Alife, a bishop's town on the upper Volturno plain under the Matese mountains, was the head of a Norman county.
In these years it was held for a time by Diepold's men (DBI, undated). Who held it on 1 January 1200 is not pinned: the county lies on the road between Diepold's Venafro objective and the Caserta of his son-in-law.
Who he is
- Name
- Not pinned for 1199-1200. The DBI on Diepold counts Alife among the places 'added for a time' to his holdings, without dates.
- Title
- Count of Alife
- Since
- Not pinned
- Born
- Not pinned
- Family
- Not pinned
- Confidence
- low
DBI on Diepold.
Overlord
The king.
What it holds
- Alife, the walled Roman town and bishopric
- Piedimonte and the villages under the Matese [not pinned]
Allies and rivals
Neighbours: Caiazzo, Caserta, the Molise counties (abr's records).
How things stand that morning
In the kingdom; holder not pinned; Diepold's men held it at some point in 1198-1201.
Wealth
The Volturno plain and the Matese pastures.
Military
The Roman walls of Alife.
Threats
- Diepold's party
Places of note
- Alife: Walled town and bishopric
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Only the DBI's undated mention.
On the map: Drawn in the kingdom's colour because no source puts Diepold in it that winter; the holder is unknown.
Primary sources for Sicily
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Annals of Montecassino; Annals of Ceccano (Fossanova) (12th and early 13th centuries; Ceccano to 1217). Two sets of annals from either side of the papal and Sicilian frontier. Read online
- Chronicle of Richard of San Germano, Richard of San Germano (first version about 1216, enlarged to 1243). The fullest southern narrative of the Hohenstaufen kingdom, written by a notary on the border of the Terra di Lavoro. Read online
- Annals of Genoa, by Caffaro and his continuators, with Ogerio Pane for 1197 to 1219, Ogerio Pane and the other official annalists of Genoa (year by year under the commune's authority; the 1197 to 1219 section by Ogerio Pane). The official record of the commune. Read online
- Chronicle of Burchard of Ursberg, Burchard of Ursberg (about 1229 to 1230, reworked by Conrad of Lichtenau). Written a generation later by a fierce partisan of the Staufen and a critic of Innocent III. Read online
- Chronicle of Otto of St Blasien, Otto of St Blasien (about 1209 to 1210). A Swabian continuation of Otto of Freising written from the Staufen side. Read online
- Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
- Chronicle of Sicard, bishop of Cremona, Sicard of Cremona (about 1210 to 1213). A universal chronicle whose last part is a well-placed eyewitness account by a Lombard bishop who served emperors and popes. Read online
- The Deeds of Innocent III, Anonymous (a curial official, perhaps Peter of Benevento) (about 1208 to 1209). The curia's own account of the pontificate's first decade, with letters copied in. Read online
7 more in the sources library for Southern Italy and the Islands.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.