GAETA

The town had originally been a Roman seaside resort north of Naples. Following the Byzantine occupation, the town had been ruled by a number of petty dukes unitl it was finally absorbed into the Norman kingdom by Roger II in 1140. It was the center of conflict between Frederick II of Sicily and the papacy. Its imperial castle was destroyed by the papacy in 1227, but rebuilt by Charles of Anjou in 1279 during his program to solidifiy his authority. In the Spring of 1289 Alfonso III and Roger de Lauria had been moving up the Calabrian coast, but had become stalled. On June 30, 1289 Alfonso III and the fleet laid siege to the castle at Gaeta in an attempt to draw Angevin forces north. The chronicles state Alfonso thought the duke would surrender the castle since Alfonso held his son hostage. However, the duke refused to open the gates and the Aragonese found themselves trapped on the penninsula between the castle and Angevin reinforcements that had captured Monte Orlando. Because of their proximity to the castle, the Aragonese were constantly harassed by trebuchet fire from the fortification. The Catalan-Aragonese fleet had command of the sea, which meant the trapped army could be resupplied, but not evacuated easily due to their proximity to the enemy. This situation resulted in a stalemate. Finally, on August 30, 1289 a truce was signed which permitted the army and fleet to leave.

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