Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
: ''Guarino'', Norman: ''Warin'') (died 21 January 1137) was the
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
(''magister capellanus'') and
chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
of
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II or Roger the Great (, , Greek language, Greek: Ρογέριος; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Kingdom of Sicily, Sicily and Kingdom of Africa, Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon, C ...
from about 1130 to his death, during the first decade of the Norman kingdom of Sicily. According to
Alexander of Telese
Alexander of Telese () was an Italian chronicler and historian, and the abbot of San Salvatore, near Telese, in southern Italy from before 1127 to before November 1143.
His most famous work is ''The Deeds Done by King Roger of Sicily'' (''Gesta ...
, the contemporary chronicler, he was "erudite ... and most prudent in negotiations ... a cleric well-versed in letters, skillful in matters of the world, and possessed of a tenacious and cautious mind."
Guarin was a Norman from
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
who arrived in Italy not long before Roger was crowned king in 1130. He first appears as ''cancellarius'' (chancellor) in a diploma of 1130 and then appears in an August 1132 diploma as ''magister cancellarius'' (master chancellor). When his chancellorship proper began has been disputed, the ''Dizionario'' giving a date of 1131 and Houben of 1133.
In the winter of 1134–1135, Guarin and the Emir John were sent at the head of an army into the
Sergius VII of Naples
Sergius VII (died 30 October 1137) was the thirty-ninth and last duke (or ''magister militum'') of Naples. He succeeded his father John VI on the Neapolitan throne in 1122 at a time when Roger II of Sicily was rising rapidly in power. When Roger ...
Aversa
Aversa () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Caserta in Campania, southern Italy, about 24 km north of Naples. It is the centre of an agricultural district, the ''Agro Aversano'', producing wine and cheese (famous for the typical dome ...
, which the two generals set about trying to retake. Guarin also defended and fortified
Capua
Capua ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, located on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain.
History Ancient era
The name of Capua comes from the Etruscan ''Capeva''. The ...
against any possible assault. After the arrival of Roger II on the scene, the insurrection soon collapsed and Guarin took Alife and Raviscanina without opposition. Guarin joined the siege of Naples then in progress.
Having taken control of Capua for the king, he was appointed the administrator of the eponymous
Principality of Capua
The Principality of Capua ( or ''Capue'', Modern ) was a Lombards, Lombard state centred on Capua in Southern Italy. Towards the end of the 10th century the Principality reached its apogee, occupying most of the Terra di Lavoro area. It was ori ...
when the king made his son
Alfonso
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...
prince that year (1135). For the next two years, Guarin governed Capua with the young prince.
When, in late Summer 1136, the Emperor Lothair II led a large army down the peninsula, Guarin was sent again to prepare a defence and to force cooperation out of the abbot Seniorectus and the monks of
Montecassino
The Abbey of Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a Catholic, Benedictine monastery on a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley. Located on the site of the ancient Roman town of Casinum, it is the first house ...
. On 5 January 1137, Guarin demanded their assistance and when refused besieged the monastery in an attempt to seize its treasure and its walls (to use as a fortress against the army of Henry X of Bavaria). He contracted illness during the siege and died at
Salerno
Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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. It is located ...
on 21 January. The ''Chronica monasterii Casinensis'' cites his death as evidence of divine justice.
Guarin was succeeded in his office briefly by his lieutenant on the scene, Jocelyn. As master chaplain he was succeeded by Thomas Brun and as chancellor by Robert of Selby, both Englishmen.
Sources
*Caravale, Mario (ed). ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: LX Grosso – Guglielmo da Forlì''. Rome, 2003.
*Matthew, Donald. ''The Norman Kingdom of Sicily''.
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...
: 1992.
*Houben, Hubert. ''Roger II of Sicily: A Ruler between East and West''. Trans. G. A. Loud and Diane Milbourne.
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...
: 2002.
*Curtis, Edmund. ''Roger of Sicily and the Normans in Lower Italy 1016–1154''. G. P. Putnam's Sons: New York, 1912.
*Alexander of Telese, translated by G. A. Loud. ''The Deeds Done by Roger of Sicily'' Introduction an Books One