Andrew II was the

duke of Naples The Dukes of Naples were the military commanders of the '' ducatus Neapolitanus'', a Byzantine outpost in Italy, one of the few remaining after the conquest of the Lombards. In 661, Emperor Constans II, highly interested in south Italian affairs (h ...

from 834 to 840. During his reign, he was constantly at war with the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...

and he allowed

Gaeta Gaeta (; lat, Cāiēta; Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a city in the province of Latina, in Lazio, Southern Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples. The town has played a consp ...

, his vassal, to move towards independence under its own consuls. In September 834, Andrew overthrew his son-in-law, Duke Leo, who had only been in power for six months. He immediately ceased paying the tribute to Prince

Sicard of Benevento Sicard (died 839) was the Prince of Benevento from 832. He was the last prince of a united Benevento which covered most of the Mezzogiorno. On his death, the principality descended into civil war which split it permanently (except for very briefl ...

. In response, Sicard besieged Naples from May through July in 835, but reached a peace with the duke. In 836, he besieged Naples again despite their pact. Andrew garnered the ignominy of being the first to call in

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...

mercenaries to the Italian peninsula. The consequences of such an action were far-reaching. He signed the ''

Pactum Sicardi The Pactum Sicardi was a treaty signed on 4 July 836 between the Greek Duchy of Naples, including its satellite city-states of Sorrento and Amalfi, represented by Bishop John IV and Duke Andrew II, and the Lombard Prince of Benevento, Sicard. ...

'' with Sicard and the duchies of Amalfi and

Sorrento Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana rail ...

on 4 July. It was supposed to be a five-year armistice during which merchants of the various coastal Greek cities were free to travel unmolested through the

Principality of Benevento The Duchy of Benevento (after 774, Principality of Benevento) was the southernmost Lombard duchy in the Italian Peninsula that was centred on Benevento, a city in Southern Italy. Lombard dukes ruled Benevento from 571 to 1077, when it was conq ...

. However, the war continued, especially between Andrew and Sicard. In a war of 837, Andrew called in the Saracens again. Between July and August 839, Sicard died and Andrew, ever fearful of warring Lombards, called on the aid of

Lothair I Lothair I or Lothar I ( Dutch and Medieval Latin: ''Lotharius''; German: ''Lothar''; French: ''Lothaire''; Italian: ''Lotario'') (795 – 29 September 855) was emperor (817–855, co-ruling with his father until 840), and the governor of Bava ...

King of Italy King of Italy ( it, links=no, Re d'Italia; la, links=no, Rex Italiae) was the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The first to take the title was Odoacer, a barbarian military leader ...

, who sent one

Contardus Contard (also Contardus or Contardo), a Frank, was briefly the Duke of Naples in 840. He was sent by Lothair I, King of Italy, in 839 to aid Duke Andrew II against the warring Lombards of the Principality of Benevento. Fearful of Contard's powe ...

to Naples. Fearful of Contardus, Andrew promised him his daughter Eupraxia, the widow of Leo, in marriage. Andrew, however, put off the marriage until, in March 840, Contardus rose against him and had him killed, usurping his place as he had done to Leo.

Sources

*Ghisalberti, Alberto M. ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: III Ammirato – Arcoleo''.

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, 1961. * Gwatkin, H.M., Whitney, J.P. (ed) et al. ''The Cambridge Medieval History: Volume III''.

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pr ...

, 1926. {{DEFAULTSORT:Andrew 02 Of Naples 840 deaths 9th-century dukes of Naples Year of birth unknown