Landulf of Conza

Landulf of Conza (died after 979), a Lombard nobleman, was briefly Prince of Benevento in 940 and then briefly Prince of Salerno in 973. The son of Atenulf II of Benevento, Landulf ruled on his father's death (940) as co-prince with his uncle, Landulf I, who soon sent him into exile.[1] He initially took refuge at the court of Marinus II of Naples, from where he sought shelter in Salerno through his sister, Gaitelgrima, the second wife of Prince Guaimar II of Salerno. This he received and he was soon appointed gastald of Conza, while his sons—Landenulf, Landulf, Indulf, and Guaimar—were invested with land in Salerno. The Chronicon Salernitanum, which is the most important source for Landulf's life, names the counties of Marsi, Sarno, and Lauro as those of Guaimar, Indulf, and Landenulf, respectively, but does not name a county for Landulf.[2]

With the help of his allies, Marinus of Naples and Manso I of Amalfi, Landulf and his surviving sons (Landenulf died in 971[3]), seized power in Salerno after expelling the reigning prince, Guaimar II's son by his first wife, Gisulf I, who fled to the court of Pandulf Ironhead, son of Landulf I and ruler of Benevento. With Pandulf's aid Gisulf was re-installed as prince later that year, with Pandulf's son Pandulf co-ruling with him. Despite the brevity of his reign, Landulf appears to have succeeded in minting coins in Salerno. One denarius weighing .66g survives bearing the legend +LAN / SALRN (in two lines, with LR ligatured). The other side bears an image of a saint and indiscernible Greek letters.[4] If the attribution of the denarius to Landulf is correct, he would be the first Salernitan ruler to mint them since Guaimar I before 900. Unfortunately, the authenticity of the coins is also in doubt.[5]

Notes
  1. Published in M. Morcaldi, ed. (1875), Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis Tome II (Naples), CCLX, 62, a charter of July 969 records a donation of Landolfus filius bone memorie domni Atenolfi, qui fuid princeps Benebenti (Landulf, son of lord Atenulf of good memory, who was prince of Benevento").
  2. Chronicon Salernitanum, 176 Archived 2011-01-06 at the Wayback Machine. Landulf is also known from a donation to the Salernitan church confirmed in a charter by the Emperor Otto I on 2 November 982. He is last recorded alive in 1004.
  3. Of the Chronicon Salernitanum, 176, records he habuit unum claucosum oculum (had one glaucous? eye) and married the daughter of a certain Tasselgard, by whom he had one son, Landulf. This Landulf is recorded with the title of count (comes) in a document of 5 December 981 in which Otto I judged a dispute between Landulf and the abbot of San Vincenzo al Volturno, John, in the presence of Gunzolino marchio et Azzolino Teatino comitibus (the margrave Gunzolin and counts Azzolin and Teatino).
  4. Medieval European Coinage, III, 60. The letters have been read as MΘ / EO / L, perhaps a reference to Saint Matthew, whose relics had recently been brought to Salerno and who would become the patron saint of the city. Philip Grierson's reading Agios Theodoros (Saint Theodore), has been called "inappropriate for Salerno".
  5. Medieval European Coinage, III, 61.
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References
  • Philip Grierson, Mark A. S. Blackburn, and Lucia Travaini, edd. Medieval European Coinage: Italy, III (South Italy, Sicily, Sardinia). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
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