Emilia was the duchess of Gaeta first as consort of John III

John III of Gaeta

John III was the consul and duke of Gaeta from some time between October 984 and January 986 until his death.He was the eldest son of Marinus II, who succeeded his brother Gregory in 978 and immediately appointed John as co-duke in order to assure his inheritance, as the precedent of fraternal...

 (984–1008) and then as the regent for her grandson John V

John V of Gaeta

John V was the consul and duke of Gaeta from 1012 to 1032. He was the son of John IV and Sichelgaita, sister of Sergius IV of Naples. He was either very young when he succeeded his father or perhaps he was even born posthumously.His regency was disputed by Leo, his father's brother, and the...

 (1012–1032) until at least 1029.

At the time of her marriage, she bore the Roman title senatrix. She was probably, therefore, of Roman descent, a member of the powerful Crescenzi or Tusculani. Her marriage was most likely an alliance between the ruling Gaetan house and the Roman aristocracy to secure Gaetan favour in the eternal city, the home of both pope and emperor. The wedding took place before January 998, when Emilia appeared with John at the monastery of Saint Nilus the Younger

Saint Nilus the Younger

Saint Nilus the Younger was an Italian saint.-Biography:Born to a Greek family of Rossano, in the Byzantine Theme of Calabria, for a time he was married and had a daughter...

. John died before or in 1008 and she took up a short regency for her son, John IV

John IV of Gaeta

John IV was the eldest son of John III of Gaeta who was appointed co-duke in 991 while still young . John succeeded his father in 1008 or 1009 and ruled for a brief four years....

.

When John IV died between April and August 1012, she took over the regency of her grandson, who was an infant. Immediately, she and John were opposed by Leo I

Leo I of Gaeta

Leo I, called the Usurper, was the usurping consul and duke of Gaeta on two quite separate occasions. He was the son of one Docibilis, a relative of the Docibilian dynasty, probably a son of Duke Gregory....

, cousin of John IV. By October, her supporters had expelled him. But then she had to deal with the opposition of her own son, Leo II

Leo II of Gaeta

Leo II was the regent and tutor of John V of Gaeta in opposition to his own mother, Emilia, from 1014 to January 1025. He undersigned documents as consul et dux. He was the son of John III of Gaeta and thus uncle of John V....

, who expected to be accorded the regency. The two disputed the regency and co-undersigned charters until January 1025, when Leo last appears in the Codex Caietanus. Emilia was the sole regent in a February charter.

The Roman Emilia's politics leaned strongly towards support of the pope and the Lombards

Lombards

The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...

 against 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...

. In 1012, she allowed Dattus

Dattus

Dattus was a Lombard leader from Bari, the brother-in-law of Melus of Bari. He joined his brother-in-law in a 1009 revolt against Byzantine authority in southern Italy.In 1010, the rebels took Ascoli and Troina...

, a Lombard rebel, to garrison a tower on the Garigliano, in Gaetan territory, with papal troops, supplied by Benedict VIII. In 1014, at the Castro Argento, also on Gaetan soil, Emilia and the Bishop Bernard

Bernard, Bishop of Gaeta

Bernard was the Bishop of Gaeta for fifty years from his appointment in 997 until his death. He was a member of the Docibilan dynasty which ruled the Duchy of Gaeta from 867 to 1032...

, her brother-in-law, hosted several local leaders: Daufer of Traetto, Pandulf II of Capua

Pandulf II of Capua

Pandulf II , called the Black or the Young, was the son and successor of Landulf VII of Capua in 1007. He ruled jointly with his uncle, Pandulf II of Benevento, who was originally his regent, until the latter's death in 1014.It is recorded that he ruled jointly with his father, but from what date...

, Sergius IV of Naples

Sergius IV of Naples

Sergius IV was Duke of Naples from 1002 to 1036. He was one of the prime catalysts in the growth of Norman power in the Mezzogiorno in the first half of the eleventh century...

, Atenulf of Montecassino, and the archbishop of Capua. The convention agreed to an anti-Byzantine policy.

In 1027, when Duke Sergius IV

Sergius IV of Naples

Sergius IV was Duke of Naples from 1002 to 1036. He was one of the prime catalysts in the growth of Norman power in the Mezzogiorno in the first half of the eleventh century...

 was forced to flee Naples

Naples

Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...

, Emilia gave him refuge, for John V was his nephew. During his stay, Sergius negotiated with Emilia for Gaetan support in retaking his duchy while he conceded to the Gaetans certain rights in travelling in Neapolitan land. An accord was signed between the rulers in February 1029.

It is unknown when her regency ended. She died early in 1036, when her son Leo donated a house to the monastery of S. Giovanni di Felline in her memory.

Sources

• Chalandon, Ferdinand. Histoire de la domination normande en Italie et en Sicilie. Paris, 1907.
• Caravale, Mario (ed). Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani LXII Dugoni – Enza. Rome, 1993.