John III (died late 968/early 969) was the longest-reigning
Duke of Naples (928–968). He was the son and successor of
Marinus I.
At the beginning of his reign, he warred against the
Saracens and then made a treaty with them after they appeared beneath his walls in 929. He then allied with
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 ...
Atenulf III of Benevento, with whom he signed a pact, and
Landulf I,
joint-prince of Benevento, against the
Byzantines. A Greek force was sent to
Apulia and the rebellious vassals were constrained to recognise the authority of the emperor in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
. John then confirmed a treaty with the princes ''salve fidelitate sanctorum imperatorum''.
In 946, he allied with
Landulf II of Benevento
Landulf II (died 961), called the Red, was the Lombard prince of Benevento and prince of Capua (as Landulf IV) from 939 or 940, when his father, Landulf I, first associated him with the government. His mother was Gemma, daughter of Athanasius o ...
in an invasion of
Salerno with the intent of deposing
Prince Gisulf I. They were defeated by an army of
Mastalus I of Amalfi Mastalus I ( it, Mastalo) (died 953) was the penultimate ''patricius'' of Amalfi. He was succeeded by his son, Mastalus II, who was raised to the status of ''dux''. His own father was the last prefect, Manso I.
In 946, he came to the rescue of ...
and John retired to Naples. Landulf turned around and joined with Gisulf in attacking the Neapolitan duchy. They took
Nola
Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian wor ...
.
In 949, John made a donation to the church of Saints Severinus and Sossus, which had possibly been founded by one of his predecessors. In 950, he himself founded the church of Saint Michael Porta Nova in Naples. In 955, he attempted again to throw off the imperial yoke and again an army was sent to Italy under the ''
strategos'' of
Calabria and
Langobardia,
Marianos Argyros
Marianos Argyros ( el, Μαριανός Ἀργυρός, – 16 August 963) was a Byzantine aristocrat and member of the Argyros family. A monk, in 944 he supported the assumption of sole rule by Constantine VII, and was allowed to leave the mon ...
. Refused entry into Naples, it landed in the harbour and pillaged the city, forcing John to submit. In 962, however, John switched his allegiance to the new emperor in the West,
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 Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of He ...
. In 958, Naples was subject to another Muslim siege.
John's wife was the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
''
senatrix
The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...
'' Theodora, daughter of the famous
Theodora
Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift".
Theodora may also refer to:
Historical figures known as Theodora
Byzantine empresses
* Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church
* Theodora o ...
and
Theophylact I, Count of Tusculum
Theophylact I (before 864 – 924/925) was a medieval count of Tusculum who was the effective ruler of Rome from around 905 through to his death in 924. His descendants controlled the papacy for the next 100 years.
Biography
Theophylact was th ...
. John was thus related by marriage to the famed
Marozia
Marozia, born Maria and also known as Mariuccia or Mariozza ( 890 – 937), was a Roman noblewoman who was the alleged mistress of Pope Sergius III and was given the unprecedented titles ''senatrix'' ("senatoress") and ''patricia'' of Rome by ...
. He sent his son Landulf to be raised in Rome by Marozia.
[' cites: ''MGH Poetæ Latini medii ævi'', v. 1, ''Die Ottonenzeit, Grabschriften'', p. 340.] His sister Orania married
Docibilis II of Gaeta Docibilis II ( it, Docibile) ( 880 – c. 954) was the ruler of Gaeta, in one capacity or another, from 906 until his death. He was the son of the hypatus John I, who made him co-ruler in 906 or thereabouts.
Docibilis took part in the Battle of ...
, cementing alliance between
Gaeta and Naples. His elder son,
Marinus, would succeed him in Naples. In 944, Marinus was appointed co-duke, and, in that same year,
Odo of Cluny
Odo of Cluny (French: ''Odon'') ( 878 – 18 November 942) was the second abbot of Cluny. He enacted various reforms in the Cluniac system of France and Italy. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. His feast da ...
visited and influenced John to affirm the possessions of the monasteries in his domains.
John was a man of letters and an amateur
philosopher. He and Theodora commissioned the archpriest Leo to go to Constantinople as ambassador and bring back as many Greek manuscripts as possible. Leo returned with the ''Chronographia'' of
Theophanes, the ''
Antiquities of the Jews'' by
Flavius Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for '' The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly ...
, ''De Prodigiis'' by
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...
, the writings of
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (or Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite) was a Greek author, Christian theologian and Neoplatonic philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century, who wrote a set of works known as the ''Corpus Areopagiticum'' o ...
, and the ''Historia Alexandri Magni''. After Theodora's death, John took to reading and theorising, contemplation and translation into Latin, according to Leo.
An interesting anecdote is told of this duke by
Peter Damian
Peter Damian ( la, Petrus Damianus; it, Pietro or '; – 21 or 22 February 1072 or 1073) was a reforming Benedictine monk and cardinal in the circle of Pope Leo IX. Dante placed him in one of the highest circles of '' Paradiso'' ...
. The legend probably dates from 981 and may have basis in historical fact. In a vision, John saw a group of devils leading a line of horses drawing carts full of hay for the purpose of burning
Pandulf Ironhead, the deceased
prince of Capua, and himself, still very alive. John decided then and there to abdicate, but only with the permission of the
Emperor Otto II
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...
first. This he died before receiving.
Notes
Sources
*Caravale, Mario (ed). ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani LV Ginammi – Giovanni da Crema''. Rome: 2000.
*Chalandon, Ferdinand.
Histoire de la domination normande en Italie et en Sicilie'. Paris: 1907.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:John 03 of Naples
960s deaths
10th-century dukes of Naples
Year of birth unknown
Year of death uncertain