to establish a garrison in Montecassino under the chamberlain Joscelin and chancellor Guarin

Guarin

Guarin was the chaplain and chancellor of Roger II of Sicily from about 1130 to his death, during the first decade of the Norman kingdom of Sicily. According to Alexander of Telese, the contemporary chronicler, he was "erudite ... and most prudent in negotiations .....

, as defence against the invading armies of the Emperor Lothair II and Henry X of Bavaria. On 5 January 1137, Guarin demanded their assistance and when refused besieged the monastery in an attempt to seize its treasure and its walls. The abbot contracted an illness during the siege and died a few months later. While Parlamocchi places the rebellion of Seniorectus and the attempted garrisoning of Montecassino in 1134, this hypothesis is refuted by the presence of Joscelin in the chronicle of Peter the Deacon

Peter the Deacon

Peter the Deacon was the librarian of the abbey of Montecassino and continuator of the Chronicon Monasterii Casinensis, usually called the Montecassino Chronicle in English. The chronicle was originally written by Leo of Ostia...

: Joscelin being appointed chamberlain only in October 1135.

Sources

• Howe, John. Church Reform and Social Change in Eleventh-Century Italy: Dominic of Sora and his Patrons. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1997. Review
• Parlamocchi, Roberto. L'Abbazia di Montecassino e Conquista Normanna. Rome: Loescher, 1913. Review