Aloara of

Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrusc ...

(died 992), was a Princess regnant of Capua jointly with her son from 982 until 992. She was said to have governed her states with great ability.

Life

She married

Pandulf Ironhead Pandulf I Ironhead (died March 981) was the Prince of Benevento and Capua from 943 (or 944) until his death. He was made Duke of Spoleto and Camerino in 967 and succeeded as Prince of Salerno in 977 or 978. He was an important nobleman in the fi ...

, prince of Capua and

Benevento Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...

. Her husband died at Capua in 981, leaving five sons by Aloara; Landulf IV, prince of Capua and Benevento; Pandulf, prince of Salerno; Atenulf, entitled count and also marquis, perhaps of Camerino; Landenulf, prince of Capua; and Laidulf who succeeded him. Platts, John. ''A New Universal Biography''. Sherwood, Jones, and Co. 1826. Landulf IV perished in battle fighting for the emperor, in 982, against the Greeks and

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

. His brother Landenulf succeeded him; but, being very young,

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the olde ...

invested him with the principality of Capua, so that Aloara might govern during her life conjointly with him. This decree was also confirmed by

Theophanu Theophanu (; also ''Theophania'', ''Theophana'', or ''Theophano''; Medieval Greek ; AD 955 15 June 991) was empress of the Holy Roman Empire by marriage to Emperor Otto II, and regent of the Empire during the minority of their son, Emperor Ott ...

, widow of

Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...

, and regent, during the minority of

Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King of ...

. Aloara began to reign in 982. She governed with much wisdom and courage. Landenulf was assassinated by a plot of his own relations, in 993; and his brother Laidulf, who succeeded, was deposed by the emperor Otto III, in 999, for having a hand in the death of his brother.

Baronius Cesare Baronio (as an author also known as Caesar Baronius; 30 August 1538 – 30 June 1607) was an Italian cardinal and historian of the Catholic Church. His best-known works are his ''Annales Ecclesiastici'' ("Ecclesiastical Annals"), whi ...

relates that

Saint Nilus the Younger Nilus the Younger, also called Neilos of Rossano ( it, Nilo di Rossano, gr, Όσιος Νείλος, ο εκ Καλαβρίας; 910 – 27 December 1005) was a monk, abbot, and founder of Italo-Byzantine monasticism in southern Italy. He is ven ...

foretold to her, as a punishment for the murder of her husband's nephew (whom she had just put to death for fear he should interfere with her son's rights), that her offspring should not reign in Capua—a prophecy that was justified by the event.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aloara 992 deaths Lombard women Year of birth unknown 10th-century women rulers 10th-century Lombard people