Background
Richard was a son of Count Robert of Alife and Gaitelgrima, younger brother of Count Rainulf II of Alife and brother-in-law of Duke William II of Apulia.
Richard was a son of Count Robert of Alife and Gaitelgrima, younger brother of Count Rainulf II of Alife and brother-in-law of Duke William II of Apulia.
He had two sons: Andrew, who succeeded him at Rupecanina, and Roger, who later succeeded to the county of Alife. During Richard"s time, feudal concepts like those of fiefs and aids were just being introduced into Capua. In 1131, Richard claimed to possess the town of Avellino and castle of Mercogliano as allods and to owe no feudal duties for them.
According to Alexander of Telese in his Deeds Done by King Roger of Sicily (Ixiii), when Roger heard this he sent an envoy to demand Richard"s submission.
Richard had the man blinded and his nose cut official Roger took Avellino by force.
Deprived of their fiefs, Richard, Rainulf and Robert went in exile to the court of Emperor Lothair II in Germany by early 1136, where they clamoured for the emperor to lead an expedition against Roger. When the imperial army finally moved south in 1137, the three were able briefly to regain their fiefs.
In August 1137, Pope Innocent II and Emperor Lothair jointly invested Rainulf with the Duchy of Apulia.
Richard quickly secured all of Apulia. This recovery was brief. After Lothair left, Richard fled with Robert to the court of the pope.
After the death of Rainulf, Innocent gathered a large army and personally led it into Roger"s domains.
On 22 July 1139, at the battle of Galluccio, the papal army was defeated and the pope and his treasure captured. Richard and Robert managed to escape the rout.
Both went into exile in Germany, where Richard was still living as late as 1148.
When Roger attacked Aversa in 1135, Rainulf fled to the protection of Duke Sergius VII of Naples, leaving Richard to defend their lands from his stronghold of Rupecanina.
