Capua's citadel guards the bridge over the Volturno on the Via Appia.
In 1191 Henry VI's German castellan, Conrad of Lutzelhardt, held it until hunger made him surrender to Count Richard of Acerra; in 1197 Richard was put to death at Capua. In the autumn of 1199 Count Peter of Celano brought his troops into the Terra di Lavoro and pressed the election of his son Rainald as archbishop of Capua. Who commanded the citadel on 1 January 1200 is not recorded; the city holds for the king.
Who he is
- Title
- Royal castellan of the citadel of Capua
- Since
- Not pinned
- Born
- Not pinned
- Confidence
- low
Richard of San Germano (1191); DBI on Peter of Celano (1199).
Overlord
The king; in practice the regency, with the influence of Count Peter of Celano, whose son Rainald was elected archbishop of Capua in the autumn of 1199 against local resistance.
What it holds
- The citadel of Capua and the Volturno bridge
How it was acquired
Royal.
Allies and rivals
The archbishop-elect Rainald and his father Peter of Celano; enemies: Diepold and Count Robert of Caserta next door.
How things stand that morning
Held for the king [the castellan not pinned].
Wealth
Tolls of the Volturno bridge and the Via Appia.
Military
The citadel held out for months in 1191.
Threats
- Diepold and the count of Caserta
- Walter of Brienne's battle before Capua, 10 June 1201 (likely course)
Places of note
- Citadel of Capua: Royal citadel by the Volturno bridge
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: No castellan is named for 1199-1200 in the sources seen.
On the map: The citadel stands in the city; Capua and its land are drawn in the town record Capua.
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
- Richard of San Germano, Chronicle, trans. G.A. Loud (University of Leeds, PDF; covers to 1199)
- Pietro di Celano (Treccani, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.