Early career He first appears as a
page to
Guy III of Spoleto at the Battle on the Trebbia in 889. He may have later been the count of
Fermo, but whatever the case, he succeeded to Spoleto after murdering
Duke Guy IV. He was recognised soon by King
Berengar I, with whom he fought the
Magyars in 899 or 900.
Roman alliances Theophylact, Count of Tusculum, in the
Alban Hills southeast of Rome served as
palatine iudex (or leader of the militia) for
Emperor Louis III. He remained in Rome, commanding a group of soldiers after the emperor's return to Provence in 902, and was prominent in the overthrow of
Antipope Christopher in January 904. Together with Alberic, they secured the succession of
Pope Sergius III. Under Sergius, Theophylact became both
sacri palatii vestararius and
magister militum. As the first oversaw appointments, and the second supervised the soldiers, Theophylact had effective control of the city. Theophylact was married to
Theodora. They had two daughters:
Marozia and Theodora. In 909, Marozia married Alberic. This alliance with the
Tusculani was very advantageous, and he received the title of "
patrician of the Romans,"
patricius Romanorum. Although Alberic was a supporter of Pope Sergius, around 906, when the Pope agreed to crown Berengar Holy Roman Emperor, Alberic allied with his neighbour,
Adalbert II,
margrave of Tuscany. Together their combined forces blocked the road, preventing Berengar from reaching Rome.
Military career Alberic was margrave of
Camerino, and Duke of Spoleto. He led his troops from Spoleto and Camerino with those of Theophylact of Tusculum to join with
Pope John X—and his contingent from
Latium and Adalbert of Tuscany—and
Nicholas Picingli, the
strategos of
Bari, leading the
Byzantine forces and Lombard and Greek princes of the South:
Guaimar II of Salerno,
Landulf I of Benevento,
Atenulf II of Capua,
John I and the later
Docibilis II of Gaeta, and
Gregory IV and the later
John II of Naples. Even Berengar sent a contingent from the
March of Friuli. The battle went famously and many a petty prince received titles of great honour. Alberic was appointed the "
consul of the Romans" in 917.
Downfall He became, however, a tyrant in the Eternal City and people and pope expelled him. He was subsequently murdered in
Orte between 924 or 926, probably because of his reliance on marauding Hungarians who supported his power. The dates of his downfall and death are as uncertain as those of his rise. He last appears in a datable document of 917, the
Liber largitorius of
Farfa Abbey. == Family ==