Ranulf II (or Rainulf) (died 30 April 1139) was the count of Alife and Caiazzo and duke of Apulia. His parents were Robert, count of Caiazzo and Alife, and Gaitelgrima. His grandfather was Ranulf I of Alife, son of Asclettin, count of Acerenza, and brother of Richard I of Capua. Asclettin was a brother of the Ranulf Drengot, the first Norman lord in Italy. Thus, Ranulf is a member of the Drengot clan which ruled Aversa and Capua for most of the century between 1050 and 1150, as the third Ranulf in his family he is sometimes called Ranulf III. By marriage to Matilda, youngest child of Roger I of Sicily, Ranulf was the brother-in-law of Roger II. April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ... Events July 26, Independence of Portugal from the Kingdom of León and Castile declared after the Battle of Ourique against the Almoravides lead by Ali ibn Yusuf: Prince Afonso Henriques becomes Afonso I, King of Portugal, after assembling the first assembly of the estates-general of Portugal at Lamego... Caiatia (modern Caiazzo), an ancient city of Campania, on the right bank of the Volturnus, 11 miles north-east of Capua, on the road between it and Telesia. ... List of Counts of Apulia and Calabria in Southern Italy from the 11th century to the 12th century: Counts 1043-1059, Dukes 1059-1127 William I 1043-1049 Drogon 1049-1051 Umfred 1051-1057 Robert Guiscard 1057-1085 Roger 1085-1111 William II 1111-1127 Categories: Lists of office-holders... Acerenza is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. ... Richard I Drengot (d. ... The Normans (adapted from the name Northmen or Norsemen) were a mixture of the indigenous population of Neustria and Danish or Norwegian Vikings who began to occupy the northern area of France now known as Normandy in the latter half of the 9th century. ... Events Leofric becomes Bishop of Exeter Births Margrave Leopold II of Austria (d. ... Events Åhus, Sweden gains city privileges City of Airdrie, Scotland founded King Sverker I of Sweden is deposed and succeeded by Eric IX of Sweden. ... Roger I (1031 – June 22, 1101), Norman ruler of Sicily, was the youngest son of Tancred of Hauteville. ... Roger II (1093-1154), son and successor of Roger I, began his rule in 1112. ...

Rise to influence

In 1127, Duke William II of Apulia died and the duchy passed to Roger II by will and by right. However, this was opposed almost universally by the nobility, and in this they had the support of the papacy of Honorius II. Honorius was in Capua, seat of the only other independent prince in the Mezzogiorno and a longtime papal ally, in Decemeber and he organised the resistance to Roger's claim, getting on his side both Prince Robert II of Capua and Ranulf. Robert's leadership was less than stellar and Ranulf was soon the true leader of the opposition. When Roger arrived on the peninsula with an army, the "rebels" opened negotiations which led to a truce by which Honorius invested Roger as duke in August 1128. On 12 August 1127, Count Jordan of Ariano died and Ranulf had asserted his suzerainty over that count's young successor. From this acquisition, he began to build a larger and larger base of power. Events Conrad III establishes the Hohenstaufen dynasty when he is crowned antiking to the Holy Roman Emperor, Lothair II. First coalition of the Norman princes against Roger II of Sicily. ... William II (1095-July 1127) was the duke of Apulia and Calabria from 1111 to 1127. ... Honorius II, born Lamberto Scannabecchi (from 1117 Cardinal Lambert of Ostia) (died February 13, 1130), was Pope from December 21, 1124 to February 13, 1130. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Southern Italy, often referred to as the Mezzogiorno, encompasses at least four of the countrys 20 regions: Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, and Puglia. ... Events Pope Honorius II recognizes and confirms the Order of the Knights Templar. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jordan (died 12 August 1127), count of Ariano (from 1102), was a petty baron in Apulia during the reign of the Duke William II. He was the son and successor of Count Eribert and Altrude of Buonalbergo. ...

Ranulf remained loyal to Roger after his coronation as king on December 30, 1130. In 1132, he and Robert even took a force of 200 knights at Roger's bequest to Rome in a show of force in support of Antipope Anacletus II. While Ranulf was away at Rome, his wife fled to her regal brother alleging marital cruelty and Roger was also forced by his vassal's contumacy and perfidy to annex the county of Avellino from Richard, Ranulf's brother. Ranulf demanded the restitution of both wife and countship. Both were denied and Ranulf left Rome, against orders. Roger gave him the opportunity to submit to a formal proceeding at Salerno, but Ranulf instead went to Robert, who also left Rome, and the two began planning another insurrection. December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... Events February 13 - Innocent II is elected pope An antipope schism occurs when Roger II of Sicily supports Anacletus II as pope instead of Innocent II. Innocent flees to France and Anacletus crowns Roger King. ... Events Diarmaid Mac Murrough has the abbey of Kildare in Ireland burned and the abbess raped. ... This article is about the capital of Italy. ... Anacletus II, born Pietro Pierloni, (d. ... Avellino is a town and comune, capital of the Avellino Province, and located in the Campania region of southern Italy. ... Map of Italy showing Salerrno southeast of Naples Salerno is a town and a province capital in Campania, south-western Italy, located on the gulf of the same name on the Tyrrhenian Sea. ...

Rebel leader

Soon most of the peninsular baronage was behind the rebel leaders. Roger II was distracted temporarily by a rebellion in Apulia, but with the surrender of Grimoald, Prince of Bari, he could turn to face the Capuan renegades. They took Benevento, an ally of both pope and king, and turned towards Roger's royal army. Roger moved to besiege Nocera, but was met by the rebel army: Robert on the left, Ranulf on the right. On 24 July, the armies met at the Battle of Nocera. The rebels were victorious and Roger fled. An large army under Lothair of Germany was coming down, but after his coronation, which Ranulf attended, the old emperor left Italy. Their expected aid back in across the Alps, the rebels were vulnerable. In 1133, Roger returned to the peninsula and reversed much of their successes. But new revolts opened up. Ranulf supported Tancred of Conversano with men under Roger of Plenco, but otherwise, kept a lower profile, awaitng reinforcements from Pisa and Genoa. Ranulf failed to deliver Nocera from a siege and Robert of Capua fled north, by June 1134, Ranulf's own supporters had melted away and he was forced to make peace with the king. According to Alexander of Telese, the two kissed and embraced such that "those that were present were seen to be shedding tears for very joy." Ranulf's gains since the outbreak of rebellion were taken back, but his wife and son returned to him amicably (his cruelty being apparently not so egregious). Apulia (official Italian name: Puglia) is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Otranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. ... Benevento is a town and archiepiscopal see of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, 32 miles northeast of Naples. ... Nocera Umbra (Latin Nuceria Camellaria) is a town in the province of Perugia, Italy, 12 miles by rail north by east of Foligno, at an altitude of 520 m (1706 ft. ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... The Battle of Nocera was the first major battle of Roger II of Sicily and one of two of his major defeats (the other being the Battle of Rignano) at the hands of Count Ranulf of Alife. ... Events Geoffrey of Monmouth produces the Historia Regum Britanniae Durham Cathedral is completed Construction of Exeter Cathedral begun June 4 - Lothair III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Innocent II Births March 5 - King Henry II of England (died 1189) Honen Shonin, Japanese founder of Pure Land Buddhism (died 1212... Pisa is a city in Tuscany, central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. ... Country Italy Region Liguria Province Genoa (GE) Mayor Giuseppe Pericu (since May 30, 2002) Elevation 20 m Area 243 km² Population  - Total (as of April 30, 2005) 611,476  - Density 2,571/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Genovesi Dialing code 010 Postal code 16100 Patron St. ... Events Baalbeck taken by Genghis Khan House of Brandenburg begins when Albrecht the Bear is made head of the Nordmark St. ...

In 1135, a Pisan fleet with Robert of Capua laid anchor in Naples. With rumours of Roger's death circulating, Ranulf joined Robert and Duke Sergius VII of Naples in that old city and prepared for a siege. In 1136, the emperor and the duke of Bavaria, Henry the Proud, descended the peninsula to support the three rebels. Ranulf, with Robert and Henry, took a large contingent of troops to besiege the peninsular capital of the kingdom, Salerno. Salerno surrender and the large army of Germans and Normans marched to the very south of Apulia. Having thus left most of southern Italy under his control, Lothair decided to appoint a new duke of Apulia. Robert and Sergius being already powerful potentates, Ranulf, the lowly subvassal count, was raised to the highest honour in the Mezzogiorno. Lothair claimed the right to investiture, but so did Pope Innocent II. The former on the grounds that Emperor Henry III had appointed Drogo of Hauteville in 1047 and the latter on the grounds that Pope Nicholas II had raised Robert Guiscard to ducal status in 1059. Together, pope and emperor handed the lance of power to Ranulf in Salerno and the Germans departed for home, leaving Ranulf to defend his hard-won duchy. Ranulf accompanied the emperor as far as Aquino and received 800 knights for his fight. Events January - Byland Abbey founded Stephen of Blois succeeds King Henry I. Empress Maud, daughter of Henry I and widow of Henry V opposed Stephen and claims the throne as her own Owain Gwynedd of Wales defeats the Normans at Crug Mawr. ... Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Nàpule, from Greek Νέα Πόλις - Néa Pólis - meaning New City; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region and the Province of Naples. ... Events Completion of the Saint Denis Basilica in Paris Peter Abelard writes the Historia Calamitatum, detailing his relationship with Heloise People of Novgorod rebel against the hereditary prince Vsevolod and depose him Births Amalric I of Jerusalem William of Newburgh, English historian (died 1198) Deaths November 15 - Margrave Leopold III... The following is a list of rulers of Bavaria: Dukes of Bavaria, 889-1623 Liutpolding Dynasty Liutpold 889-907 Arnulf the Bad 907-937 Eberhard 937 Berthold 938-947 Liudolfing (Ottonian) Dynasty Henry I 947-955 Henry II the Quarrelsome 955-976 Otto I 976-982 Liutpolding Dynasty Henry III... Henry II, known as the Proud (1108 - October 20, 1139) was Duke of Saxony (1138-1139) and Duke of Bavaria (1126-1139) as Henry X. He was the son of Henry the Black Duke of Bavaria, and Wulfhild, daughter of Magnus Billung, Duke of Saxony, and thus a member of... Innocent II, born Gregorio Papareschi (b. ... Henry III (1017-1056) was a member of the Salian (sometimes Franconian) dynasty of Holy Roman Emperors. ... Drogo of Hauteville, called Drogon de Hauteville in French and Drogone DAltavilla in Italian, succeeded his brother, with whom he arrived in southern Italy c. ... Events William the Conqueror, with assistance from King Henry I of France, secured control of Normandy by defeating the rebel Norman barons at Caen the Battle of Val-ès-Dunes Births Deaths October 9 - Pope Clement II Categories: 1047 ... Nicholas II, born Gérard de Bourgogne (died July 19 or July 27, 1061), Pope from 1059 to July 1061, was at the time of his election Bishop of Florence. ... Robert Guiscard (i. ... Events Anselm of Canterbury settles at the Benedictine monastery of Le Bec in Normandy. ... Aquino is a small town in the south-central Italian province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region. ...

Duke

On 30 October 1137, at the Battle of Rignano, Ranulf met his chief foe, Roger's son Roger, whom the king had named as duke of Apulia in 1134. Thought he younger Roger fought valiantly, the elder fled the field and their ally, Sergius of Naples, died in the fray. Rignano was the second great victory of Ranulf over Roger (after Nocera), but it, like the first, had not lasting effect. Roger's campaign of 1138 was a miserable failure and Ranulf for a moment appeared secure in his title, even without Salerno, but he was not. His greatest foe, death, divested him of his dukedom on 30 April 1139. He had fallen sick with fever at Troia, his capital, and was bled. He was buried in the cathedral of that city, whence Roger exhumed him and threw him in a ditch, only to later rebury him decently. While the modern scholar John Julius Norwich says that "the sorrow that attended his death was more than he deserved," the contemporary chronicler Falco of Benevento records that the death of this virum bellicosum et magnanimum ("bellicose and magnanimous man") was accompanied by the wailing of virgins and tearing of hair. October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... The Battle of Rignano was the second great defeat of the career of Roger II of Sicily and, like the first, the Battle of Nocera, it too came at the hands of Ranulf II, Count of Alife. ... Events Robert Warelwast becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ... Events July 26, Independence of Portugal from the Kingdom of León and Castile declared after the Battle of Ourique against the Almoravides lead by Ali ibn Yusuf: Prince Afonso Henriques becomes Afonso I, King of Portugal, after assembling the first assembly of the estates-general of Portugal at Lamego... Walls of the excavated city of Troy This article is about the city of Troy / Ilion as described in the works of Homer, and the location of an ancient city associated with it. ... John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich (born 15 September 1929), known as John Julius Norwich, is a British historian, travel writer and television personality and the son of the Conservative politician and diplomat Duff Cooper, who in 1952 was created Viscount Norwich, and of Lady Diana Cooper, a celebrated beauty...

Sources

• Falco of Benevento. Chronicon Beneventanum.
• Norwich, John Julius. The Normans in the South 1016-1130. Longmans: London, 1967.
• Norwich, John Julius. The Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194. Longman: London, 1970.
• Matthew, Donald. The Norman Kingdom of Sicily. Cambridge University Press: 1992.
• Houben, Hubert. Roger II of Sicily: A Ruler between East and West. Trans. G. A. Loud and Diane Milbourne. Cambridge University Press: 2002.