By the turn of the first millennium, the Normans were known around Europe as fearsome sellswords always looking for fights and plunder. Descended from Vikings who settled in Normandy, modern day northern France, they had become thoroughly Frenchified, but nonetheless kept their seafaring nature that seemed to be ever so common among the Scandinavians. And this was the case even more so in Southern Italy. Norman pilgrims on their way back from Jerusalem told of stories of how local lords in the Mezzogiorno were looking for mercenaries from Normandy (impressed after their defence of Salerno from Saracen raiders), promising them plentiful wealth and land in return for fighting against either Muslims, Byzantines or others who controlled the area. Plenty of Normans marched all the way down south, attracted by the possibility of gaining lands for themselves after defeating the former rulers. Among them, perhaps the Hauteville family stands out among the rest as they would become some of the major lords of Southern Italy, most noticeably of all in Sicily.
A disorganised conquest
Unlike the invasion of Britain by William the Conqueror, the Normans in Southern Italy were not as organised and quick in their campaigns. Therefore, although being relatively successful in the end, took far more than William to take over these new lands, despite they were not controlled by a single organised apparatus as had been Saxon Britain at the time. As a matter of fact, taking over Bari alone (at the time under Byzantine rule and the headquarters of Byzantine Italy) took nearly three years and was only conquered by the Normans with heavy losses in April 1071. Leader of the Norman expedition was Robert Guiscard, son of Tancred of Hauteville, founder of the dynasty. Robert Guiscard reigned over the county of Apulia and Calabria (despite not being the founder, as it had been founded -and ruled- by his brother William by the time Robert reached the Mezzogiorno), but he was not the only one, even in his own family, who was interested in having land and glory to his name. His younger brother, Roger Bosso, was also eager in earning power. Granted the title of “Count of Sicily” by Robert, he sook to control the island which, although he had a title to, de facto was currently in the hands of the Arabs (despite Messina had been under Norman control since 1061).
Taking over Sicily
Roger Bosso arrived in Sicily with a small contingent of Normans. Too small to take over one of the largest islands in Europe as well as one of the most populous and wealthiest of its time. Roger would have to navigate his way through by weighing the political situation of the island. At the time, the Muslim lords of the island were not on good terms with one another. Allying himself with some while fighting others, Roger managed to fully take over the island from the emirs in 1091, only managing to make big strides when his brother Robert intervened to help him. Enjoying much support among his subjects, wherever they were Greek, Arab or Italian alike (there were no well-known revolts against him for the rest of his reign), he managed even to go as far as conquering Malta and incorporating the island into his domains. Upon dying in 1101, the county was passed to his son Simon, who passed four years later at the age of twelve. Another of Roger Bosso’s sons, Roger II, took over. Just like his father before him, he too planned for further expansion and consolidation of his new domain.
Kingdom of Sicily
Roger II grew up under the guide of his mother, Adeilaide, and the Greek emir of Palermo, Christodulus. Known for his hesitancy to go on crusade in the near east, he claimed all possessions on the Southern Italian mainland after the death of his relative, William II of Apulia (who had in the past laid claims to Sicily). Although facing serious opposition from Pope Honorius II (at first) and the inhabitants of the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria, Roger II was successful in integrating the county to his domains, but the fight was not an easy one. After the death of Pope Honorius (who near the end of his life had been threatened by Roger to back the Norman in his takeover of Apulia), disagreements among who was to be the Papal successor caused there to be to claimants, Antipope Anacletus II and Innocent II. Backing Anacletus II, Roger was rewarded with the title of King of Sicily in 1130, the same year he had completely taken over the county of Apulia and Calabria, effectively now controlling all of Southern Italy, as well as Malta and briefly controlling parts of North Africa, the same area that had been under Vandal control around five hundred years prior. Roger II did not participate much in the crusader activities, trying to avoid sectarianism to the best of his abilities. Many of his advisors were Orthodox Greeks and Muslim Arabs (and at least one Englishman, Robert of Selby, possibly a Yorkshire native), and the multiculturalism of his kingdom is shown no better than in his royal mantle, made and adorned with embroidery and pearls from the Greek and Islamic worlds. His general acceptance of diverse religious beliefs caused him to be targeted repeatedly from enemies who considered him a “half heretic” and who wished to take over the lands he ruled. The years following his coronation saw him putting down revolts in his mainland domains, as well as facing a massive army led by the Holy Roman Emperor Lothair (financed as well by the Byzantine Emperor John II) who backed the rebel leaders in the south. Although facing significant setbacks, as losing most of his mainland possessions, a lightning fast assault in 1137, with a combination of Norman and Arab troops, allowed him to retake control of the lost territories. Now having consolidated his power once and for all, with no hostiles trying to make serious attempts to take over the lands of the Kingdom of Sicily either from inside or outside, the future of the Kingdom seemed bright. Roger II died in 1154, leaving his possessions to his son William I, until he too passed away in 1166 and handed over the Kingdom to William II.
Epilogue
The last Hauteville ruler was Constance I, Queen of Sicily, who ruled from 1194 to 1198. The Hauteville family came to a close, but the Kingdom they had built had not. Constance was the mother of Fredrick II, Holy Roman Emperor who, being so fascinated by his time in Sicily, had moved the capital of the Holy Roman Empire all the way down to Palermo. He was a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, but his Hauteville heritage from his mother’s side had influenced his decision-making noticeably. Known as Stupor Mundi, the Wonder of the World, Fredrick II also ruled similarly to his Hauteville ancestors, in a world where Latin Catholicism, Greek Orthodoxy, Islam and Judaism coexisted in one of Europe’s most tolerant and sophisticated States. The legacy of the Hauteville lived on for centuries after their end. The Kingdom of Sicily hung on to its domains in mainland Southern Italy, and, although ruled by different families of different origins (the last rulers were Spanish Bourbons), lasted until 1816, when it was renamed the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, existing until its annexation by the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. It may no longer exist today, but the heritage it has left behind, as well as the influence in politics and ways of life that are part of the differences among North and South of the Country are still present nine hundred years later. Thank you for reading. Let me know what you think as well, I’d be interested in hearing what you have to say in regards to this part of European History, its beginning from Norman conquerors, to its known tolerance of different Religious Faiths and ways of life, and the legacy it still has today. Thank you again, and have a lovely day!
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