Siconulf (also ''Siconolf'', ''Sikenolf'', ''Siconolfo'', or ''Siconulfus'') was the first

prince of Salerno This page is a list of the rulers of the Principality of Salerno. When Prince Sicard of Benevento was assassinated by Radelchis in 839, the people of Salerno promptly proclaimed his brother, Siconulf, prince. War raged between Radelchis and Sico ...

, the brother of Sicard, prince of Benevento (832–839), who was assassinated by Radelchis. In response to Sicard's murder, the people of Salerno proclaimed Siconulf prince in opposition to Radelchis. At the time Radelchis was holding Siconulf prisoner in

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

. A group of people from the cities of Salerno and

Amalfi Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramati ...

went there in disguise as Amalfian merchants and rescued Siconulf from prison, bringing him to Salerno.Kreutz, Barbara M. Before the Normans: South Italy in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries. (University of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia, 1991) p. 23. It was Radelchis who first called in the aid of the Saracens against Siconulf in 841, though Siconulf soon retaliated by doing the same against his opponent. The war lasted ten years, during which the Saracen ravages worsened and churches were despoiled. Finally, in 849, the

king of Italy King of Italy ( it, links=no, Re d'Italia; la, links=no, Rex Italiae) was the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The first to take the title was Odoacer, a barbarian military leader ...

, Louis II, came down into Southern Italy and confirmed the division of the Beneventan principality, forcing the two rivals to sign a peace and making Siconulf prince of Salerno. The major cities in the new principality were

, Cassano Irpino,

Paestum Paestum ( , , ) was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia (southern Italy). The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three ancient Greek temples in the Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC, whi ...

Conza Conza della Campania (or Conza di Campania; formerly called Compsa, commonly known as Conza (Campanian: )) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and former Latin Catholic (arch)bishopric in the province of Avellino in the region of Campania in souther ...

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 ...

, Cimitile (

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 ...

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 ...

, Teano, and Sora. He died soon after and was succeeded by his son Sico.

Notes

Sources

* Gwatkin, H. M., Whitney, J. P., edd. ''The Cambridge Medieval History: Volume III''. Cambridge University Press, 1926. 851 deaths Lombard warriors Princes of Salerno 9th-century rulers in Europe 9th-century Lombard people Year of birth unknown {{Italy-bio-stub