Aldruda Frangipane,

Countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Bertinoro Bertinoro () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in the Italy, Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. It is located on hill Mount Cesubeo, in Romagna, a few kilometers from the ''Via Aemilia, Via Emilia''. History There ...

, (after 1120 – after October 1173) was a twelfth-century

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

noblewoman and military leader. Aldruda is believed to have belonged to the

Frangipane Frangipane ( ) is a sweet almond-flavoured custard, typical in French pastry, used in a variety of ways, including cakes and such pastries as the Bakewell tart, conversation tart, Jésuite and pithivier. A French spelling from a 1674 coo ...

family of Rome. She was probably born soon after 1120, but there is no record of her until 1142, when Gualtiero, the

archbishop of Ravenna This page is a list of Catholic bishops and archbishops of Ravenna and, from 1947 of the Archdiocese of Ravenna and Cervia, which in 1985 became styled the Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia.Bertinoro Bertinoro () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in the Italy, Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. It is located on hill Mount Cesubeo, in Romagna, a few kilometers from the ''Via Aemilia, Via Emilia''. History There ...

to Rainerio di Cavalcaconte on condition that he marry a Frangipane. The marriage probably took place in 1142. In a document dated 29 December 1153, Pope Celestino II granted rights in the

feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...

of Bertinoro to Pietro degli Onesti, tutor to the children of Rainerio – who by then had died – and "Boltruda", presumed to be Aldruda; among the witnesses to the document are Oddone and Cencio Frangipane. According to this document, at this time Aldruda had a young son, Cavalcaconte, and was expecting another. Aldruda appears with her sons Cavalcaconte and Rainerio in two deeds of donation dated 31 July 1152 and June 1153. She continued to govern Bertinoro even after Cavalcaconte reached the age of majority, maintaining a court of some magnificence. Cavalcaconte died in Venice in 1177; after 1153 nothing more is known of Rainerio. In October 1173 Aldruda led the forces of Bertinoro in the army that relieved the city of

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

, under

siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

by troops of the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...

under archbishop Christian of Mainz. In a

panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of - ' ...

to the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

emperor

Manuel Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos (; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized as Comnenus, also called Porphyrogenitus (; "born in the purple"), was a Byzantine emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of ...

written in 1174, the archbishop Eustathios of Thessaloniki praises the people of Ancona, describing the events of the siege and the part played by Aldruda. Her participation in the relief of the siege is described by

Boncompagno da Signa Boncompagno da Signa (also ''Boncompagnus'' or ''Boncompagni''; c. 1165/1175 – after 1240) was an Italian scholar, grammarian, historian, and philosopher. Born in Signa, near Florence, between 1165 and 1175, he was a professor of rhetoric ( ...

in his ''Liber de Obsidione Ancone'' of 1201. There is no further document of her life after the siege.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frangipane, Aldruda 12th-century births Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Countesses in Italy 12th-century Italian nobility 12th-century Italian women Women in medieval European warfare Women in 12th-century warfare 12th-century countesses regnant Women in war in Italy Military personnel from Rome Bertinoro