Ptolemy I ( la, Ptolemaeus or it, Tolomeo; died 1126) was the

count of Tusculum The counts of Tusculum, also known as the Theophylacti, were a family of secular noblemen from Latium that maintained a powerful position in Rome between the 10th and 12th centuries. Several popes and an antipope during the 11th century came from ...

in the first quarter of the twelfth century. He was a son of Gregory III. Peter Pisanus, in his ''Vita Paschalis II'' refers to Ptolemy and the abbot of Farfa as the allies of the emperor in the same way that the Saints

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

and

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

were the allies of the pope. He supported the

Pope Paschal II Pope Paschal II ( la, Paschalis II; 1050 1055 – 21 January 1118), born Ranierius, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 August 1099 to his death in 1118. A monk of the Abbey of Cluny, he was cre ...

and, in 1108, when the pope left for

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 ...

, he was given command of the

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

. Soon, Ptolemy, along with the Berald of Farfa (abbot of Farfa) and Peter Colonna, rebelled against papal authority. The pope returned with troops from Richard II of Gaeta and the rebels were unable to take control of

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 ...

. In 1111, the

Emperor Henry V Henry V (german: Heinrich V.; probably 11 August 1081 or 1086 – 23 May 1125, in Utrecht) was King of Germany (from 1099 to 1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (from 1111 to 1125), as the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. He was made co-ru ...

imprisoned the pope and some of his cardinals in Rome and

Robert I of Capua Robert I (died 1120), count of Aversa and prince of Capua from 1106, on the death of his elder and heirless brother Richard, was the second eldest son of Jordan I of Capua and Gaitelgrima, daughter of Guaimar IV of Salerno. He tried to be the pa ...

sent 300 men to rescue the papal entourage. Ptolemy met the Capuan troops at

Ferentino Ferentino is a town and ''comune'' in Italy, in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, southeast of Rome. It is situated on a hill above sea level, in the Monti Ernici area. History ''Ferentinum'' was a town of the Hernici; it was captured from them ...

and turned them back, however. In March 1116, the Roman Prefect Peter died and Paschal appointed a son of

Pier Leoni Pier Leoni (or Pierleone) ( la, Petrus Leo or ) (died 2 June 1128) was the son of the Jewish convert Leo de Benedicto and founder of the great and important medieval Roman family of the Pierleoni. He was called the Jewish Crassus by Gregorovius. ...

as his replacement. The people revolted and appointed Peter, a great nephew of Ptolemy, instead. The pope was forced to flee to Albano, but not before attempting to buy Ptolemy's loyalty with the grant of

Ariccia Ariccia (Latin: ''Aricia'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, central Italy, southeast of Rome. It is in the Alban Hills of the Lazio (Latium) region and could be considered an extension of Rome's southeastern suburbs. On ...

. The pope then turned on Rome and, in May, retook

Trastevere Trastevere () is the 13th ''rione'' of Rome: it is identified by the initials R. XIII and it is located within Municipio I. Its name comes from Latin ''trans Tiberim'', literally 'beyond the Tiber'. Its coat of arms depicts a golden head of a lio ...

and the Fumone fortress. His men captured the Prefect Peter. His relative imprisoned, Ptolemy turned on the pope once more and defeated his militia at Algidius and freed his nephew. This was the catalyst for more widespread revolt in the Campania and the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

. In Easter 1117, the emperor arrived and the pope fled. Ptolemy quickly did homage to the secular despot. He was confirmed in all the possessions of his grandfather the Consul Gregory. His power extended all the way to the

Sabina Sabina may refer to: Places and jurisdictions * Sabina (region), region and place in Italy, and hence: * the now Suburbicarian Diocese of Sabina (-Poggio Mirteto), Italy * Magliano Sabina, city, Italy * Pozzaglia Sabina, city, Italy *Fara Sab ...

. He held the port of Astura, taken from the Roman church. He was called the ''dux et consul Romanorum'' or "Duke and Consul of the Romans" and formally "prince of

Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil (Old Latium) on whi ...

." At this point, his son was also titled count and this younger

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

was given in marriage to Bertha, illegitimate daughter of Henry. On 5 February 1105, after wars with

Gaeta Gaeta (; lat, Cāiēta; Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a city in the province of Latina, in Lazio, Southern Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples. The town has played a consp ...

, Ptolemy had confirmed by a treaty the safety of the Gaetan traders in his domains. Now, the wars with Gaeta were (temporarily) resumed. Ptolemy and his nephew the prefect were holding the

Castel Sant'Angelo The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo (; English: ''Castle of the Holy Angel''), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausol ...

. Peter Colonna and Rainald Senebaldi turned to the pope's side and, soon after Christmas, Ptolemy and the rest of the imperialists in the Eternal City were forced to flee by the pope, who soon died.

Sources

* Gregorovius, Ferdinand. ''Rome in the Middle Ages Vol. IV Part 1''. 1905.
Lexikon des Mittelalters: ''Ptolemaeus (Tolomeo) I. Graf von Tusculum''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ptolemy 01 Of Tusculum 1126 deaths 12th-century Italian nobility Medieval Roman consuls Year of birth unknown Counts of Tusculum