A bishop's town on the slopes of the Roccamonfina volcano above the lower Garigliano.
Diepold raided its country in 1192 for the emperor; since 1191 it belongs to the count of Fondi, who now sides with Diepold.
Who holds it
- Name
- Count Richard of Aquila of Fondi
- Title
- Lord of Sessa
- Since
- 1191 (bought from Henry VI)
- Confidence
- high
DBI on Riccardo dell'Aquila.
Lord in 1200
Count Richard of Fondi, who bought Sessa and Teano from Henry VI in 1191; his son Roger still held them in 1211 (see Fondi).
Overlord
The king.
How things stand that morning
Held by the count of Fondi for Diepold's side.
Walls and castle
Town walls and castle [not described for 1200].
Trade and crafts
Wine and olives of the Massico and Roccamonfina slopes.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1201 (not 1200)After Walter of Brienne's victory at Capua the count loses Sessa, and returns to it only after October 1201 (DBI).Depends on: Walter's campaign. Stopped by: A settlement in 1200.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The purchase and the son's tenure are in the DBI.
Primary sources for Diepold's Germans
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
- 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
- Book in honour of the Emperor, or On Sicilian affairs, Peter of Eboli (1195 to 1197). An illustrated verse account of Henry VI's conquest of Sicily, preserved in a single manuscript made at the imperial court. Read online
Sources and studies
- Riccardo dell'Aquila (Treccani, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani)
- Richard of San Germano, Chronicle, trans. G.A. Loud (University of Leeds, PDF; covers to 1199)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.