Editing Abruzzo (section)

=== Middle Ages ===
==== Early Middle Ages ====
{{See also|Ostrogothic Kingdom|Byzantine Italy|Kingdom of the Lombards|Kingdom of Italy (Holy Roman Empire)}}
After the fall of the [[Western Roman Empire]] and the [[Gothic War (535–554)|Gothic War]] between the [[Byzantine Empire]] and the [[Ostrogothic Kingdom]],<ref name=museo/> [[looting]] and devastation of [[monasteries]] and [[towns]] followed the arrival of [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] [[Lombards]] in the region. Around 572, the [[Lombards]] divided Abruzzo into the [[Duchy of Benevento]] and of [[Duchy of Spoleto|Spoleto]], with [[Faroald I of Spoleto]] becoming the first [[Duke of Spoleto]]. His successor, [[Ariulf of Spoleto]], annexed other territories: the former territories controlled by [[Aequi]], [[Marsi]], [[Peligni]] and [[Vestini]]. In the [[8th century]], [[Transamund II of Spoleto]] rebelled against [[Liutprand, King of the Lombards]], but was able to recover his duchy and also to include other remaining territories of former Valeria province.

After the beginning of domination by the [[Franks]], in 801, Teate (today's [[Chieti]]) also passed from the [[Lombards|Lombardic]] [[Duchy of Benevento]] to the Frankish [[Duchy of Spoleto]]. In 843, some territories were separated from the duchy (all the region together with the district of [[Rieti]] and except that of [[Teramo]] according to ''Liber provincialis''), with [[Celano]] as capital. So [[counts of Marsi]] from different lineages ruled "Marsia" from 843 to 926. In 871, [[Louis II of Italy]] founded, as the [[Carolingian Emperor]], a monastery, which would become very powerful in the history of Abruzzo ([[Abbey of San Clemente a Casauria]]). With the rule of [[Hugh of Italy]] from 926, the territories were divided: [[Penne, Abruzzo|Penne]] and [[Chieti|Teate]] to {{ill|Atto I|it|Gastaldato di Teate}}, and today's [[province of L'Aquila]] to [[Counts of Marsi|Berardo]].

==== Kingdom of Sicily ====
{{See also|Kingdom of Sicily|Norman conquest of southern Italy|Hohenstaufen#Ruling in Italy|Capetian House of Anjou}}
After two attempted conquests from two [[Normans|Norman]] [[Principality of Capua|princes of Capua]] in Abruzzo, two other Normans, [[Robert Guiscard]] and [[Robert I of Loritello]], conquered [[Chieti|Teate]], [[Corfinio|Valva]] and [[Penne, Abruzzo|Penne]]. Later, all Abruzzo was definitively conquered by [[Normans|Norman]] [[Roger II of Sicily]], and in 1156 his son [[William I of Sicily]] had these victories officially recognized by [[Pope Adrian IV]].

As part of the [[Kingdom of Sicily]], Abruzzo was involved in the conflicts following the death of [[William II of Sicily]] in 1189, and the territories sided with [[Constance I of Sicily|Constance, Queen of Sicily]] and [[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor]], but after the death of the former in 1198, they were invaded by [[Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor]]. They were also involved in the conflicts between [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] (son of [[Constance I of Sicily|Queen Costance]]) and [[Pope Gregory IX]], including the [[War of the Keys]].<ref name=Italiana/><ref name=Sapere.it/> The administrative region of Abruzzo was formed in the 1230s, when [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] divided his realms into [[justiciarate]]s, with Abruzzo forming one of them.<ref name="Wine">{{cite web |url=http://winecountry.it/regions/abruzzo/ |title=WineCountry.it Abruzzo wine region of Italy |publisher=winecountry.it |access-date=8 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331103332/http://winecountry.it/regions/abruzzo/ |archive-date=31 March 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The newly founded [[L'Aquila]] was destroyed by [[Manfred, King of Sicily]] (son of [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]) in 1259, and supported in the [[Battle of Tagliacozzo]] (1268) the defeat of his nephew [[Conradin]] against [[Charles I of Anjou]], the new [[king of Sicily]]. Since the last half of the 13th century, [[L'Aquila]] took a central role in the region.<ref name=Italiana/><ref name=Sapere.it/> Abruzzo was divided into ''[[Abruzzo Citra]]'' (nearer Abruzzo) and ''Abruzzo Ultra'' (further Abruzzo) by [[Charles I of Anjou]] in the 1270s.<ref name="Wine" />