Raimondo de' Cabanni

Raimondo de' Cabanni,[a] also called Raymond of Campania[b] (died October 1334), was a Neapolitan knight and courtier of black African origin.

Through a combination of his own abilities and an advantageous marriage to one of the queen's inner circle, he rose through the ranks to hold the highest office in the royal household by the time of his death.

The only information on Raimondo's origins and early life are found in the last chapter of Giovanni Boccaccio's The Fates of Illustrious Men,[c] written around 1360.

According to Boccaccio, Raimondo, being an "extremely audacious man" (vir extrema audacia), asked for and received ennoblement and knighthood on the occasion of his wedding.

[4] On 25 February 1311, Robert, now king, re-confirmed the pension he had granted six years earlier and at that time Raimondo was a familiaris of the court.

At that time, he was a familiaris at the court of Robert's eldest son, Charles, Duke of Calabria, whom he served as chamberlain and as the master marshal in charge of his stables.

[4][7] On 14 June 1333, Raimondo and his sons Carlo and Perrotto were compensated with 10 oncie and 24 tarì for the loss of several of their horses which had died while in the king's service.

He received a lavish funeral and was buried in the complex of Santa Chiara, the resting place of the Angevin kings.