Caesar the Brave (Caesarius, it, Cesario il Valoroso) was the admiral of the fleet of the

Duchy of Naples The Duchy of Naples ( la, Ducatus Neapolitanus, it, Ducato di Napoli) began as a Byzantine province that was constituted in the seventh century, in the reduced coastal lands that the Lombards had not conquered during their invasion of Italy in ...

during the reigns (840 – 870 AD) of his father, Sergius I, and brother, Gregory III. In 846, he commanded the Neapolitan contingent in the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

victory over the

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

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 ...

. In 849, he commanded the Neapolitans at the Battle of Ostia. In May 859, a massive joint expedition of

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

, Naples, Amalfi, and

Suessola Suessula (Greek: ) was an ancient city of Campania, southern Italy, situated in the interior of the peninsula, near the frontier with Samnium, between Capua and Nola, and about 7 km northeast of Acerrae, Suessula is now a vanished city and t ...

marched on Capua. Count Lando I was in a paralysis at that time and his son Lando II took up arms to defend the city. He defeated the forces sent against them, led by Caesar and Gregory, at the bridge of Teodemondo over the Volturno. Caesar was captured with 800 soldiers and led back to Capua in chains. Erchempert places the battle on 8 May, the day of Michael the Archangel, whose cult was popular among the Lombards. It is therefore significant to Erchempert (a Lombard) that the Lombard Lando should defeat a largely Greek army on such a day. In 870 Caesar was imprisoned by his nephew, Sergius II, having opposed his closeness to the Aghlabids, and he died in prison.Kreutz, p. 73

Sources

* *Llewellyn, Peter. ''Rome in the Dark Ages''. London: Faber and Faber, 1970.

Notes

9th-century births 9th-century deaths Italian admirals 9th-century Italian nobility Medieval admirals {{Italy-mil-bio-stub