John III (died 1008 or 1009) was the

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

and

duke of Gaeta This is a list of the hypati, patricians, consuls, and dukes of Gaeta. Many of the dates are uncertain and sometimes the status of the rulership, with co-rulers and suzerain–vassal relations, is vague. Native rule (839–1032) Anatolian dynast ...

from some time between October 984 and January 986 until his death. He was the eldest son of

Marinus II Pope Marinus II (died May 946) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 30 October 942 to his death. He has also been mistakenly called Martinus III. He ruled during the ''Saeculum obscurum''. He was also erroneously called Mart ...

, who succeeded his brother Gregory in 978 and immediately appointed John as co-duke in order to assure his inheritance, as the precedent of fraternal inheritance had been set by the sons of Docibilis II. John's reign began with his father's death. In 991, John appointed his own son co-ruler as John IV. The territory of the duchy had been parcelled out to many brothers. John's brother Leo inherited the duchy of

Fondi Fondi ( la, Fundi; Southern Laziale: ''Fùnn'') is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy, halfway between Rome and Naples. As of 2017, the city had a population of 39,800. The city has experienced steady population ...

in 992. Another brother, Marinus, was associated as ''dux'' in Fondi in 999. Also in 992, John's brothers Gregory and Daufer appeared as counts in Castro d'Argento and

Traetto Minturno is a city and ''comune'' in the southern Lazio, Italy, situated on the north west bank of the Garigliano (known in antiquity as the Liris), with a suburb on the opposite bank about from its mouth, at the point where the Via Appia crosse ...

. In 997, another brother,

Bernard Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brav ...

, became

bishop of Gaeta The Archdiocese of Gaeta ( la, Archidioecesis Caietana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in southern Italy, in the city of Gaeta, in the Lazio region. The archbishop's cathedra is located in the C ...

. John was able to maintain peace between himself and his powerful brothers and other relatives throughout his reign. In January 998, he sojourned in the monastery of

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 ...

. In 999,

Emperor 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 G ...

confirmed the independence of the various

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much o ...

s of Gaeta (Fondi, Traetto, etc.). Despite this great reduction to direct Gaetan power, his brothers remained faithful to John and even treated him as the first among equals. On 15 October, Otto granted him the castle of

Pontecorvo Pontecorvo is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, Italy. Its population is c. 13,200. History The village lies under Rocca Guglielma, a medieval fortification perched on an inaccessible spur. Its name derives from the ''p ...

in recognition of his loyalty (he seems to have become a vassal of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

) and his participation in Otto's campaigns against

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 ...

and

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 ...

. John last appears in the documentary record in August 1008, and presumably died not long thereafter. He was succeeded by his son and namesake. His wife,

Emilia Emilia may refer to: People * Emilia (given name), list of people with this name Places * Emilia (region), a historical region of Italy. Reggio, Emilia * Emilia-Romagna, an administrative region in Italy, including the historical regions of Emi ...

, later held the regency for his 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 * J ...

Sources

*Caravale, Mario (ed). ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani LV Ginammi – Giovanni da Crema''.

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, 2000. 10th-century births 1000s deaths Dukes of Gaeta {{Italy-noble-stub