March of Fermo

[3] For his war against the Normans, Pope Leo IX recruited an army from the Holy Roman Empire.

[6] In 1055, the Emperor Henry III appointed Pope Victor II to the offices of margrave (or marquis) of Fermo and duke of Spoleto.

[10] He was already the margrave of Tuscany and his brother was elected Pope Stephen IX to succeed Victor, making him the preeminent power in Italy.

In the first months of 1059, Pope Nicholas II visited the march in person to place the city of Ancona under interdict.

[16] In May 1081, when Henry entered Italy with a small force, Gregory VII was informed that he intending to recruit more troops in the March of Fermo.

[16][18] Nothing came of these plans and in July 1081 Henry IV enfeoffed Rainer II with the March of Fermo and Duchy of Spoleto.

Ekkehard of Aura describes him as "one of the king's ministeriales, who held the command of the march in the region of Ancona".

[21] On 3 May 1111, Pope Paschal II complained to the Emperor Henry V that the possessions of the Roman See in the March of Fermo—presumably some of them in the hands of the Normans—had not been restored.