Norman-Byzantine Wars
At a glance:
- Series: Magill’s Guide to Military History
- Categories: Military History
- Subcategories: Wars, Battles, Empires, Dynasties, Byzantine Empire
- Curriculum: Italian History, Medieval History/Middle Ages, French History, Eastern European History
- Geographical Location: Balkans, Greece, Albania
- Date: May, 1081-autumn, 1085; autumn, 1107-September, 1108
Article abstract: At issue: Defense of Byzantine Empire against conquest by southern Italian Normans. Result: Normans beaten in both wars; Byzantine autonomy preserved.
Background
Adventurers from Normandy began the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily in the first half of the eleventh century. Norman Robert Guiscard, also known as Robert de Hauteville, emerged as the leader on the mainland. Along with Arab and Lombard land, in 1071, the last Byzantine holding in Italy fell to the Normans. Byzantine emperor Michael VII courted Robert with honors and...
[The entire page is 681 words long]