county · Italy
County of Aversa
Origins
In 1030 Duke Sergius IV of the Duchy of Naples rewarded the Norman mercenary leader Rainulf Drengot with the town and district of Aversa, between Naples and Capua, to guard his frontier against the Principality of Capua. Rainulf's band became a magnet for further adventurers arriving from Normandy.
Rule and society
Aversa was a military lordship in which a small warrior elite of French-speaking Normans ruled a Lombard and Italo-Romance population. Its counts sold their swords to whichever of Naples, Capua, Salerno or the Byzantines paid best, gaining recognition from Emperor Conrad II in 1038. A bishopric was established in the town in the mid-11th century, and the county drew in Norman knights who later served in Apulia.
Decline and legacy
In 1058 Count Richard Drengot captured Capua and took the title of prince. Aversa was absorbed into the Principality of Capua, and its warriors had by then helped launch the conquests that created the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- County of Aversa was a vassal of Duchy of Naples1030 CE – 1038 CE
- County of Aversa was a vassal of Principality of Salerno1038 CE – 1047 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). County of Aversa. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-aversa
- MLA
- “County of Aversa.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-aversa. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “County of Aversa.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-aversa.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘County of Aversa’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/county-of-aversa (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻