Docibilis II of Gaeta
Encyclopedia
Docibilis II (c. 880 – c. 954) was the ruler of Gaeta, in one capacity or another, from 906 until his death. He was the son of the hypatus
John I
, who made him co-ruler in 906 or thereabouts.
Docibilis took part in the Battle of Garigliano
in 915. In 930, he began adding the title of duke, or dux, to his title of hypatus, or ypatus. This was meant to signify a new status or rank, though the Byzantine Empire
, to which he was always legally a vassal, always recognised him merely as archon
, αρχον. His father died in 933 or 934, and he subsequently became sole ruler. At that juncture, he began asserting his independence from the Byzantines. He abandoned the imperial dating by which charters were dated by the year of the emperor's reign and allied with Theobald I of Spoleto
against the Greeks.
Likewise, his wife Orania took the title of duchess, ducissa, alongside ypatissa, and he associated his son, John II
, with him in the dukeship. In 939 he removed the style hypatus and began calling himself consul
. He married his daughter Maria to the prince of Capua, to strengthen his ties to the rest of the local Italian nobility. Atenulf Megalu, the gastald
of Aquino
, fled to Docibilis' protection, but none of this bettered his relations with the Lombard princes: he was attacked by Landulf I of Benevento
and lost some territory. Later on, he even imprisoned the abbot of Monte Cassino
and was not above allying with the Saracens against which he had once fought. He was succeeded by his son John and later Gregory
, and he gave Fondi
to his son Marinus, with the title of dux, effectively splitting the duchy of Gaeta in two parts. His other son Leo received the Church of San Erasmo at Formia
from John II and Docibilis left many daughters besides Maria: Anna, Gemma, Drosu, and Megalu.
He died after 954 and before 957. In his last will (954) his palace in Gaeta, now in ruins, was described as having "rooms, corridors, baths, aviaries, kitchens and courtyards down to the sea."
Hypatus
Hýpatos and the variant apó hypátōn was a Byzantine court dignity, originally the Greek translation of Latin consul . The dignity arose from the honorary consulships awarded in the late Roman Empire, and survived until the early 12th century...
John I
John I of Gaeta
John I was the second hypatus of Gaeta of his dynasty, a son of Dociblis I and Matrona, and perhaps the greatest of medieval Gaetan rulers....
, who made him co-ruler in 906 or thereabouts.
Docibilis took part in the Battle of Garigliano
Battle of Garigliano
The Battle of Garigliano was fought in 915 between the forces of the Christian League and the Saracens. Pope John X personally led the Christian forces into battle.-Background:...
in 915. In 930, he began adding the title of duke, or dux, to his title of hypatus, or ypatus. This was meant to signify a new status or rank, though the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, to which he was always legally a vassal, always recognised him merely as archon
Archon
Archon is a Greek word that means "ruler" or "lord", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem ἀρχ-, meaning "to rule", derived from the same root as monarch, hierarchy, and anarchy.- Ancient Greece :In ancient Greece the...
, αρχον. His father died in 933 or 934, and he subsequently became sole ruler. At that juncture, he began asserting his independence from the Byzantines. He abandoned the imperial dating by which charters were dated by the year of the emperor's reign and allied with Theobald I of Spoleto
Theobald I of Spoleto
Theobald I was the Duke of Spoleto from 928 to his death. He was the son of Boniface II, former duke, and member of the line of the Hucpoldings, a house of Frankish Ripuarian origin that built its fortunes in Italy since the 9th century...
against the Greeks.
Likewise, his wife Orania took the title of duchess, ducissa, alongside ypatissa, and he associated his son, John II
John II of Gaeta
John II was the duke of Gaeta, associated with his father Docibilis II and grandfather John I from 933 and sole ruler from the former's death in 954. His mother was Orania, of Neapolitan extraction...
, with him in the dukeship. In 939 he removed the style hypatus and began calling himself consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
. He married his daughter Maria to the prince of Capua, to strengthen his ties to the rest of the local Italian nobility. Atenulf Megalu, the gastald
Gastald
A gastald was a Lombard official in charge of some portion of the royal demesne with civil, martial, and judicial powers. By the Edictum Rothari of 643, the gastalds were given the civil authority in the cities and the reeves the like authority in the countryside...
of Aquino
Aquino
Aquino is a town and comune in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region of Italy, 12 km northwest of Cassino.-History:The ancient Aquinum was a municipium in the time of Cicero, and made a colony by the Triumviri...
, fled to Docibilis' protection, but none of this bettered his relations with the Lombard princes: he was attacked by Landulf I of Benevento
Landulf I of Benevento
Landulf I , sometimes called Antipater, was a Lombard nobleman and the Prince of Benevento and of Capua from 12 January 901, when his father, Atenulf I, prince of Capua and conqueror of Benevento, associated his with him in power...
and lost some territory. Later on, he even imprisoned the abbot of Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, Italy, c. to the west of the town of Cassino and altitude. St. Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, here around 529. It was the site of Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944...
and was not above allying with the Saracens against which he had once fought. He was succeeded by his son John and later Gregory
Gregory of Gaeta
Gregory was the Duke of Gaeta from 963 until his death. He was the second son of Docibilis II of Gaeta and his wife Orania. He succeeded his brother John II, who had left only daughters. Gregory rapidly depleted the publicum of the Duchy of Gaeta by doling it out to family members as grants...
, and he gave Fondi
Fondi
Fondi is a city and comune in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy, halfway between Rome and Naples. Before the construction of the highway between the latter cities in the late 1950s, Fondi had been an important settlement on the Roman Via Appia, which was the main connection from Rome to...
to his son Marinus, with the title of dux, effectively splitting the duchy of Gaeta in two parts. His other son Leo received the Church of San Erasmo at Formia
Formia
Formia is a city and comune in the province of Latina, on the Mediterranean coast of Lazio . It is located halfway between Rome and Naples, and lies on the Roman-era Appian Way.-History:...
from John II and Docibilis left many daughters besides Maria: Anna, Gemma, Drosu, and Megalu.
He died after 954 and before 957. In his last will (954) his palace in Gaeta, now in ruins, was described as having "rooms, corridors, baths, aviaries, kitchens and courtyards down to the sea."
Sources
- Caravale, Mario (ed). Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani XL Di Fausto – Donadoni. RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, 1991.