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 ...

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 H ...

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 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 Italy Earthquake of 1980, a series of earthquakes in 1980 and 1981. Geography As with many ancien ...

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 Etrus ...

and Benevento (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 Normans, 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 ma ...

, of the Drengot family 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 ...

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, wa ...

. 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 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 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 whe ...

. 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 ...

, Henry of Monte Sant'Angelo 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 Middle Ages, medieval French Scholasticism, scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, poet, composer and musician. This ...

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 Salerno, city of Salerno and 60 km east of Naples by the main railway. Overview It lies at ...

, 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 Airola. 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.

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