Alberic III of Tusculum (Italian: Alberico III de' Conti di Tuscolo, c. 975 – After 1033) was a Roman aristocrat and a leading political figure in Rome during the early 11th century. A member of the House of Tusculum, he was the son of Gregory I of Tusculum and the brother of Theophylact II, who became Pope Benedict VIII (r. 1012–1024), and of Romanus, who became Pope John XIX (r. 1024–1032).
Alberic III held the title of comes sacri Lateranensis Palatii (Count of the Sacred Lateran Palace) and was one of the principal secular figures supporting Tusculan dominance in Rome. In 1012, following the death of John II Crescentius, the Tusculans challenged the Crescentii for control of Rome. Alberic subsequently became one of the leading secular authorities in the city, while the Tusculan family moved against the remaining Crescentian strongholds and deprived the faction of much of its political power. His son Pope Benedict IX (r. 1032–1048) continued the family's control of the papacy. Alberic was succeeded in his secular titles by his son Gregory II.
Contents
Biography
Early life and family
Alberic III was presumably born in Latium around 975. He was the eldest son of Gregory I of Tusculum and his wife Maria. Through his grandmother, Marozia II, he was related to the Crescentii and was a cousin of John II Crescentius, the son of Crescentius II the Younger. John became the dominant political figure in Rome from 1002, following the failed revolt led by Gregory I against Emperor Otto III (1001–1002), until his death in 1012.
Alberic is first recorded in 999, when he held the office of magister imperialis palatii (Master of the Imperial Palace) and was identified as the son of Gregory. He is also referred to in contemporary sources as comes sacri Lateranensis Palatii (Count of the Sacred Lateran Palace). These titles indicate that Gregory's family had already acquired an important position within the Roman political order under Otto III. Following the death of Gregory I around 1012, Alberic inherited the fief of Tusculum.
Tusculan papacy
The sudden deaths of the childless John II Crescentius and his puppet Pope Sergius IV (r. 1009–1012) in May 1012 created a struggle for control of Rome. The Crescentian faction elected a pope named Gregory VI (r. 1012), but he was forced to flee the city and sought the support of King Henry II at Pöhlde later that year. Henry received him but did not recognize his claim to the papacy. Meanwhile, Alberic's younger brother Theophylact II, who on 18 May proclaimed himself Pope Benedict VIII (r. 1012–1024), secured an understanding with Henry II through the bishop Walter of Speyer, and the rival Gregory subsequently disappeared from the sources. Benedict's election therefore marked the restoration of Tusculan dominance in Rome since Gregory I's brief revolt.
According to Thietmar of Merseburg, Benedict VIII was probably not merely a representative of the Tusculan family but its leading figure, with his brothers holding important secular positions under him. Alberic was associated with the titles consul, dux and patricius Romanorum, while his brother Romanus was the city prefect and was described as senator. Alberic was also responsible for overseeing the courts of justice in the Imperial Palatinate near Santa Sabina. Benedict VIII's close alliance with Henry II helped consolidate the family's position. Henry II was solemnly received in Rome and crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Benedict on 14 February 1014.
The Tusculans subsequently moved against the rival Crescentii factions. Among their principal opponents were the Crescentii Stefaniani, a cognatic branch descended from senatrix Stephania, daughter of Theodora II and Duke John Crescentius. Stephania was the stepmother of Crescentius and John and transmitted her inherited possessions and territorial rights to their family, contributing to the branch's power in Sabina. The brothers subsequently held the office of comes et rector (Count and Rector) of Sabina and controlled extensive territories. After Benedict VIII's accession, the brothers resisted the Tusculan expansion into the region. In 1014, following Henry II's judgment against them in a dispute with the Abbey of Farfa, the Tusculan army besieged Crescentius at Bocchignano and subsequently John at Tribuco. Both brothers were forced to surrender, and by the end of 1014 the Stefaniani had lost their political power in Sabina through exile and confiscation of their possessions. The Tusculans also besiged Palestrina, the Stefaniani's last major territorial stronghold. Through these conflicts, the Counts of Tusculum strengthened their control over Rome and challenged the remaining power of the Crescentii in Latium and Umbria.
Marriage and children
Alberic married a woman named Emmelina, with whom he had several children. A donation made on 18 September 1055 to the Monastery of Saints Cosmas and Damian records four of Alberic's children:
Gregory II (c. 1000 – 1058), Count of Tusculum, who continued the family's political influence in Rome.
Peter (c. 1005 – After 9 January 1056), who held the title of Duke of the Romans.
Octavian (c. 1005 – After 9 January 1056).
Theophylact III (c. 1007 – Before 9 January 1056), who became Pope Benedict IX (r. 1032–1048).
Gregory, Peter, and Octavian are all recorded on 9 January 1056, when they had masses celebrated for the repose of their brother Benedict IX.
A possible fifth son was Guy, the father of John, later Antipope Benedict X (r. 1058–1059). The Liber Pontificalis identifies Benedict X as the son of a man named Guy, but does not establish Guy's parentage. Bishop Alessandro Borgia in his Storia di Velletri (1723) proposed that Guy was a son of Alberic III. A similar hypothesis, proposed by historian Gaetano Bossi, identifies Benedict X with John, bishop of Labico, who attended the Roman synod of April 1044 and was described as a nephew of Benedict IX. Since Benedict IX was a son of Alberic III, this identification would make Benedict X a grandson of Alberic III.