Rignano, Battle of
1137 CE
The Battle of Rignano is the second great defeat of the career of Roger II of Sicily and, like the first, the Battle of Nocera, it too comes at the hands of Ranulf II, Count of Alife.
The prime difference was the position of the two combatants.
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Ranulf, allied with Robert II of Capua and Sergius VII of Naples at Nocera in July 1132, had been a mere rebel, fighting the king of Sicily.
On October 30, 1137, Ranulf is the recently appointed duke of Apulia, with a contingent of eight hundred German troops on loan from the Emperor Lothair II, and his adversaries are not only Roger, but his erstwhile ally Sergius.
Roger had appointed his eldest legitimate son, Roger, duke of Apulia in 1134.
Ranulf's creation as such in 1137 by the emperor and Pope Innocent II had been in direct opposition to not only King Roger, but the young Duke Roger as well.
From the cities of Melfi, Trani, Troia, and Bari, Ranulf has raised an army of eight hundred knights of his own to augment his German forces and has infantry in proportion.
He does not want a battle, but Roger and his son, with the newly submitted Sergius, march against him.
King Roger decides to attack at Rignano, the Balcone delle Puglie, where Monte Gargano drops off steeply over the Apulia plain.
The armies join battle with the young Roger attacking successfully.
He pushes Ranulf's army back along the road to Siponto.
The king joins the fray at this time and his charge is, for reasons unknown, completely repulsed.
He flees and soon the royal army is in full retreat.
Though both Rogers survive to make it to Salerno, Sergius lies dead on the field and Ranulf's claim to the duchy is vindicated.
The greatest defeat of Roger II's career, the Battle of Rignano caps the meteoric career of Ranulf: twice victor over Roger.
The battle, like Nocera, is to have little lasting effect because the cities of Campania do not revolt as expected.
Ranulf will be safe in Apulia, however, until his death two years later.