Peter of Capua (; ; died 30 August 1214) was an Italian scholastic theologian and prelate. He served as cardinal-deacon of Santa Maria in Via Lata from 1193 until 1201 and cardinal-priest of San Marcello al Corso from 1201 until his death. He often worked as a papal legate. He wrote several theological works and was a patron of his hometown of Amalfi.
He is sometimes called "Peter of Capua the Elder" to distinguish him from his nephew, Peter of Capua the Younger (died 1236), who was also educated in Paris and taught there, and later became a cardinal.
Family
Peter belonged to an illustrious family of Lombard descent from Amalfi in the kingdom of Sicily. His earliest known ancestor was Lando de Prata, a relative of the last independent duke of Amalfi, Marinus Sebastus (). His father, Landulf ( 1161–1176, dead by 1201), was a son of Manso and great-grandson of Lando. His mother's name is unknown, but she belonged to the Vulcano family of Sorrento, whom Peter referred to in 1208 as his "cousins". Peter was one of four brothers. The others were Maurus, John and Manso. The family owned properties in Amalfi, Atrani, Agerola, Maiori and Capri, and had rights over the church of San Sebastiano on the hills above Amalfi.
Education and teaching career
Peter took minor orders around 1170 and entered the cathedral of Amalfi. He was sent to be educated at the University of Bologna and then the University of Paris. At Paris in the 1180s, he studied theology and philosophy. There he attached himself to the circle around Peter Lombard and befriended Peter of Poitiers, Praepositinus of Cremona, Robert Curzon, Stephen Langton and the future Pope Innocent III. He taught for a time in Paris and his first writings, Modus tractandi and Summae, date from this period.
Peter joined the Roman curia under Pope Clement III (). His first job in Rome was teaching theology and law. He wrote the encyclopedia Alphabetum de arte sermocinandi during this period. All of his works are written in a conservative scholastic style. All have at some point been misattributed to his nephew, but their attribution to Peter the elder is secure.
Cardinal
Peter had a reputation as a brilliant scholar and preacher when Celestine III named him cardinal-deacon of Santa Maria in Via Lata in the consistory of 20 February 1193. He subscribed a papal bull with this titulus on 5 March. In October 1193, Peter attended the canonization of John Gualbert. Through his subscriptions to papal bulls, he can be traced at the papal court until 1 July 1195.
Legation in Apulia and Calabria
In July 1195, Peter briefly governed Benevento as papal rector. That same month, he was named papal legate in Apulia and Calabria and legate general for the whole kingdom of Sicily. His charge was to ensure that the Emperor Henry VI, the new king of Sicily, adhered to the agreement with the church made by his predecessor, Tancred. Peter's legation was strongly opposed by the Empress Constance, who had a hereditary right to Sicily. Peter completed his mission in the spring of 1196.
During his south Italian legation, Peter did not travel far, remaining in the north of Apulia and around Benevento. He judged a dispute between canons and bishop of Vieste in favour of the bishop; answered a question from the bishop of Melfi concerning marriage law; and, at Benevento in March 1196, struck a compromise between the bishop of Dragonara and the monastery of Santa Maria di Gualdo Mazzocca in their dispute over the church of San Matteo di Sculcola.
Legation in Bohemia and Poland
In the second half of 1196, Celestine dispatched him as legate to Bohemia and Poland to reform their churches. He acted with legatine powers on his journey through Italy and Germany, although they were not within his assigned area. He made a solemn entry into Prague on 12 March 1197, and remained in the city at least through May. He alienated the secular clergy by his demand that all those who had received an uncanonical ordination be re-ordained canonically. An attempt was even made on his life. His demands on the monastic clergy was no less rigorous. He deposed two abbots. He held a synod in Prague that reformed the liturgy and imposed clerical celibacy. He confirmed with his seal and signature the privilege issued by Bishop Jindřich to the monastery of Teplá founded by Count Hroznata. He moved on to Poland in the summer. There he introduced clerical celibacy. He also sought to normalize church marriages. He confirmed the act of Bishop Żyrosław II of Wrocław giving the monastery of Saint Vincent to the Premonstratensians.