Aversa, the first Norman county in Italy (1030), lies in the plain between Naples and Capua.
It surrendered to Henry VI in 1191 and came back to Tancred, who retook it in 1193 (Richard of San Germano). Around 1200 it is allied with Naples against the raiders of Cuma, whose castle had been an Aversan baron's fief since 1134 (Federiciana). On 1 January 1200 it is in the king's hands; its stance in the war is not recorded.
Who holds it
- Name
- The crown; Bishop Gentile (in office in February 1198) [still bishop on 1 January 1200 not pinned]
- Title
- Royal city and bishopric
- Since
- Royal since the Norman kings
- Confidence
- low
Richard of San Germano; DBI on Diepold; Federiciana on Napoli.
Lord in 1200
The king [no officer named]. In February 1198 Diepold, as count of Acerra, gave Bishop Gentile of Aversa an island in the Lucrine lake (DBI); the bishop's attitude in 1200 is not pinned.
Overlord
The king.
Allies and rivals
Ally: Naples, against Cuma. Neighbours: Capua; Diepold's Acerra.
How things stand that morning
Held for the king [thin].
Wealth
The plain's grain, wine and flax.
Military
Not documented.
Threats
- Raids from Cuma
- Diepold
Walls and castle
The Norman town and its walls [state in 1200 not pinned].
Trade and crafts
The farms of the Liburia plain; the road between Naples and Capua.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Only scattered references for 1191-1207.
On the map: The near land of the city; the Liburia's division between Naples, Aversa and Capua in 1200 is not documented.
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)
- Dipoldo di Schweinspeunt (Treccani, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani)
- Napoli (Treccani, Enciclopedia Federiciana)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.