Guaifer (also ''Guaifar'', ''Waifer'', ''Waifar'', or ''Guaiferio'') (c. 835 – 880) was the

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 ...

from 861. The son of Daufer the Mute and grandson of Daufer the Prophet, he was the first of the Dauferidi to sit on the Salernitan throne which his family dominated unobstructed until 977. Guaifer's sister, Adelchisa, had married

Sicard of Benevento Sicard (died 839) was the Prince of Benevento from 832. He was the last prince of a united Benevento which covered most of the Mezzogiorno. On his death, the principality descended into civil war which split it permanently (except for very briefl ...

and when Sicard was assassinated and Radelchis usurped the throne, Guaifer helped release

Siconulf Siconulf (also ''Siconolf'', ''Sikenolf'', ''Siconolfo'', or ''Siconulfus'') was the first prince of Salerno, the brother of Sicard, prince of Benevento (832–839), who was assassinated by Radelchis. In response to Sicard's murder, the people ...

, the dead prince's brother, and supported him in his war with Radelchis for the throne, even proclaiming him prince in Salerno. In 851, the great

principality of Benevento The Duchy of Benevento (after 774, Principality of Benevento) was the southernmost Lombard duchy in the Italian Peninsula that was centred on Benevento, a city in Southern Italy. Lombard dukes ruled Benevento from 571 to 1077, when it was conq ...

was officially divided between Benevento and Salerno by the

Emperor Louis II Louis II (825 – 12 August 875), sometimes called the Younger, was the king of Italy and emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 844, co-ruling with his father Lothair I until 855, after which he ruled alone. Louis's usual title was ''impera ...

. Siconulf's son and successor fell under the control of

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 ...

, who, in December 853, received Louis's recognition as prince. He was succeeded by his son Adhemar, but the latter's rule was unpopular and by 859,

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 ...

, a Salernitan vassal desiring independence, was wearing away at princely authority with its attacks. In 861, matters came to a head and Guaifer leading a popular revolt, removed Adhemar and imprisoned him, blinding him later. To solidify his own position he exiled his own nephew, another Daufer. This was all seen as rebellion by the Emperor Louis, but he was occupied elsewhere. At the beginning of his reign, a restive Capua, which had gone through several internal upheavals, under the

gastald A gastald (Latin ''gastaldus'' or ''castaldus''; Italian ''gastaldo'' or ''guastaldo'') was a Lombard official in charge of some portion of the royal demesne (a gastaldate, ''gastaldia'' or ''castaldia'') with civil, martial, and judicial powers. ...

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Landulf II made a move for independence, but Guaifer kept them securely in the Salernitan fold. Nonetheless, Guaifer married Landelaica, daughter of

Lando I of Capua Lando I (died 861) was the count of Capua from 843. He was the eldest son and successor of Landulf the Old. Like his father, he supported Siconulf against Radelchis in the civil war dividing the Principality of Benevento in the 840s. It was Lando ...

, by whom he had a son, Guaimar, who succeeded him. In 865, Guaifer founded the monastery of

San Massimo San Massimo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about southwest of Campobasso, comprising . As of 2017, San Massimo has a population of 754. Etymology San Massimo is named for Saint ...

, where he and his descendants are buried, and in 868, he richly endowed it with grants in land and money. Despite his status as a Christian prince, he was not usually at war with the Moslems and may even have been their ''

foedus ''Foederati'' (, singular: ''foederatus'' ) were peoples and cities bound by a treaty, known as ''foedus'', with Rome. During the Roman Republic, the term identified the ''socii'', but during the Roman Empire, it was used to describe foreign stat ...

'' for a time (according to

Erchempert Erchempert ( la, Erchempertus) was a Benedictine monk of the Abbey of Monte Cassino in Italy in the final quarter of the ninth century. He chronicled a history of the Lombard Principality of Benevento, in the '' Langobardia Minor'', giving an espec ...

). They besieged his city in 871–872, but to no avail. He retired to or was forced by his son into the monastery 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 ...

in 880, but died very soon after.

Sources

*Caravale, Mario (ed). ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: LX Grosso – Guglielmo da Forlì''.

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 ...

, 2003. {{DEFAULTSORT:Guaifer of Salerno 830s births 880 deaths Year of birth uncertain Lombard warriors Princes of Salerno 9th-century rulers in Europe 9th-century Lombard people