Manso II the Blind was the duke of Amalfi on three separate occasions: from 1028 to 1029, from 1034 to 1038, and from 1043 to 1052. He was the second son of Sergius II

Sergius II of Amalfi

Sergius II was the Patrician and Duke of Amalfi, the son and successor of John I, who co-reigned with his father until the latter's death in 1007....

 and Maria, sister of Pandulf IV of Capua

Pandulf IV of Capua

Pandulf IV was the Prince of Capua on three separate occasions.From February 1016 to 1022 he ruled in association with his cousin Pandulf II. In 1018, the Byzantine catapan Boiannes destroyed the Lombard army of Melus of Bari and his Norman allies at Cannae...

. His whole ducal career consisted of wars with his brother, John II

John II of Amalfi

John II was the duke of Amalfi from 1029 to 1069 with multiple interruptions. He was the son of Sergius II and Maria, sister of Pandulf IV of Capua. He was the last significant duke of Amalfi before the Norman conquest of 1073....

, over the throne. The Chronicon Amalfitanum (c. 1300) is an important source for his reign.

In 1028, he and his mother seized the throne, while Sergius and John fled to Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

. This was probably at the instigation of his uncle Pandulf. In 1029, John, but not Sergius, returned and reasserted his authority, deposing Manso and Maria. In April or May 1034, John was forced to flee Amalfi

Amalfi

Amalfi is a town and comune in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno, c. 35 km southeast of Naples. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto , surrounded by dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery...

 again for 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...

 and Manso and Maria retook the throne with the support of Pandulf. Maria took the titles ducissa et patricissa, but Manso received no titles from Byzantium: clearly, they had aligned themselves with the Lombards and not the Greeks.

In 1038, the Holy Roman

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

 Emperor Conrad II deposed Pandulf and John was able to return to Amalfi. He blinded Manso and exiled him to the island of Sirenuse

Sirenuse

The Sirenusas , also known as the Gallos , are an archipelago of little islands off the Amalfi Coast of Italy near Positano and the Isle of Capri. The name, Sirenuse, is a reference to the mythological sirens said to have lived there...

, with the support of Maria, whom he allowed to co-reign. The cruelty of this act turned the citizenry against the duke and duchess and, in April 1039, they ousted John and Maria and accepted Guaimar IV of Salerno

Guaimar IV of Salerno

Guaimar IV was Prince of Salerno , Duke of Amalfi , Duke of Gaeta , and Prince of Capua in Southern Italy over the period from 1027 to 1052. He was an important figure in the final phase of Byzantine authority in the Mezzogiorno and the commencement of Norman power...

 as duke. Guaimar appointed Manso to act as duke in 1040 or 1043, under Salernitan suzerainty. Manso named his son after Guaimar and appointed him co-duke in 1047. In 1052, the Amalfitans, who loved Manso, rebelled nevertheless over the burden of Salernitan taxation. John was able to seize power again.

In addition to his son Guaimar

Guaimar II of Amalfi

Guaimar II was the duke of Amalfi, ruling alongside his father, Manso II, and under the suzerainty of his namesake, Guaimar IV of Salerno, from 1047, when his father first associated him, to his and his father's deposition in 1052 by his uncle, John II, after the assassination of the prince of...

, he had a son named Manso, who in turn had a son named Manso, who married a Gaitelgrima and had a son named John. Either one of these may be the viceduke Manso

Manso (viceduke)

Manso was a Lombard viceduke who ruled the Duchy of Amalfi during the reign of Roger Borsa, the Norman Duke of Apulia. He is known only from his coins: large, copper follari bearing the inscription MANSO VICEDUX on the reverse...

 known only from coins of the period. He may have had a daughter who married Ranulf Drengot.