principality · Italy

Principality of Capua

841 CE – 1135 CE (approx.) · capital Capua

Lombard principality of northern Campania that broke away from Benevento and later became the first Norman principality in southern Italy.

Origins

In the civil wars of the Lombard south in the 840s, Landulf I, gastald of Capua, made his town practically independent of both Benevento and Salerno. Arab raiders destroyed old Capua in 841, and in 856 his family founded a new Capua on the site of Casilinum by the Volturno. Its rulers took the title of prince by the early 10th century.

Rule and society

Capua was ruled by quarrelsome branches of Landulf's family, who controlled northern Campania and much of the Liri valley. Pandulf Ironhead (died 981) briefly united Capua, Benevento and Spoleto under imperial patronage. Pandulf IV, called the Wolf of the Abruzzi, despoiled Monte Cassino and, like his rivals, hired Norman mercenaries, helping the Normans gain a foothold in Campania.

Decline and legacy

The Norman Richard I of Aversa took Capua in 1058, and his family ruled it as princes for nearly eighty years. After Robert II of Capua resisted Roger II, the principality was absorbed into the Kingdom of Sicily in 1135.

Lineage

Principality of Salerno 849 CE – 1077 CE County of Aversa 1030 CE – 1058 CEPrincipality of Capua

Connections (4)

Principality of Capua in personal union with Duchy of Benevento900 CE – 981 CE
Duchy of Naples was a vassal of Principality of Capua1027 CE – 1029 CE
Duchy of Gaeta was a vassal of Principality of Capua1064 CE – 1135 CE
Principality of Capua was conquered by Kingdom of Sicily1135 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Capua. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-capua
MLA: “Principality of Capua.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-capua. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Capua.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-capua.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Capua’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-capua (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻