[3] Gaeta had been under the control of the Lombard Principality of Capua since 1032, and in 1040 it recognized the suzerainty of Prince Guaimar IV of Salerno.
Leo probably owed his rise to a native reaction to Lombard rule, perhaps an outright revolt.
In one of his official acts as duke, he granted a public mill to members of the powerful Kampuli family "in return for their services".
By late 1042, Guaimar had succeeded in imposing his own candidate for duke, the Norman adventurer Rainulf, on the Gaetan throne.
The name and title strongly suggest that she was Roman, perhaps of the Crescentii family.