Europe · The early medieval west
Principality of Capua
drawn on the map AD 840–865, 875–899, 990–1009, 1015–1039, 1056–1065
The Principality of Capua was a Lombard principality in Campania, which became independent from Benevento in the 9th century (achieving princely status in the early 900s under the Landulfid dynasty). Its capital was Capua (the old city was destroyed by Muslim raiders in 841, and a new Capua was founded on the Volturno in 856).
- Shown on the map
- AD 840–865, 875–899, 990–1009, 1015–1039, 1056–1065 (5 periods)
- Peak area
- 1k km²
- Region
- Europe
Overview
The Principality of Capua was a Lombard principality in Campania, which became independent from Benevento in the 9th century (achieving princely status in the early 900s under the Landulfid dynasty). Its capital was Capua (the old city was destroyed by Muslim raiders in 841, and a new Capua was founded on the Volturno in 856).
Decline and legacy
Capua was a restless, aggressive power constantly at war with its neighbors Naples, Salerno, and Benevento, and frequently entangled with Muslim mercenaries and raiders. For a period the Capuan princes also ruled Benevento, uniting the two Lombard principalities. Capua was drawn into the Norman orbit and was ultimately taken by the Normans (Richard Drengot captured Capua in 1058), becoming a Norman principality within the emerging Kingdom of Sicily.
Common questions
- What was the Principality of Capua?
- The Principality of Capua was a Lombard principality in Campania, which became independent from Benevento in the 9th century (achieving princely status in the early 900s under the Landulfid dynasty). Its capital was Capua (the old city was destroyed by Muslim raiders in 841, and a new Capua was founded on the Volturno in 856).
- When is the Principality of Capua shown on the map?
- The border data draws the Principality of Capua AD 840–865, 875–899, 990–1009, 1015–1039, 1056–1065, in 5 separate periods. The source samples borders at fixed dates, so a span can begin late or run on past the end.
- How large was the Principality of Capua?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Principality of Capua covered about 1,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
- How did the Principality of Capua end?
- Capua was a restless, aggressive power constantly at war with its neighbors Naples, Salerno, and Benevento, and frequently entangled with Muslim mercenaries and raiders. For a period the Capuan princes also ruled Benevento, uniting the two Lombard principalities.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each polity as the primary basis, cross-checked against Encyclopædia Britannica and the World History Encyclopedia, while flagging entries built on thin or contested evidence — Samo's Empire on a single Fredegar passage, Venice's 697 founding date as legendary, the Pacta conventa as a probable forgery. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Principality of Capua en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Capua
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
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