Everything about The Duchy Of Naples totally explained
The
Duchy of Naples (
Latin:
Ducatus Neapolitanus) began as a
Byzantine province that was constituted in the seventh century, in the reduced coastal lands that the
Lombards hadn't conquered during their invasion of Italy in the sixth century. It was governed by a military commander (
dux), and rapidly became a
de facto independent state, lasting more than five centuries during the
Early and
High Middle Ages.
Lombard invasion and Neapolitan unrest
At the time of the Lombard invasions of Italy in the mid-sixth century, Naples had a population of about 30-35,000. In
615, under
Giovanni Consino, Naples rebelled for the first time against the
Exarch of Ravenna, the
Byzantine emperor's plenipotentiary in Italy. In reply, the first form of the duchy was created in
638 by the Exarch
Eleutherius, but the duke he appointed came from abroad and had to respond to the Byzantine
strategos of
Sicily. At that time the
Ducatus Neapolitanus controlled an area corresponding roughly to the present day
Province of Naples, encompassing the area of
Vesuvius, the
Campi Flegrei, the
Sorrentine Peninsula,
Giugliano,
Aversa,
Afragola,
Nola, and the islands of
Ischia and
Procida.
Capri was later part of the
duchy of Amalfi.
First local duchy
In
661, Naples obtained from the emperor
Constans II the right to be ruled by a local duke, one
Basil, whose subjection to the emperor soon became merely nominal. Among his titles were
patrician and
consul. He had authority over the neighbouring seaports of
Gaeta,
Amalfi, and
Sorrento, though each of these was largely autonomous, especially during the later years of the Neapolitan duchy.
In this era, the duchy coined monies with the effigy of the emperor and Greek inscriptions. Greek was the official language.
Papal suzerainty
In
763, the duke
Stephen II switched his allegiance from
Constantinople to
Rome, putting Naples under
papal suzerainty. Already during the reign of the imperially appointed
John I (711- ca 719), the papacy had come to the duke's aid against the Lombards, while Byzantine assistance seemed remote. Stephen II's reign is considered a period of transition in the history of Naples: it moved away from the iconoclastic East and towards the papal West. The Byzantine Greeks were soon to become as much a threat to the Neapolitans as the Lombards.
Sometime around the beginning of the ninth century, the dukes began striking coinage with Latin inscriptions, as Latin replaced Greek in official usage.
Saint Januarius replaced the emperor on the coins. Acts were still dated by the imperial reign, but the emperor was of no consequence in regular Neapolitan affairs. In
812, when
Leo III the Isaurian called for the fleet of the entire
ducatus to aid the Byzantine admiral in combatting the
Saracen pirates preying on Sicily, Duke
Anthimus could ignore the order; only Amalfi and Gaeta responded with contingents. Apparently, the Neapolitans felt themselves practically independent already and their underlings felt themselves independent of Naples.
The duchy wasn't yet hereditary; in
818, the patrician of
Sicily appointed
Theoctistus without imperial approval. He revoked this appointment, and appointed one
Theodore II in
821, but he was chased from the city the same year in favour of the elected
Stephen III. This Stephen first began to mint pieces with his own initials on them and not those of the Eastern Emperor.
Hereditary dukeship
In
840, Duke
Sergius I made the succession to the duchy hereditary, and thenceforth Naples was
de facto independent. In this age, the city was mainly a military centre, ruled by an aristocracy of warriors and landowners, even though it had been compelled to surrender to the neighbouring Lombards much of its inland territory. Naples wasn't a merchant city as other
Campanian sea cities like Amalfi and Gaeta, but had a respectable fleet who took part in the
Battle of Ostia against the
Saracens in
849. Anyway Naples didn't hesitate to ally with infidels if this turned to its advantage: in
836, for example, it asked support to the
Saracens in order to push off the siege of
Lombard troops coming from the neighbouring
Duchy of Benevento. After its dukes rose to highest prominence under the
Duke-Bishop Athanasius and his successors—of whom
Gregory IV and
John II participated at the
Battle of the Garigliano in
915—Naples declined in importance in the tenth century, until it was captured by its traditional rival,
Pandulf IV of Capua.
Struggles for relevance in the Norman South
In
1027, duke
Sergius IV donated the
county of Aversa to a band of
Norman mercenaries led by
Rainulf Drengot, whose support he'd needed in the war with the
principality of Capua. In that period he couldn't imagine the consequences, but this settlement began a process which eventually led to the end of Naples' independence itself. Sergius' cemented his position with marital alliances with the Normans, but when these broke down, he was abandoned by his mercenaries and retired to a monastery. His son,
John V, cosied up to
Guaimar IV of Salerno and eventually did homage to him.
Naples was the last of the southern Italian states which the Normans had met when they first entered Italy. It survived the fall of the Lombard principalities: Capua, Salerno, Benevento. It had survived the fall of its fellow Greek duchies: Amalfi, Gaeta, Sorrento. In
1137, Duke
Sergius VII was forced to surrender to
Roger II of Sicily, who had had himself proclaimed
King of Sicily seven years earlier. Under the new rulers the city was administrated by a
compalazzo (palatine count), with little independence left to the Neapolitan patriciate. In this period Naples had a population of 30,000 and yet got its sustenance from the inland country: commerce activities were mainly delegated to foreign people, mainly from
Pisa and
Genova.
Apart from the church of
San Giovanni a Mare, Norman buildings in Naples were mainly lay ones, notably castles (
Castel Capuano and
Castel dell'Ovo), walls and fortified gates.
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