Richard (flourished 1131–1148) was the

Italo-Norman The Italo-Normans ( it, Italo-Normanni), or Siculo-Normans (''Siculo-Normanni'') when referring to Sicily and Southern Italy, are the Italian-born descendants of the first Norman conquerors to travel to southern Italy in the first half of the ...

count of Rupecanina (today

Raviscanina Raviscanina is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about north of Naples and about north of Caserta. Raviscanina borders the following municipalities: Ailano, Pietravairano, Prata Sanni ...

). Richard was a son of Count Robert of Alife and Gaitelgrima, younger brother of Count Rainulf II of Alife and brother-in-law of Duke

William II of Apulia William II (1095 – July 1127) was the Duke of Apulia and Calabria from 1111 to 1127. He was the son and successor of Roger Borsa. His mother, Adela of Flanders, had previously been queen of Denmark, and he was a half-brother of Charles the Good. ...

. He was also a distant cousin of Prince

Robert II of Capua Robert II (died 1156) was the count of Aversa and the prince of Capua from 1127 until his death . He was the only son and successor of Jordan II of Capua. According to the Lombards, Lombard chronicler Falco of Benevento, he was "of delicate cons ...

, as both belonged to the extended

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 ...

. He had two sons:

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

, who succeeded him at Rupecanina, and

Roger Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

, who later succeeded to the county of Alife. During Richard's time, feudal concepts like those of

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

s and

aids Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

were just being introduced into Capua. In 1131, Richard claimed to possess the town of

Avellino Avellino () is a town and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...

and castle of

Mercogliano Mercogliano is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. Geography Mercogliano is a hill town located near the western suburb of Avellino and below the mount Partenio (or Montevergine). The municipality ...

as allods and to owe no

feudal duties Feudal duties were the set of reciprocal financial, military and legal obligations among the warrior nobility in a feudal system. Translated into English by Philip Grierson as ''Feudalism'', 1st ed., London, 1952. These duties developed in both E ...

for them. According to

Alexander of Telese Alexander of Telese ( it, Alessandro Telesino) was an Italian chronicler and historian, and the abbot of San Salvatore, near Telese, in southern Italy from before 1127 to before November 1143. His most famous work is ''The Deeds Done by King Roge ...

in his ''Deeds Done by King Roger of Sicily'' (I.xiii), when Roger heard this he sent an envoy to demand Richard's submission. Richard had the man blinded and his nose cut off. Roger took Avellino by force. In April 1134, he was a witness when his brother Rainulf swore an oath before Bishop Stantio of Caiazzo, promising to cede to the diocese a large number of estates. Richard and his brother supported Prince

in his war with King

Roger II of Sicily Roger II ( it, Ruggero II; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily Roger I ( it, Ruggero I, Arabic: ''رُجار'', ''Rujār''; Maltese: ''Ruġġieru'', – 22 June 1101), nicknamed Rog ...

. When Roger attacked

Aversa Aversa () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Caserta in Campania, southern Italy, about 24 km north of Naples. It is the centre of an agricultural district, the ''Agro Aversano'', producing wine and cheese (famous for the typical bu ...

in 1135, Rainulf fled to the protection of Duke

Sergius VII of Naples Sergius VII (died 30 October 1137) was the thirty-ninth and last dux, duke (or ''magister militum'') Duke of Naples, of Naples. He succeeded his father John VI of Naples, John VI on the Neapolitan throne in 1122 at a time when Roger II of Sicily wa ...

, leaving Richard to defend their lands from his stronghold of Rupecanina. According to Alexander of Telese (III.xi and xiv), Richard fled at Roger's approach, but was unable to join his brother at Naples. He left behind one of his sons as the king's hostage. Deprived of their fiefs, Richard, Rainulf and Robert went in exile to the court of

Emperor Lothair II Lothair III, sometimes numbered Lothair II and also known as Lothair of Supplinburg (1075 – 4 December 1137), was Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 until his death. He was appointed Duke of Saxony in 1106 and elected King of Germany in 1125 before ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

by early 1136, where they clamoured for the emperor to lead an expedition against Roger. When the imperial army finally moved south in 1137, the three were able briefly to regain their fiefs. In August 1137, Pope

Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

and Emperor Lothair jointly invested Rainulf with 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 ...

. Lothair loaned him an army of 800 German knights, which he promptly placed under the command of Richard and their younger brother Alexander. Richard quickly secured all of Apulia. This recovery was brief. After Lothair left, Richard fled with Robert to the court of the pope. After the death of Rainulf, Innocent gathered a large army and personally led it into Roger's domains. On 22 July 1139, at the battle of Galluccio, the papal army was defeated and the pope and his treasure captured. Richard and Robert managed to escape the rout. Both went into exile in Germany, where Richard was still living as late as 1148.

Notes

Sources

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