Andrew of Rupecanina

Who is Andrew of Rupecanina?

Andrew, count of Rupecanina, was a Norman nobleman of the Mezzogiorno. He was a longtime adversary of the royal power.

On 22 July 1138, Pope Innocent II and his supporters, Robert II of Capua and Richard of Rupecanina, were ambushed at Galluccio. Innocent was captured, but Robert and Richard escaped to Germany, where they were received by King Conrad III. Frederick Barbarossa succeeded Conrad in 1152 and, at the Diet of Würzburg, with the Normans present, decided to fulfill the dreams of the Emperor Lothair II and bring all Italy to heel. By the time he was ready to cross the Alps, Richard had died and was succeeded, formally, by his son Andrew, raised since childhood in Germany, at the imperial court.

After Barbarossa's imperial coronation on 18 June 1155, the Germans returned to their homes and the three Normans, still in rebellion, Robert of Capua, Andrew, and Robert of Loritello continued on. On the false report that William I of Sicily was dead, the three entered the Campania and successfully recovered all of their lands. But in May 1156, William countered. He defeated the rebels at Bari by the treason of Richard of Aquila. William then moved on Benevento, where Pope Adrian IV was sheltered by Robert of Militello and Andrew.