Ranulf I (also spelled Rainulf or Raynulf; died 1088) was the count of

Caiazzo Caiazzo (also Cajazzo) (Campanian: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta (Campania) in Italy. It is located on the right bank of the Volturnus, some northeast of Capua. History The ancient Caiatia was already in the hands of the ...

in the

Principality of Capua The Principality of Capua ( la, italic=yes, Principatus Capuae or ''Capue'', it, italic=yes, Principato di Capua) was a Lombard state centred on Capua in Southern Italy, usually ''de facto'' independent, but under the varying suzerainty of Ho ...

from about 1078. He also brought the formerly Lombard counties of Alife,

Telese Telese Terme, called simply Telese until 1991, is a city, ''comune'' (municipality) and former episcopal seat in the Province of Benevento, in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is located in the valley of the Calore, well known for its sulfu ...

and

Sant'Agata dei Goti Sant'Agata dei Goti is a church in Rome, Italy, dedicated to the martyr Agatha of Sicily. It is the ''diaconia'' assigned to Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. (It became ''pro hac vice'' title in 2021 ...

and the castles of

Airola Airola is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 35 km northeast of Naples and about 20 km southwest of Benevento in the Valle Caudina, facing the Monte Taburno. Nearby is ...

and

Tocco Caudio Tocco Caudio is a village and ''comune'' in the province of Benevento, in the Campania region of southern Italy. The old town was abandoned after a series of earthquakes in 1980 and 1981. Geography As with many ancient towns in this mountaino ...

under his control, dominating the region between

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 ...

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 ...

(a Papal fief). He passed this territorial lordship on intact to his heirs, and it remained in their possession until the death of his grandson and namesake, Ranulf II, in 1139. Ranulf I was the youngest son of Count

Asclettin of Acerenza Asclettin was the first count of Acerenza, one of the twelve leaders of the Norman mercenaries of Guaimar IV of Salerno who conquered much of Apulia between 1038 and 1042. In the latter year, the division of the conquests twelvefold was made and As ...

, of the

Drengot family The Drengots were a Normans, Norman family of mercenaries, one of the first to head to Southern Italy to fight in the service of the Lombards. They became the most prominent family after the Hauteville family, Hautevilles. Origins The family came f ...

of the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

nobility. At the invitation of Abbot

Desiderius Desiderius, also known as Daufer or Dauferius (born – died ), was king of the Lombards in northern Italy, ruling from 756 to 774. The Frankish king of renown, Charlemagne, married Desiderius's daughter and subsequently conquered his realm. Des ...

, Ranulf was present at the dedication service of the new basilica of the

Abbey of Monte Cassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first h ...

on 1 October 1071. That same year, he assisted his nephew,

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, in a short-lived rebellion against the latter's father—Ranulf's brother—Prince

Richard I of Capua Richard Drengot (died 1078) was the count of Aversa (1049–1078), prince of Capua (1058–1078, as Richard I) and duke of Gaeta (1064–1078). Early career in Italy Richard, who came from near Dieppe in the Pays de Caux in eastern Normandy, was t ...

. His loyalty to his nephew was rewarded when the latter succeeded Richard in 1078. Jordan granted Ranulf the old Lombard county of Caiazzo. Ranulf also accompanied Jordan on a diplomatic journey to Rome in 1078, where both nephew and uncle were reconciled with

Pope Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII ( la, Gregorius VII; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana ( it, Ildebrando di Soana), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint ...

for past encroachments on Papal territory and the ban of excommunication on them was lifted. After the death of Pope Gregory in 1085, when the lands of Monte Cassino were threatened, Desiderius called on Ranulf to defend them. In 1078–79, Ranulf and Prince Jordan lent their support to a rebellion against Duke

Robert Guiscard Robert Guiscard (; Modern ; – 17 July 1085) was a Norman adventurer remembered for the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily. Robert was born into the Hauteville family in Normandy, went on to become count and then duke of Apulia and Calabri ...

in the

Duchy of Apulia The County of Apulia and Calabria (), later the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria (), was a Norman state founded by William of Hauteville in 1042 in the territories of Gargano, Capitanata, Apulia, Vulture, and most of Campania. It became a duchy when ...

. The rebels included Counts

Peter II of Trani Peter II (french: Pierron; it, Pietrone; la, Petronius) (died 1081) was the third Italo-Norman count of Trani. He was the youngest of three sons of Peter I; his elder brothers were Amico and Geoffrey. Peter was on good terms with his overlord D ...

Henry of Monte Sant'Angelo Henry (died probably 21 December 1102A necrology of Montecassino dates his death to 21 December in an uncertain year. He is known to have been dead by August 1103.) was the Count of Monte Sant'Angelo, with his seat at Foggia, from November 1081. H ...

and

Amico II of Giovinazzo Amicus of Giovinazzo, also Amicus II, french: Ami ( fl. 1063–1090), was a Norman nobleman and military leader during the Norman conquest of southern Italy. He was the count of Molfetta from 1068 until his death and of Giovinazzo from 1068 until 1 ...

, as well as four of Robert's nephews—

Abelard Peter Abelard (; french: link=no, Pierre Abélard; la, Petrus Abaelardus or ''Abailardus''; 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, poet, composer and musician. This source has a detailed desc ...

Herman Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Min ...

, Count Geoffrey of Conversano and Count Robert of Montescaglioso—and the noblemen Gradilone and Baldovino. After defeating Abelard, Gradilone and Baldovino, Robert went to Salerno in July 1079, and then to

Sarno Sarno is a town and ''comune'' and former Latin Catholic bishopric of Campania, Italy, in the province of Salerno, 20 km northeast from the city of Salerno and 60 km east of Naples by the main railway. Overview It lies at the foot ...

, where he made peace with Prince Jordan and Count Ranulf. With the loss of Capuan support, the rebellion collapsed. Ranulf's wife was Sibilla, and together they made donations to the monastery of San Gabriele in

. These were confirmed to Abbot Aganus by

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 ...

on 25 September 1108. They had one daughter, who married Duke Gualganus of Gaeta, and two sons:

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

(''floruit'' 1086–1116), who succeeded to Ranulf's counties, and Richard (''fl.'' 1072–96). Ranulf died in 1088.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * {{refend 1088 deaths Italo-Normans Norman warriors Counts of Italy