
Dietpold von Vohburg (died 1225) was a Bavarian nobleman who was Count of Acerra from 1197 to 1218 and Duke of Spoleto from 1209 to 1218.
Biography[]
Dietpold von Vohburg was born in Bavaria, the son of Berthold II of Vohburg. He accompanied Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI to Rome and Sicily in 1191, and he was made castellan of Rocca d'Arce and assisted the Emperor with his attempted takeover of Naples from Richard of Acerra. He defeated a Sicilian army at Aquino, and he established a power base in Campania and acted as Henry's governor of mainland Italy. He strongly supported the regent Markward von Annweiler, and he captured Richard of Acerra in 1197 and was granted the County of Acerra as a reward. By 1200, Dietpold was Lord of Naples, Aversa, Capua, and Acerra. Dietpold later fought against Walter III of Brienne, a claimant opposed to Henry's son and successor Frederick of Sicily. On 10 June 1201, Walter defeated Dietpold at Capua, and he defeated Dietpold again at Terracina in 1204. In 1205, however, Dietpold ambushed and killed Walter at Sarno. Dietpold later fell from grace with Frederick's chancellor Walter of Palearia after attempting to wrest power from Frederick's guardian William of Capparone and travelling to Rome to be released from Pope Innocent III's excommunication. Dietpold fled to Salerno and engaged in open war with Walter, sorely defeating Palearia's Neapolitan allies in May 1207. In 1209, he was made Duke of Spoleto by Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV, but he failed to maintain his authority over his vast territory. In November 1209, he convinced Otto to invade Sicily, and Dietpold fell out with Frederick and the Genoese. In 1218, Dietpold was arrested and carted back to Germany, and he was released in 1221 and joined the Teutonic Order. He died in 1225.