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Romuald of Salerno

Background and Biography
Background and Biography

Excerpts
English from Ambraseys (2009)

In the same year [1115, indiction 8] in the month of December, before Christmas, there was an earthquake in Syria, so great that Mamistra and Marais [Mar’ash] were razed to the ground, and several other cities and fort-towns fell, their men crushed, as was part of the city of Antioch, the damage extending as far as Jerusalem.’ (Rom.Sal.207)

English from Guidoboni and Comastri (2005)

In the month of December in that same year, before Christmas, there was so great an earthquake in Syria that Mamistra and Maras and many other towns and villages were razed to the ground, crushing men in the ruins; and part of Antioch and even of Jerusalem collapsed to the ground.

English from Garufi (1930)

In the year of the Sunday of the Incarnation 1115 by the indictment VIIJ (VIII?) at Cyperanus in the church of St. Father William The leader, a man from Ligius, came to Pope Paschal, who was then celebrating a synod, and the pope himself immediately delivered him by standard. He led the whole land to the same leader with honor, just as Pope Gregory granted it and handed it over to Duke Robert Guiscard with Cyperanus himself, and as Urbanus the pope granted Roger to be duke in the city of Melfia, and as the pope granted the same to Paschal and delivered the same to Duke Roger at Saint Trophimenus by the same gift and consent3. Indeed, in the aforesaid synod Landulfus, archbishop of Benuenta, was deposed from the pontifical order for disobeying. He was the pope, and he was restored to his seat by the same pope not after a long period of lavish service.4 In the same year in December in Syria before the Christmas of the Lord an earthquake was so great that Mamistra and Marais fell to the ground and many other cities and fortresses fell and the people were crushed, also a part of the city of Antioch and as far as Jerusalem fell prostrated.5 In the same year, in April, Duchess Ala, the mother of Duke William, died6.
Footnotes

3 La synodo di Ceprano, secondo gil Annales Beneventani, fu tenuta nel n. 14, in it Pandulph the archbishop is deposed. Even Falcone Beneventano in Del Re, op. city 1, p. 169 e 170, report in 1114, month of October: "Therefore, with such and so many fathers and nobles gathered together in the midst of his assembly, on the day of the sabbath he saw the leadership of Apulia, He granted Calabria and Sicily to the prefect (Guiliel) the apostolic duke".

4 Falco Beneventanus, Chr. cit., p. 173: 1117: "After these acts the aforesaid Apostolicus (Paschal) Landulphus, whom he had deposed, On the eleventh day of the month of August he returned to the archbishop.

5 William the Archbishop of Tyre, cit., VI, 23 (Hist. d. Crois. I, 492): "In the year from the incarnation of the Lord one thousand one hundred and fourteenth, so great was the earthquake of the whole of Syria, that it utterly destroyed many cities and towns without end; Isauria and Coelesyria. For in Cilicia he prostrated Mamistra with many towns on the ground; He also overthrew Maressia with its suburbs, so that there were scarcely even traces of some of them..."

6 Nessun ricordo di lei si ha nei Necrologi cassinese e Salernitano.

Latin from Guidoboni and Comastri (2005)

Eodem anno mense Decembris in Siria ante Natalem Domini terre motus ita fuit magnus, quod Mamistra et Marais ad solum usque et alie quam plures civitates et castella, attritis hominibus, set et pars civitatis Antiochiae ac usque Jerusalem prostrate ceciderunt.

Latin from Garufi (1930)

Anno dominice incarnationis MCXV indictione VIIJ apud Ciperanum in ecclesia sancti Paterni Wilielmus' dux deuenit liggius homo pape Paschalis qui tunc sinodum celebrabat, et ipse papa statim per uexillum tradidit eidem duci totam terram cum honore ducatus, quemadmodum Gregorius papa concessit et tradidit eam duci Robberto Guiscardo apud ipsum Ciperanum, et quemadmodum Urbanus papa concessit Roggerio duci in ciuitate Melfia, et sicut idem Paschalis papa concessit et tradidit eidem duci Roggerio apud sanctum Trophimenem per illud idem donum atque consensum3. In predicta quidem synodo Landulfus Beneuentanus archiepiscopus ab ordine pontitìcalis deiectus est eo quod inobediens pape fuit, quique non post multum temporis largito munere in sede sua ab eodem papa restitutus est.4 Eodem anno mense Decembris in Syria ante natalem Domini terre motus ita fuit magnus, quod Mamistra' et Marais ad solum usque et alie quam plures ciuitates et castella attritis hominibus, sed et pars ciuitatis Antiochie ac usque Hiesusalem prostrate cecilederunt.5 Eodem anno mense Aprilis Ala ducissa mater Willelmi ducis defuncta est6.
Footnotes

3 La sinodo di Ceprano, secondo gil Annales Beneventani, fu tenuta nel n 14, in essa Pandulphus archiepiscopus deponitur. Anche Falcone Beneventano in Del Re, op. cit. I, p. 169 e 170, la riporta al 1114, mese di ottobre: "Talibus igitur et tantis patribus proceribusque congregatis in medio conventus ipsius, die videiicet "sabbati ducatum Apulie, Calabrie et Sicilie duci prefato (Guilielmo) apostolicus concessit". Cf. pure: Petrus Diaconus, IV, 49; Annales Ceccanenses in M. G. H., SS. XIX, p. 282.

4 Falco Beneventanus, Chr. cit., p. 173: an. 1117 : " His taliter actis predictus Apostolicus (Paschalis) Landulphum, quem deposuerat, undecimo die infrante mensis Augusti redintegravit ad Archiepiscopum ". Cf. pure Petrus Diaconus, IV, 61, M. G. H., SS. VII, 791.

5 Willelmus Tirensis Archiepiscopus, cit., VI, 23 (Hist. d. Crois. I, 492) : " Anno ab incarnatione Domini Millesimo centesimo decimo quarto, tantus universam Syriam terre motus, ut multas urbes et oppida infinita dirrueret funditus: maxime autem circa Ciliciam, Isauriam et Coelesyriam. Nam in Cilicia Mamistram cum multis oppidis solo tenus prostravit; Maresiam quoque deiecit cum suburbanis suis, ita ut quorumdam vix etiam estarent vestigia .....".

6 Nessun ricordo di lei si ha nei Necrologi cassinese e salernitano.

Latin from Garufi (1930) - embedded



Chronology
Date Reference Corrections Notes
December 1114 or 1115 CE
  • In the month of December in that same year 1115 CE], before Christmas
  • Indiction VIIJ (VIII?)
appears to be misdated - see Notes
  • Guidoboni and Comastri (2005) note that Romauld of Salerno, like other secondary Latin sources, tend to give wrong dates for this earthquake and, in particular, to confuse it with the previous destructive earthquake of 13 November 1114, whose damage zone becomes partly superimposed on that of the earthquake of 29 November 1115, while adding that Archbishop Romuald of Salerno (1120/1130-1181) ... confuses information about the 1114 earthquakes (see the preceding entries) and that of 29 November 1115, making an entry for December 1115

  • Ambraseys (2009) placed this account from Romauld in his entry for an earthquake on 29 November 1114 CE

  • The date is also specified as Indiction 8 which ran from 1 Sept. 1114 to 31 Aug. 1115 CE (calculated with CHRONOS) and suggests December 1114 CE as the date.
Seismic Effects
  • there was an earthquake in Syria, so great that Mamistra and Marais [Mar’ash] were razed to the ground, and several other cities and fort-towns fell, their men crushed
  • part of Antioch and even Jerusalem collapsed to the ground
Locations
  • Syria
  • several other cities and fort-towns fell
  • Mamistra
  • Marash
  • Antioch
  • Jerusalem
Sources
Sources

Online Versions and Further Reading
References