Emilia (died January 1036) was the duchess of Gaeta first as consort of John III (984–1008) and then as the regent for her grandson

John V John V may refer to: * Patriarch John V of Alexandria or John the Merciful (died by 620), Patriarch of Alexandria from 606 to 616 * John V of Constantinople, Patriarch from 669 to 675 * Pope John V (685–686), Pope from 685 to his death in 686 * ...

(1012–1032) until at least 1029. At the time of her marriage, she bore the Roman title ''senatrix''. She was probably, therefore, of Roman descent, a member of the powerful

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. Her marriage was most likely an alliance between the ruling Gaetan house and the Roman aristocracy to secure Gaetan favour in the eternal city, the home of both pope and emperor. The wedding took place before January 998, when Emilia appeared with John at the monastery of Saint Nilus the Younger. John died before or in 1008 and she took up a short regency for her son, John IV. When John IV died between April and August 1012, she took over the regency of her grandson, who was an infant. Immediately, she and John were opposed by

Leo I The LEO I (Lyons Electronic Office I) was the first computer used for commercial business applications. The prototype LEO I was modelled closely on the Cambridge EDSAC. Its construction was overseen by Oliver Standingford, Raymond Thompson and ...

, cousin of John IV. By October, her supporters had expelled him. But then she had to deal with the opposition of her own son, Leo II, who expected to be accorded the regency. The two disputed the regency and co-undersigned charters until January 1025, when Leo last appears in the '' Codex Caietanus''. Emilia was the sole regent in a February charter. The Roman Emilia's politics leaned strongly towards support of the pope and the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...

against the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

. In 1012, she allowed

Dattus Dattus (or Datto) was a Lombard leader from Bari, the brother-in-law of Melus of Bari. He joined his brother-in-law in a 1009 revolt against Byzantine authority in southern Italy. In 1010, the rebels took Ascoli and Troina. In March 1011, the ' ...

, a Lombard rebel, to garrison a tower on the

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, in Gaetan territory, with papal troops, supplied by

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. In 1014, at the Castro Argento, also on Gaetan soil, Emilia and the Bishop Bernard, her brother-in-law, hosted several local leaders: Daufer of Traetto,

Pandulf II of Capua Pandulf II (or III), called the Black (''Niger'') or the Young, was the son and successor of Landulf VII of Capua in 1007. He ruled jointly with his uncle, Pandulf II of Benevento, who was originally his regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, ...

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, Atenulf of Montecassino, and the

archbishop of Capua The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Capua ( la, Archidioecesis Capuana) is an archdiocese (originally a suffragan bishopric) of the Roman Catholic Church in Capua, in Campania, Italy, but its archbishop no longer holds metropolitan rank and has no ...

. The convention agreed to an anti-Byzantine policy. In 1027, when Duke Sergius IV was forced to flee

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, Emilia gave him refuge, for John V was his nephew. During his stay, Sergius negotiated with Emilia for Gaetan support in retaking his duchy while he conceded to the Gaetans certain rights in travelling in Neapolitan land. An accord was signed between the rulers in February 1029. It is unknown when her regency ended. She died early in 1036, when her son Leo donated a house to the monastery of S. Giovanni di Felline in her memory.

Sources

*Chalandon, Ferdinand. ''Histoire de la domination normande en Italie et en Sicilie''. Paris, 1907. *Caravale, Mario (ed). ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani LXII Dugoni – Enza''. Rome, 1993. 1036 deaths 11th-century Italian women Italian nobility 11th-century women rulers Year of birth unknown