Landolfo Caracciolo (Latin: Landulphus Caracciolus; died 1351) was a Franciscan theologian, diplomat and prelate from the Kingdom of Naples.
Landolfo[1] Caracciolo, whose name is sometimes anglicized Landulf or Landulph, was born in Naples in the final quarter of the 13th century, probably around 1280 or 1285. His father, Giovanni, had been knighted in 1275, appointed captain of Amalfi in 1300 and named royal treasurer in 1303. Landolfo had three brothers. He obtained a Master of Theology degree, probably from the University of Paris. He joined the Franciscans at an unknown date and served as minister provincial of the Terra di Lavoro from 1320 to 1325.
In May–June 1326, Caracciolo was sent by King Robert on a diplomatic mission to Bologna, where he negotiated the provision of 200 knights and 300 lances for beleaguered Florence, then governed by Robert's son, Charles, Duke of Calabria. On 21 August 1327, Caracciolo was appointed bishop of Castellammare di Stabia. On 7 July 1331, the king sought to have the monastery on the island of transferred to his administration in order to increase his income. Before this could happen, Caracciolo was transferred to the richer archdiocese of Amalfi on 20 September 1331. On 29 February 1332, he received the pallium from Pope John XXII, who praised him for helping to suppress the sect of the Fraticelli in the Kingdom of Naples.
As archbishop, Caracciolo built a new choir in Amalfi Cathedral. John XXII authorized him to take further action against the Fraticelli. In 1340, he attended the consecration of the church of Santa Chiara. In September–October 1347, he was one of the negotiators at Catania who reached a peace treaty with the Kingdom of Sicily. He subsequently visited Avignon, perhaps in the following of Queen Joan I in 1348.
On 17 March 1349, Caracciolo was appointed logothete and protonotary while his relative, Enrico Caracciolo, was named chamberlain. After Enrico was killed on 25 April, Landolfo lost all influence. He died probably in 1351 and was buried in the cathedral. His anniversary was celebrated by the Franciscans on 1 March.
Latin manuscript 4376 in the Vatican Library preserves a set of sermons by Caracciolo. It also includes two speeches:
Manuscript 513 of the Biblioteca Comunale di Assisi contains sermons by Caracciolo and François de Meyronnes without specifying who authored what. The sermon Produxit filium regis et posuit super eum dyadem et testimonium (a quotation of 2 Kings 11:12) is a memorial sermon for King Robert's brother, Saint Louis of Toulouse, preached after 1317. It is found in two other manuscripts, still anonymous.
Caracciolo received the scholastic accolade doctor collectivus. He was a Scotist whose theological writings show the influence of Matthew of Aquasparta and William of Ware. Much of his philosophical writing is devoted to defending John Duns Scotus against the attacks of Peter Auriol. His known works are:
His works are preserved in many manuscripts. Over thirty contain at least one complete book of his commentary on the Sentences. Book 2 of this commentary was printed at Naples by in the final decade of the 15th century.
Caracciolo is most famous in philosophy for his theory of instantaneous change. He held that, in the concept of an instantaneous change, "a real contradiction is accepted in nature, because the termini of instantaneous change cannot ... belong to different instants of time." The law of non-contradiction, hoever, is not violated because "the instant of time containing a contradictory state of affairs can be divided, although not physically, into instants of nature."
A lost work by Caracciolo on the Immaculate Conception is cited in the Elucidarium virginis of Antonio Bonito de Cucharo (1507). Marco Palma assigns quodlibeta to him, but William Duba says that none have been identified.