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36-626: The ancient sarcophagus of Rapolla takes its name from its find spot, near the town of Rapolla. It is from a workshop in Asia Minor and dates to the late II century AD. Now it's in the Museo Nazionale del Melfese, in the Castle of Melfi . This Basilicata location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Castle of Melfi The Castle of Melfi in Basilicata

72-915: A daughter named Flordelis (d. 27 February 1297), who married Ranieri Della Gherardesca, Count of Donoratico and Bolgheri . Contemporaries praised the noble and magnanimous character of Manfred, who was renowned for his physical beauty and intellectual attainments. In the Divine Comedy , Dante Alighieri meets Manfred outside the gates of Purgatory , where the spirit explains that, although he repented of his sins in articulo mortis , he must atone for his contumacy by waiting 30 years for each year he lived as an excommunicate, before being admitted to Purgatory proper. He then asks Dante to tell Constance about him being in Purgatory. With this statement, Manfred reveals that one's time in Purgatory can lessen if someone still alive can pray on their behalf, anticipating one of

108-500: A gateway between Campania and Apulia . Its placement was essential to defend itself from external attacks and as a refuge for Norman allies. The structure was a place of several "historic" events during the Norman period. In Melfi, the residential seat of the County of Apulia ( Contea di Puglia ), there were five ecumenical councils, organized by five different Popes between 1059 and 1137. In

144-408: A love of poetry and science. At Frederick's death in 1250, Manfred, although only about 18 years old, acted loyally and with vigour in the execution of his trust. The Kingdom was in turmoil, mainly due to rebellions spurred by Pope Innocent IV . Manfred was able to subdue numerous rebel cities, with the exception of Naples . Manfred attempted in 1251 to make concessions to Pope Innocent to stave off

180-460: A prison for captives like the " Saracen " Uthman of Lucera , who was released after the payment of 50 ounces of gold. In 1232, Frederick II hosted in the castle Margrave Boniface II of Montferrat and Bianca Lancia , with whom he had his son Manfred and who became his wife just before her death. After his excommunication by Pope Gregory IX , the Hohenstaufen emperor in 1241 had imprisoned in

216-521: A treaty made in September 1254, Manfred submitted, and accepted the title of Papal vicar for southern Italy But Manfred—his suspicions aroused by the demeanour of the papal retinue and annoyed by the occupation of Campania by papal troops—fled to the Saracens at Lucera . Aided by Saracen allies, he defeated the papal army at Foggia on 2 December 1254, and soon established his authority over Sicily and

252-723: Is a monument owned by the Italian State and one of the most important medieval castles in Southern Italy . Its construction, at least the components still visible, dates back to the Norman conquest and has undergone significant changes over time, especially under the House of Anjou and the Crown of Aragon . The castle was built in the late 11th century by the Normans in a strategic location that serves as

288-463: Is indicative of Dante's dislike of popes' use of excommunication as a political and policy tool. According to Dante, Manfred's excommunication does not make it impossible for him to make it through Purgatory and, eventually, into Paradise. Dante adds to this characterization of Manfred and the Church by describing how the Church ordered Manfred's bones unearthed after his death and thrown into a river outside

324-673: Is paraphrased as death not eliminating hope so long as even a bit of hope is there. Manfred formed the subject of dramas by E.B.S. Raupach , O. Marbach and F.W. Roggee. Three letters written by Manfred were published by J. B. Carusius in Bibliotheca historica regni Siciliae ( Palermo , 1732). Manfred's name was borrowed by the English author Horace Walpole for the main character of his short novel The Castle of Otranto (1764). Montague Summers , in his 1924 edition of this work, showed that some details of Manfred of Sicily's real history inspired

360-499: The 16th century under the Aragon government and became the property of the noble Acciaioli family first, then of the Marzano , Caracciolo and finally, Doria dynasty, to which belonged until 1950. The castle had to undergo two violent earthquakes in 1851 and 1930 but, unlike the other Melfi monuments that were severely damaged, the castle came out almost unscathed. Today, the building houses

396-628: The Castle of Melfi, and ordered several modifications. In 1231 he promulgated the Constitutions of Melfi ( Liber Augustalis ) at the manor, code of laws of the Kingdom of Sicily, to which the emperor personally took part in the writing together with people like his notary Pietro della Vigna and the philosopher and mathematician Michael Scot . The structure was also a deposit for taxes collected in Basilicata and

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432-494: The Kingdom of Sicily, renamed it Sypontum Novellum ("New Sypontum"), but that name never imposed. Manfred maintained diplomatic relations with the Mamluk sultans of Egypt through the exchange of gifts. Sultan Baybars , for example, sent him a giraffe, acquired through a tribute from Nubia , and considered one of the rarest, most dazzling gifts one could send. Manfred was married twice: Manfred had at least one illegitimate child,

468-532: The Margrave Berthold of Hohenberg , a powerful German baron, as Conradin's regent . In May 1254 Conrad died of malaria at the age of twenty-six. Manfred, after refusing to surrender Sicily to Innocent IV, accepted the regency on behalf of Conradin. The pope however, having been named guardian of Conradin, excommunicated Manfred in July 1254. The regent decided to open negotiations with Innocent. As part of

504-475: The National Archaeological Museum of Melfi, which opened in 1976. The castle of Melfi, having witnessed several construction phases over time, has a multi-style architectural form, although it still looks purely medieval. It is composed of ten towers of which seven rectangular and three pentagonal: The castle of Melfi has four entrances, of which only one is still usable. The first, situated in

540-729: The Sicilian possessions on the mainland. In that year Manfred supported the Ghibelline communes in Tuscany, in particular Siena , to which he provided a corps of German knights that was later instrumental in the defeat of Florence at the Battle of Montaperti . He thus reached the status of patron of the Ghibelline League. Also in that year Innocent died, succeeded by Alexander IV , who immediately excommunicated Manfred. In 1257, however, Manfred crushed

576-570: The battlefield, a huge heap of stones was placed, but afterwards with the consent of the pope the remains were unearthed, cast out of the papal territory, and interred on the bank of the Garigliano River , outside of the boundaries of Naples and the Papal States . At the Battle of Benevento Charles captured Helena, Manfred's second wife, and imprisoned her. She lived five years later in captivity in

612-516: The building two cardinals and several French and German bishops, who should have been part of a papal council for his dismissal. With the demise of the Staufer and the arrival of the Anjou (Angevin) rulers, the Castle of Melfi underwent comprehensive renovations and expansions. In 1284 it became the official residence of Mary of Hungary , the wife of Charles II of Anjou . It was still subject to changes in

648-517: The castle of Nocera Inferiore where she died in 1271. Manfred's son-in-law Peter III eventually became King Peter I of Sicily from 1282 after the Sicilian Vespers expelled the French from the island again. The modern city of Manfredonia was built by King Manfred between 1256–1263, some kilometers north of the ruins of the ancient Sipontum . The Angevines, who had defeated Manfred and stripped him of

684-458: The country via a bridge, a drawbridge in ancient times. The interior, though transformed by Doria, between the 16th and 18th century in a baronial palace, still retains some structural features in Norman-Swabian style. After crossing the bridge is visible a portal that contains an 18th-century inscription that honours the deeds of Emperor Charles V and his admiral Andrea Doria . Then entering

720-700: The courtyard, it is possible to access the stables and the yards of the "lairage" and "the Mortorio", all Angevin works created between 1278 and 1281 at the behest of Charles II of Anjou. Always in Angevin style are the "Throne Room" (which houses the museum), built on the north side, below the "Hall of Armigeri." Worth mentioning also the "Hall of the bowl," where were proclaimed the Constitutions of Melfi. Manfred, King of Sicily Manfred ( Sicilian : Manfredi di Sicilia ; 1232 – 26 February 1266)

756-483: The kingdom in fear that his gravesite would inspire the development of a cult around it. Manfred's presence in Purgatorio also holds a more general symbolic value. Robert Hollander argues that Manfred's time in Purgatory should be seen as a symbol of hope, given that Manfred's final statement in Purgatorio , Canto III is that "hope maintains a thread of green" ( speranza ha fior del verde ) ( Purgatorio III.135), which

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792-502: The necessity for a strong native ruler. The pope, to whom the Saracen alliance was a serious offence, declared Manfred's coronation void. Undeterred by the excommunication Manfred sought to obtain power in central and northern Italy, where the Ghibelline leader Ezzelino III da Romano had disappeared. He named vicars in Tuscany, Spoleto , Marche , Romagna and Lombardy . After Montaperti he

828-550: The northeast near the Tower parvula, was directly connected with the country and is now walled up; the second, also walled and located near the church tower, opens to the courtyard; the third to the south-west, close to the bulwark of the Lion, was the main entrance during Angevin age and allowed to reach the moat and the city. The fourth, the only active, was opened by the Doria and serves as access to

864-533: The novelist. The name was re-borrowed by Lord Byron for his dramatic poem Manfred (1817). Inspired by Byron's poem, Manfred was adapted musically by Robert Schumann in 1852, in a composition entitled Manfred: Dramatic Poem with Music in Three Parts , and later by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in his Manfred Symphony (1885). King Manfred ( König Manfred ), Op. 93 is a grand romantic opera in 5 acts by Carl Reinecke to libretto by Friedrich Roeber . It

900-492: The ongoing conflict between the Hohenstaufens and the papacy through combat and political alliances. He defeated the papal army at Foggia on 2 December 1254. Excommunicated by three successive popes, Manfred was the target of a Crusade (1255–66) called first by Pope Alexander IV and then by Urban IV . Nothing came of Alexander's call, but Urban enlisted the aid of Charles of Anjou in overthrowing Manfred. Manfred

936-412: The papal army and settled all the rebellions, imposing his firm rule of southern Italy and receiving the title of vicar from Conradin. On 10 August 1258, taking advantage of Conradin's rumoured death, Manfred was crowned King of Sicily at Palermo . The falsehood of this report was soon manifest; but the new king, supported by the popular voice, declined to abdicate and pointed out to Conradin's envoys

972-429: The prospect of war, but the attempt failed. When Conrad IV , Manfred's legitimate brother, appeared in southern Italy in 1252, his authority was quickly and generally acknowledged. Conrad quickly stripped Manfred of all his fiefs by limiting his authority solely to the principality of Taranto. In October 1253, Naples fell into the hands of Conrad. Conrad made the pope the guardian of Conradin , his infant son, and named

1008-533: The recurring themes in Purgatorio . Family connections, whether by blood or by marriage, are heavily referenced throughout this section of the Divine Comedy . Dante uses these relationships to demonstrate that earthly connections impede souls in Purgatory from reaching Paradise. Dante's placing of Manfred in Purgatory is surprising given Manfred's excommunication by multiple popes. Manfred's placement in Purgatory

1044-734: The relation to the Greek Church, in 1101 Paschal II called the Fourth Council of Melfi IV and finally Innocent II in 1137 celebrated the Fifth Council of Melfi, last of the series. Also in 1130 Antipope Anacletus II , who established the Norman Kingdom of Sicily , organized a Council of Melfi, which however was not recognized by the Church. Upon the arrival of the Hohenstaufen dynasty in 1194, Emperor Frederick II gave great importance to

1080-530: The summer of 1059, Pope Nicholas II stayed at the fortress: on 24 June he concluded an agreement with Count Robert Guiscard and Prince Richard I of Capua , in preparation of the First Council of Melfi, which he celebrated there from 3 to 25 August finally recognizing the Norman conquests by the Concordat of Melfi . The Pope named Robert Guiscard Duke of Apulia and Calabria and the town of Melfi on that occasion

1116-550: Was crowned in Rome in January 1266, the pope being absent. On 20 January he set southwards and waded the Liri river, invading the Kingdom of Sicily. After some minor clashes, the rival armies met at the Battle of Benevento on 26 February 1266, and Manfred's army was defeated. The king himself, refusing to flee, rushed into the midst of his enemies and was killed. Over his body, which was buried on

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1152-655: Was killed during his defeat by Charles at the Battle of Benevento , and Charles assumed kingship of Sicily. Manfred was born in Venosa . Frederick II appears to have regarded him as legitimate, and by his will named him as Prince of Taranto . Frederick named Manfred's half-brother Conrad IV king of Germany, Italy and Sicily, but Manfred was regent of Sicily while Conrad was in Germany. Manfred, who initially bore his mother's surname, studied in Paris and Bologna and shared with his father

1188-576: Was most successful with Charles I of Anjou , a brother of King Louis IX of France , who accepted the investiture of the kingdom of Sicily at his hands. Hearing of the approach of Charles, Manfred issued a manifesto to the Romans , in which he not only defended his rule over Italy but even claimed the imperial crown. Charles' army, some 30,000 strong, entered Italy from the Col de Tende in late 1265. He soon reduced numerous Ghibelline strongholds in northern Italy and

1224-648: Was promoted to the capital of his duchy. Guiscard had exiled his first wife Alberada of Buonalbergo , to marry the Lombard princess Sikelgaita of Salerno . Further synods were held at the castle: Pope Alexander II from 1 August 1067 chaired the Second Council of Melfi, received the Lombard prince Gisulf II of Salerno as well as Robert Guiscard and his younger brother Roger I . The Third Council of Melfi , convened in 1089 by Pope Urban II , dealt with church legislation and

1260-523: Was recognized as protector of Tuscany by the citizens of Florence, who did homage to his representative, and he was chosen "Senator of the Romans" by a faction in the city. His power was also augmented by the marriage of his daughter Constance in 1262 to Peter III of Aragon . Terrified by these proceedings, the new Pope Urban IV excommunicated him. The pope first tried to sell the Kingdom of Sicily to Richard of Cornwall and his son, but in vain. In 1263 he

1296-481: Was the last King of Sicily from the Hohenstaufen dynasty, reigning from 1258 until his death. The natural son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II , Manfred became regent over the kingdom of Sicily on behalf of his nephew Conradin in 1254. As regent he subdued rebellions in the kingdom, until in 1258 he usurped Conradin's rule. After an initial attempt to appease Pope Innocent IV he took up

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