Richard of Salerno

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Richard of Salerno (c.1045-1114) was a participant in the First Crusade and regent of the County of Edessa from 1104-1108.

Richard was born around 1045 to Drogo of Hauteville, a Norman adventurer and count, and Altrude of Salerno, a Lombard princess. He was a nephew of Robert Guiscard and Roger I of Sicily. On his father's death in 1051, he was too young to succeed, and his uncle Humphrey was elected count instead. On Humphrey's death, his cousins, Abelard and Herman were overlooked by their uncle Robert. While Abelard rebelled, claiming the inheritance, Richard allied with Robert and Roger. Richard fought some battles with Roger in the conquest of Sicily. He was present with Guiscard at the fall of Bari in April 1071 and fought strongly against his cousins and their allies between 1078 and 1080, when Abelard died. For his support, Richard was confirmed as count of Castellaneta, Oria, and Mottola by his uncle.

In 1097, Richard joined his cousins, Bohemund of Taranto and Tancred, on the First Crusade. Richard and Tancred were notable for being among the few Crusaders who could speak Arabic, an ability doubtlessly learned during the wars in Sicily, which had a strong Arab presence. Anna Comnena relates that when Richard crossed the Adriatic Sea, his ship was attacked and captured by the Byzantine fleet, who had mistaken him for a pirate. He was soon released and joined the main Crusader army marching through Bulgaria and Hungary. Along with Tancred, Richard refused to swear an oath of fidelity to the Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus, preferring to cross the Bosphorus in secret.

In 1101, Richard was appointed seneschal of Apulia and Calabria by the Guiscard's son and successor, his cousin, Roger Borsa.

Richard was one of the commanders at the Battle of Dorylaeum in summer 1097. 1098, Richard and Tancred joined Bohemund at the siege of Antioch. Richard was among those captured with Bohemund in 1100 when ambushed by the Danishmends at the Battle of Melitene. From there Richard was sent to the emperor Alexius, who imprisoned him in Constantinople before he was finally released in 1103. His cousin Tancred then appointed him governor of Edessa in the winter of 1104, a city which he ruled until 1108. He was bitterly hated by the citizens of Edessa for being ruthless and greedy. During this time, Richard also acted as a diplomat, traveling to France and Italy and arranging the marriage of Bohemund to the princess Constance of France. He was a witness of the 1108 Treaty of Devol. He also participated in the ultimately disastrous campaigns Bohemund waged against the emperor Alexius, but may have been secretly plotting with Alexius against Bohemund. After Bohemund's death in 1111, Richard retired to Marash, where he died in the great earthquake of November 29, 1114.

By his wife Altrude, daughter of Geoffrey, Count of Conversano, he had a son, Roger of Salerno, who was the regent of the Principality of Antioch. His daughter Maria married Count Joscelin I of Edessa.

[edit] References

• Beech, George. A Norman-Italian Adventurer in the East: Richard of Salerno, 1993