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Introduction; The Norma in Southern Italy and Sicily; Geoffrey Malaterra and His Audience; Geoffrey Malaterra as a Historian; Maps; The Deeds of Count Roger of Calabria and Sicily and of His Brother Duke Robert Guiscard by Geoffrey Malaterra; Letter to Bishop Angers; Summary of the Chapters Which Are Contained in the First Book; Book 1.
The reputation of the Normans in the eleventh century as conquerors is as much the result of their patronage of historical writing as to their military abilities. By eleventh century standards, Norman military activities are well documented especially in the narrative accounts of their exploits in Italy. By 1100, three different chroniclers had independently of each other produced full-length accounts of the conquests in southern Italy and Sicily. The first chronicler Amatus of Montecassino composed his History of the Normans within a few years of the death of Richard I of Capua, a generous patron of his monastery, in 1078. William of Apulia wrote his versified account of Norman activities in the region with special emphasis on the career of Robert Guiscard in the late 1090s. Finally, while William was working on his Deeds of Robert Guiscard, Geoffrey Malaterra was immortalising Robert's brother Roger in his Deeds of Roger Count of Calabria and Sicily and His Brother Duke Robert Guiscard. Unusually, Malaterra's chronicle can almost be seen as a 'double' biography for though Roger is clearly the main focus of the work Guiscard is a menacing presence until his death in 1085 at the end of Book III. We do not know much about Malaterra but he was asked to compose his history, which took him ten years to complete, by Count Roger of Sicily in the 1090s. Unlike his brother Robert Guiscard--the subject of a companion volume--Roger of Sicily was more than simply a warlord (though he proved an effective military leader) but he was also an effective ruler of his lands in southern Italy as well as Sicily itself.
Founded upon an unrivalled knowledge of the original sources for the conquest, this is a cogent and lucid analysis of a key medieval subject hitherto largely ignored by historians.
The political fragmentation of Italy—created by Charlemagne’s conquest of a part of the Lombard Kingdom in 774 and the weakening of the Byzantine Empire in the eighth and ninth centuries—, the conquest of Sicily by the Muslims in the ninth century, and the Norman ‘conquest’ of southern Italy in the second half of the eleventh century favored the creation of areas inhabited by persons with different ethnic, religious, and cultural background. Moreover, this period witnessed the increase in production of historical writing in different parts of Italy. Taking advantage of these features, this volume presents some case studies about the manner in which ‘others’ were perceived, what was known about them, the role of identity, and the use of the past in early medieval Italy (ninth–eleventh centuries) focusing in particular on how early medieval Italian authors portrayed that period and were, sometimes, influenced by their own ‘present’ in their reconstruction of the past. The book will appeal to scholars and students of otherness, identity, and memory in early medieval Italy, as well as all those interested in medieval Europe.
This book provides a selection from the abundant source material generated by the Normans and the peoples they conquered. As this study demonstrates, few other medieval peoples generated historical writing of such quantity and quality. Van Houts takes a wide European perspective on the Normans, assessing and explaining their origin, the Norman expansion and their political and social organisation in the period between c. 900 to c. 1150. The Normans in Europe explores such areas as: the process of assimilation between Scandinavians and Franks and the emergence of Normandy; the internal organisation of the prinicpality with a variety of source materials from chronicles, miracle stories and charters; the roles of women and children in Norman society; the main chronicle sources for the history of the Norman invasion and settlement in Britain; the contacts between the Norman dukes and the territorial princes of France, and the progress of the Normans amongst the settlers in Southern Italy and elsewhere in the Mediterranean.
This illustrated history sheds light on the greatest commanders of medieval Norman warfare, covering all their conquests from France to the Near East. Robert Guiscard, William the Conqueror, Roger I of Sicily, and Bohemond Prince of Antioch are just four of the exceptional Norman commanders who led their armies to victory and created their own kingdoms. Their single-minded leadership, and the skill and discipline of their armies, made them nearly unstoppable in their time. In this volume, Paul Hill studies their brilliant careers—along with those of Robert Curthose, William Rufus, Richard I of Capua and Henry I of England. In a narrative packed with detail and insight, and with a wide-ranging understanding of the fighting methods and military ethos of the period, Hill traces the course of their conquests, focusing on their leadership and achievements on the battlefield. The military context of their campaigns, and the conditions of warfare in France and England, in southern Italy and Sicily, and in the Near East, are vividly described. Among the operations and sieges covered in detail are Hastings, Bremule, Tinchebrai, Civitate, Misilmeri, Dyrrhachium, and Antioch. Paul Hill’s accessible and authoritative account offers a fascinating portrait of these historic conflicts and the commanders who fought them.
This set is an excellent companion to J. R. Strayer's edited Dictionary of the Middle Ages (CH, Nov'87; Supplement I, ed. by W. C. Jordan, CH, Sep'04, 42-0044). The focus on warfare allows the editors to offer larger entries on major topics (e.g., "Agincourt," "Crusades," "Feudalism") and introduce many complementary topics. The editors are concerned with Europe; they expand coverage into Asia or Africa only because of the connection to medieval Europe. Coverage also includes an abundance of entries pertaining to Central and Eastern Europe. Most of the 1,000-plus entries are about a page in length, but a few approach 50 pages. Medium and large-size entries, such as "Chivalry," "Germany," and "Slavic Lands," discuss primary sources and very valuable historiographies. A thorough index helps readers locate the Knights Templar under "Orders, Military, Levantine Orders." Cross-references and bibliographies follow each of the signed entries. Locating reliable and scholarly information on the Knights Templar and Vlad Tepes (Dracula) is tricky. Some of the bibliographies include sources in foreign languages. For example, the references for the Black Army of Hungary are in Hungarian. Noticeably missing are entries for the many wars. This set is particularly suited to research libraries. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers. General Readers; Lower-division Undergraduates; Upper-division Undergraduates; Graduate Students; Researchers/Faculty; Professionals/Practitioners. Reviewed by W. M. Fontane.
"The heirs of these pagan Northmen contrived a brilliant transformation of themselves into Christian warriors, and went on to conquer England, southern Italy and Sicily, and even distant Antioch, in the process carving out a formidable reputation throughout Western Europe and the Mediterranean.".
This book is a history of the strategy, military equipment and battle-tactics of European armies in the Middle Ages. It gives a detailed analysis of twenty decisive battles, from the Battle of Frigidus in AD394 to the Battle of Varna in 1444, taking in such key battles as Hastings in 1066 and Bouvines in 1214.