Contard (also Contardus or Contardo), a Frank, was briefly the

Duke of Naples The dukes of Naples were the military commanders of the ''ducatus Neapolitanus'', a Byzantine Empire, Byzantine outpost in Italy, one of the few remaining after the conquest of the Lombards. In 661, Emperor Constans II, highly interested in south I ...

in 840. He was sent by

Lothair I Lothair I (9th. C. Frankish: ''Ludher'' and Medieval Latin: ''Lodharius''; Dutch and Medieval Latin: ''Lotharius''; German: ''Lothar''; French: ''Lothaire''; Italian: ''Lotario''; 795 – 29 September 855) was a 9th-century emperor of the ...

King of Italy King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by ...

, in 839 to aid Duke Andrew II against the warring

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

of the

Principality of Benevento The Principality of Benevento was the sole Lombard territory (former Duchy of Benevento) which continued to exist as a rump state, maintaining its ''de facto'' independence after the fall of the Kingdom of the Lombards at the hands of the Frank ...

. Fearful of Contard's power and Frankish influence, Andrew promised him his daughter Eupraxia in marriage. Andrew, however, put off the marriage until, in March 840, Contardus rose against him and had him killed, usurping his place. Within three days, the Neapolitans had expelled Contard.

Sources

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

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, 1991. Nobility of the Carolingian Empire 9th-century dukes of Naples {{europe-noble-stub