Editing Pope Honorius II (section)

===Concerns in Campania===
One of Honorius's first tasks in southern Italy was to deal with the barons in the [[Campania]] who were molesting farmers and travellers at will with their armed bands.<ref name="Mann, pg. 246">Mann, pg. 246</ref> In 1125, papal force brought to heel the lords of [[Ceccano]]. Papal armies took possession of various towns, including [[Maenza]], [[Roccasecca]] and [[Trevi nel Lazio]].<ref name="Mann, pg. 246" /> In 1128, Honorius's forces successfully captured the town of [[Segni]], which was also held by a local baron who died during its capture.<ref name="Mann, pg. 252">Mann, pg. 252</ref> Honorius, however, was most concerned about the former papal stronghold at [[Fumone]], which the nobles, who held it in the pope's name, had decided to keep possession of. The town fell in July 1125 after a siege of ten weeks.<ref name="Mann, pg. 246" /> When Honorius took possession of Fumone, he returned it, after taking safeguards, to its rebellious custodians and ordered that the [[Antipope Gregory VIII]] be transferred there from his previous lodgings at [[Monte Cassino]].<ref>Mann, pg. 247</ref> With that, Honorius turned his attention to the powerful and independent-minded [[abbot]] of Monte Cassino, [[Oderisio di Sangro]].

Honorius had a long-standing dislike of Oderisio going back to the time when Honorius was cardinal-bishop of Ostia.<ref name="Mann, pg. 248">Mann, pg. 248</ref> Honorius had asked for permission from the abbot to allow him and his entourage permission to stay in the church of [[San Sebastiano al Palatino|Santa Maria in Pallara]], which was a traditional privilege belonging to the bishops of Ostia.<ref name="Mann, pg. 248" /> Oderisio refused, and Honorius never forgot the insult. These bad feelings were compounded in 1125, when Oderisio refused a request from Pope Honorius for some financial assistance after he had been enthroned.<ref name="Mann, pg. 248" /> Oderisio also mocked Honorius's peasant background behind his back.<ref name="Mann, pg. 249">Mann, pg. 249</ref>

Using reports that the abbot had been lining his own pockets rather than spending it on his monastery, Honorius publicly denounced Oderisio, calling him a soldier and a thief, not a monk.<ref name="Mann, pg. 249" /> When Atenulf, count of [[Aquino, Italy|Aquino]], brought accusations that Oderisio was aiming for the papacy, Honorius summoned Oderisio to [[Rome]] to answer the charges.<ref name="Mann, pg. 249" /> Three times Oderisio refused to answer the summons and so during [[Lent]] of 1126, Honorius deposed the abbot.<ref name="Mann, pg. 249" /> Oderisio refused to accept the deposition and continued to act as abbot, forcing Honorius to excommunicate him.<ref name="Mann, pg. 249" /> Oderisio fortified the monastery, as the people of the town of [[Cassino]] forcibly entered the monastery, and after an armed struggle forced the monks to declare Oderisio deposed and to elect another abbot in his place.<ref>Mann, pgs. 249–250</ref> The monks elected Niccolo, the dean of the monastery.<ref name="Mann, pg. 249" />

Determined to bring the [[Benedictines]] to heel,<ref name="Levillain, pg. 732" /> Honorius insisted that the election of Niccolo was uncanonical, and demanded that [[Seniorectus]], the [[provost (religion)|provost]] of the monastery at [[Capua]], be elected as abbot, to the fury of the Monte Cassino monks.<ref name="Mann, pg. 250">Mann, pg. 250</ref> In the meantime, open warfare was being waged between the supporters of Oderisio and Niccolo. Eventually, however, Honorius was able to secure not only the resignation of Oderisio, but he also excommunicated Niccolo for good measure.<ref name="Mann, pg. 250" /> He reassured the monks of his intentions, and in September 1127, he personally installed Seniorectus as abbot.<ref name="Mann, pg. 251">Mann, pg. 251</ref> Honorius also insisted that the monks take an oath of fidelity to the papacy, but they strenuously objected.<ref name="Mann, pg. 251" />