Richard I of Capua

Richard of Capua (also: Richard of Aversa, Richard Drengot, † April 5, 1078 ) was a Norman prince in southern Italy, Count of Aversa ( 1049-1078 ) and Prince of Capua ( 1059-1078 ).

Life

Richard appeared in 1046, the same year as Robert de Hauteville, in southern Italy.

Amatus of Montecassino writes of him: " At this time Richard came into the country, Asclettins son, shapely and noble, proud stature, young, fresh and radiant beauty, so that all who saw him had to love him. "

Compared to other new arrivals from the beginning both had certain advantages. Richard was a son of the elder Asclettin, enter the Italian soil as one of the first Normans and the county Acerenza had been awarded in Melfi.

Count of Aversa

Already in 1030 was Richard's uncle Rainulf I., father's brother, IV of Sergius, Duke of Naples ( 1002-1036 ), was invested with the county of Aversa.

Richards older brother Asclettin the Younger followed his uncle in 1045 as Count of Aversa, but died in the same year. After his death was another nephew Rainulfs I, II Rainulf Tricanocte, aversianischer Graf ( 1045-1048 ). Rainulf II saw in Richard's arrival in Aversa a threat to his position, seeking to get rid of him as soon as possible, and therefore drew the interests of competing cousin Richard on the Apulian estates in the area around Genzano Acerenza and that after the death Asclettins Younger had fallen to Drogo from the clan of Hauteville.

Richard became friends in this time with his brother and later successor Drogo, Humfred. Genzano was the first city that could occupy Richard, who seems to have been, however, delivered to him by a vassal of his brother. Here Richard was now able, some followers to rally.

Rainulf II left at his death in 1048, only his infant son Hermann. Therefore Drogo tried to bring the city into his possession, by dealing with Waimar IV of Salerno (also Gaimar ) allied and a certain William Bellabocca (also Bellbouche ) began as guardian of the boy and administrator of the county. Richard, however, was previously caught in a feud with Drogo to the Apulian goods Asclettins, whereby the Drengot and the Hauteville clan, the two most powerful Norman families in southern Italy, finally clashed. The feud battle Richard was captured and fixed by Drogo in order not to discourage empowerment Aversas. Wilhelm Bellabocca but was expelled quickly from the aversanischen population and also Waimar IV seems to have made ​​strong release for Richards, so this 1049 Count of Aversa was, first as regent for the young Hermann, of which one soon but not much heard.

While the Asclettin successor Richard now increasingly made ​​their leader, succeeded in Hauteville clan Robert Guiscard the rise. In the battle of Civitate in 1053, the two Norman leaders fought side by side.

Prince of Capua

Since 1052 Richard had his eye on the Principality of Capua, which up to 1050 of Pandulf IV and then by his son Pandulf VI. had been ruled. This had little military or political power of the qualifications of its übelbeleumdeten father. After the death of Pandulf VI. 1057 Richard left the city siege immediately. Since Capua was not prepared for a siege, the inhabitants were the Normans was not to last. So Richard was 1059 Prince of Capua in the year.

Besieged in the same year and took Richard for an excuse to go the county Aquino, who belonged to Gaeta, because the Duke Atenulf of Gaeta had refused to afford the dowry for the planned wedding of the daughter Richards with the son Atenulfs, because this was died shortly before the wedding. Without a right to possess, he still demanded a dowry of 5,000 sous. While Aquino was starved, it came to placement of the Abbot Desiderius of Monte Cassino to an agreement in which Richard agreed to a reduction in demand for 4000 Sous.

Only one year later, Richard was invested at a synod at Melfi by Pope Nicholas II formally with the Principality. This ended in this way the anti- Norman policy of his predecessors, as he desperately sought allies in the fight with the German king Henry IV and the antipope Benedict X..

After 1061 he divided the counties surrounding smaller by a reallocation of his vassals in his reign and brought to 1073 and the Duchy of Gaeta completely under his control.

Strategic alliance with the papacy

Even compared to Pope Alexander II, which he took on military assistance in its enthronement, the oath on October 2, 1061 in Rome and against Pope Gregory VII was renewed on September 14, 1073 in Capua. The approach to the papacy, was prepared by Abbot Desiderius of Montecassino, which Richard was in close contact for several years. The strategic alliance resulted in a large number of donations and transfers of churches and territories at this important center of church reform. The papal policy looked at Richard always as a counterweight to Robert Guiscard. The ratio of these two most important Norman leader was tense after 1071, because Richard, probably around Suprematsansprüche Robert Guiscard ward off attempts at insurrection of the Apulian Count had supported against the Duke. Reconciliation, 1075/76 mediated by Abbot Desiderius, then allowed joint military actions to the siege of Naples and Salerno. The Norman expansion policy towards the Papal States led to the ban by the Lenten synod in 1078, which was released shortly before the death of Richards.