I Normanni nel Sud, 1016-1130

The Normans in Sicily #1

by John Julius Norwich

La conquista normanna di Sicilia e dell'Italia meridionale è l'epopea più avvincente che ci giunge dal Medioevo: un pugno di guerrieri poveri chiamati a battersi con la forza, con il coraggio e con l'astuzia, contro Bizantini, Longobardi e Saraceni è l'esempio chiaro di cosa volesse dire in quell'epoca essere cavaliere. Una storia di uomini, di armi e di bellezza che è un romanzo grazie all'abilità dello scrittore che nel ricostruirla con completa esattezza, ha scelto una via originale, inventando, si può dire, una storiografia narrativa.

Genres: History, Italy, Nonfiction, Medieval, Medieval History, Religion, Military History

583 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

John Julius Norwich was an English historian, writer, and broadcaster known for his engaging books on European history and culture. The son of diplomat and politician Duff Cooper and socialite Lady Diana Manners, he received an elite education at Eton, Strasbourg, and Oxford, and served in the Foreign Service before dedicating himself to writing full-time.
He authored acclaimed works on Norman Sicily, Venice, Byzantium, the Mediterranean, and the Papacy, as well as popular anthologies like Christmas Crackers. He was also a familiar voice and face in British media, presenting numerous television documentaries and radio programs. A champion of cultural heritage, he supported causes such as the Venice in Peril Fund and the World Monuments Fund.
Norwich’s wide-ranging output, wit, and accessible style made him a beloved figure in historical writing.

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

History of the lead-up to and foundation of the Norman, Kingdom of Sicily.


Bayeux Tapestry, period piece (1066 A.D.) showing Norman knights and supporting infantry with characteristic 'kite-shaped' shields.

My dead tree, format, book was a modest 355-pages which included footnotes, appendices, maps, illustrations, Bibliography and an index. It had a UK 1967 copyright.

John Julius Norwich was a British historian and writer of popular nonfiction. He was the author of more than forty books. He passed in 2018. This was the first book in his The Normans in Sicily series. This was the first book I’ve read by the author.

Firstly, this was an intermediate-level text on the High Middle Ages in the central Mediterranean. It would be very helpful for a reader to already have a good background on early-Middle Ages in the Mediterranean to fully appreciate this book.

Secondly, I read this book as the first part of the omnibus, The Normans in Sicily: The Normans in the South 1016-1130 and the Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194 which includes this, and the The Kingdom in the Sun, 1130 - 1194 bound between two covers to make-up the author’s The Normans in Sicily series. Since the two (2) books were published separately, almost a decade apart, and are not continuous I thought they should be separately reviewed.

This was a well-written, history in the Old Skool. That is, it was the history of personalities, mostly men but sometimes women, events, diplomacy, and wars (the failure of diplomacy) over a period of less than 120-years during which the Normans conquered southern Italy and the island of Sicily.

The Normans were an immigrant population from the Normandy region in Northern France. They first arrived as mercenary units to fight in the endemic small-scale wars of southern Italy at the very beginning of the High Middle Ages. The Norman mercenary units were typically led by a charismatic knight leader and made-up of a core group of knight supporters - such as family members and friends. Many of these leaders were the sons, but not heirs, of Norman nobles hoping to carve out their own fiefdom as a reward for service. Remarkably, it was two scions of a single, Norman (de Hauteville ) noble, who in two generations subdued the: indigenous, feudal, Lombards; waning, Byzantine Empire's holdings; distant, Holy Roman Empire's interventions; Papacy with its waxing power; settled, Islamic conquerors; and their own, fractious, transplanted, Norman fellows to become suzerain of Southern Italy and Sicily.

Norwich was a good writer. The narrative was very clear and factual. It’s very much in the bygone, British public school-style. (Folks could write upon graduation.) Descriptions were well done. In particular, the author showed a preference for: architecture, art and geography. Since the author also was a travel writer, this could be expected. The general tenor of the book was measured and somewhere between popular and academic.

Use of maps was OK. However, they were all of too large a scale. A period map of Rome, which was a focus of many events would have been helpful. Use of tables and charts, was restricted to only genealogies. (A picture is worth a thousand words.). The photographs provided were good. Although, the majority were architectural of churches and cathedrals.

The book was written in the old-style of history that emphasizes personalities. Men and sometimes women drove history. Julius Caesar conquered the Britons, William the Conqueror (A Norman of the book’s period) conquered the Saxons, and Robert Guiscard (Norman uncle to the future King of Sicily) conquered the Sicilian Saracens. Along the way, the reader gains historical context. For example, learning that life in the High Middle Ages was nasty, brutish, and short for the great majority of folks. Also that a lot of: churches, cathedrals, monasteries and abbeys got built by short-lived folks. Norwich’s book lacked a large amount of context. Despite, having a general knowledge of the period, many times I was wondering, “How did that ‘guy’ (Norman noble, Pope, Byzantine, Saracen, Lombard) do that?”

Modern, general histories tend to expand beyond just personalities. Personalities are still important. Although, absent critical circumstances, men and women don’t change history by their lonesome. Its men and women, technologies, organizations and external events that effect history.

For example, Medieval Norman society was a martial culture. If Normans didn’t have a external enemy, they’d happily fight amongst themselves. In Italy and Sicily, much smaller, military, formations of Normans regularly defeated larger formations of Mediterranean origin. Norwich attributes this to being, “schooled in warfare, close-knit, and heavily armoured”. Miliary doctrine is a technology. The Normans had a superior one. (It was a disruptive technology.) Without it they would not have been successful in the Italian region's endemic conflicts. Norwich offers few insights into how Normans were so militarily successful.

Another example, was the Papacy. The Latin Church in Western Europe was a pervasive influence. Southern Italy and Sicily were in a region under the direct influence of the Pope in Rome. (Norwich makes medieval, distance travel seem trivial in his narrative.) Norwich goes into great detail on individual Popes during the period. Part of which was the function (or dysfunction) of the papal court (curia) in electing a new, mostly short-lived, Pope. However, Norwich offers little insight into the organization and ‘normal’ operations of the curia. Note an exception was the schism between the Byzantine Empire’s, Greek Orthodox Church and the Holy Roman Empire’s Latin Church of 1054.

A final example was the region’s medieval economy. Obviously, it was largely agrarian and land-based. What were the engines of the economy? Monasteries and abbeys appeared to have been important. Were they religious, communes operated like a fiefdom? Fortified towns and minor cities were also important. Mostly, they were discussed in the context of, threats to an army’s line-of-supply and needing to be besieged. Sicily’s Palermo was the largest metropolis in the central Mediterranean. It was a trade hub for the entire Mediterranean. What was it trading? How did taxes from Palermo make the de Hauteville’s so wealthy, they could become royalty? (This was never discussed.)

Norwich’s narrative was of personalities, events, and diplomacy (including wars). The personalities were all: nobles (or soon to be), generals, kings, queens, emperors, empresses, princes, princesses, popes, abbots (no abbesses), emirs, monks and court functionaries. Occasionally, traitors of lower birth are included in the narrative. It’s easy to follow the thread of the initially, landless, Normans like the de Hauteville’s path to royalty in about 120-years. However, a lot of context on the medieval world was missing. Only the most superficial analysis of events is given. Many times, I found acts and events to be unexplained and unexplainable. I spent a significant amount of time researching those events. At one point, I might have assumed that Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade) poisonings killed more Roman notables than “the fever” (likely typhus fever). I would have finished with the book a lot earlier, if it had included more background on medieval life. As it is, this book was the story of Medieval Italian Celebrities. It’s a Rags Armour to Riches story of a gifted, group of immigrants imposing their order on a region ripe for change.

I’ll be reading the second book in the series, The Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194 shortly.

Readers interested in medieval history might want to read The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England . This book contains more information on the Normans than exposed by Norwich.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Normans in the South, 1016-1130
John Julius Norwich
Read it in Paper-Back at 355 including Biblio+Apendix+Maps

This is actually a re-issue/re-print of Norwich's original 'The Normans in Sicily: The Normans in the South 1016-1130 and the Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194' now split into two, with this being the first. Mr. Norwich is many things but a historian, arguably not. A fan of history, it would seem so and in his writings I find all of the exuberance, interest, and understanding of any 'blooded' historian I have read. It's a good thing to be friends with Historians I suppose. I couldn't really find any definitive text that covered the Kingdom of Sicily (in the High Middle) as an independent work, save this.

The Normans seem to be affected with a wanderlust that saw them all over Europe. Sicily and the Mediterranean were no different. A group of sightseers saw opportunity in split southern Italy. This is the initial story of those men who saw opportunity and were bold enough to take it. Through feats of arms and domineering politics these Northern Frenchmen were able to forge the Kingdom of the Sun. Early Norman Sicily has some really interesting characters (The Guiscard, Richard, William, Bohemund, etc.) and Norwich is fantastic at delivering them to the reader and also pays a lot of attention to the papacy, which was a key player in the foundation of this Kingdom through brutal politics on both sides. Legitimacy is earned it would seem and the road was slow.

Something that is kind of nice about Norwich that I don't get from other historians, is that he describes the towns, palaces, and castles as a tourist. All details are rich and written with a care to really give the reader the exact idea of a place that pictures can't convey. As this is the only works that I have found on High-Middle Sicily, this is highly recommended for anyone with interest.

[Rafa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magistral historia de la llegada y consolidación de los normandos en Sicilia y el sur de Italia. Con una prosa que engancha desde el principio y que transmite el ambiente de la época a la perfección.

[William Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew I would like this book. For a long time I’ve wanted to read about the Norman conquests of South Italy. Norwich’s writing is superb and he tells the history of these events wonderfully, weaving together the myriad of geographically distant though concurrently occurring events expertly. Norwich has that imperious style of an old historian that I enjoy greatly, though his voice never feels dated. Keen to read part two of this tale!

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il primo volume prende le mosse nel lontano 1016 quando i Normanni partirono dal nord della Francia per arrivare nell'Italia Meridionale allora sotto il dominio di longobardi e bizantini. La loro conquista non fu facile e immediata, anzi fu un processo lungo e drammatico protrattosi fino al 1130. Fondamentali all'inizio della narrazione sono le battaglie e la danza delle alleanze che caratterizzarono i primi anni dell'invasione normanna, infatti i primi gruppi arrivati sulla penisola non erano altro che eserciti mercenari pronti a schierarsi dalla parte di chi pagava di più per i loro servigi; ma ben presto furono conquistati dalla volontà di non essere ospiti in un territorio straniero ma di diventarne signori e padroni essi stessi. La narrazione è veloce, fluida, i fatti esposti sono frutto di attenta ricerca e un ampio corredo di note esplicative aiuta a chiarire dubbi o a fornire versioni alternative qualora ci si trovi di fronte a fatti poco documentati o ormai diventati leggenda. Anche quando il tessuto narrativo si riempie di personaggi, e ciò non deve meravigliare dato il proliferare di stati e staterelli e il continuo avvicendarsi di duchi, principi, re, imperatori e soprattutto papi, non si perde mai il filo del discorso.
Si narra di figli cadetti partiti all'avventura che hanno saputo costruire dal nulla un solido stato, partendo da piccole concessioni terriere fatte dal Papa di turno, fino ad assoggettare l'intera Italia del Sud ed arrivando a tenere sotto controllo una buona parte dell'Africa Settentrionale e a non far dormire sonni tranquilli nemmeno agli imperatori dei più importati regni del tempo: il Sacro Romano Impero e l'Impero Bizantino.
Figure di spicco di questa prima parte della storia sono sicuramente Roberto il Guiscardo e Ruggero, fratelli del casato degli Altavilla, mentre al primo spetta sicuramente il merito di aver saputo approfittare di ogni situazione favorevole per ottenere sempre più potere, il più grande successo del secondo, Ruggero, è sicuramente la conquista della Sicilia all'epoca in mano ai saraceni e la creazione di un regno multiculturale e multirazziale (convivevano pacificamente latini, greci e musulmani) che per tanti anni sarebbe stato ammirato ed invidiato da tutti. Si assiste a continue ascese e ricadute come sempre accadeva in un'epoca in cui nulla era certo e tutto poteva cambiare in un batter di ciglia.
Pregio di questo volume è sicuramente la capacità di fondere storia e cultura, soprattutto storia e arte, dando la possibilità a chi legge di poter meglio comprendere e apprezzare quell'epoca storica e di rintracciarne le ormai, purtroppo, modeste tracce che tutt'oggi si conservano. Si assiste ad un'attenta descrizione di palazzi, chiese e fortificazioni.
La narrazione si chiude trionfalmente con la Sicilia che diventa ufficialmente un regno e Ruggero II, figlio di Ruggero d'Altavilla, incoronato re il 25 dicembre 1130 a Palermo.

Mia recensione: http://afoxamongthebooks.blogspot.it/...

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short on analysis, JJN does what he does best - writing a meandering introduction to a little known subject.

[Nile · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting enough look at how the Normans managed to find themselves in the South of Italy, Sicily, and how they tried sticking their feet in the doors of the Levant, Byzantine Empire, and North Africa.

Somewhat of an enlightened look at events from Norwich, who stresses that in Sicily the winning formula wasn't a crusading spirit, but a deep respect of Muslim and Orthodox subjects - where unlike the First Crusade there was no massacre, but instead religious freedom as well as a social freedom that allowed Muslim and Orthodox Sicilians to, unmolested and unbound, reach an economic and cultural blossoming. Muslim rulers remained emirs, and eventually Normans became emirs, too - then in time amirals, and eventually admirals.

Norwich goes as far as to say that Norman Sicily's cultural and religious harmony could be a formula for our societies 'today' - written in 1967, a year before Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' speech - here we find, as always, an aristocrat with a little more humanity than an economically, culturally insecure lower middle-class tory. Noblesse oblige has yet to work its way down to the rank and file of the would-be yeomanry in a land where a shopkeeper's shop floor is his kingdom. Perhaps what has kept revolution at bay in Great Britain is the degree to which the lower middle-classes have committed to being the most aggressive antagonist of the poor.

After that diversion, worth mentioning that Norwich can be a little thin on details at time - we get a lot about some dukes and next to nothing about others. Roger Borsa is clearly a footnote to Norwich in getting where he wants to be - Roger II becoming king of Sicily.

Worth a read as there's little on the topic and Norwich is an interesting writer - and, Norwich is right, this is a cultural 'moment' for us to learn something from.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well researched look at the fascinating history of the "other" Norman conquest, from the initial influx of the Normans as mercenaries, through the rise of the de Hautvilles, to the eventual founding of the Kingdom of Sicily.

Some of the periods covered are not well documented in history, and certainly not very well known, and few of the primary or even secondary sources covering the period have never been translated into English. This work by the eminent historian John Julius Norwich is an excellent work for anyone interested in the remarkable, if not always particularly likeable, people who made South Italy their home and forged it into something great.

[Andrew Reece · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Julius Norwich Chronicles 114 Years Of Norman Invasion & Conquest In Southern Italy & Sicily.

The opening pages of The Normans In The South: 1016-1130 contain an exceptional description of what it was that made their race such a dynamic force in Italian history during the 11th & 12th centuries : 'Materialistic, quick-witted, adaptable, eclectic, still blessed with the inexhaustible energy of their Viking forebears & a superb self-confidence that was all their own, the early Norman adventurers were admirably equipped for the role they were to play.'

The legendary Norman adventurers first began trickling into Southern Italy during the early 11th century, & reputedly were descended from the Viking warlord, Rollo, who had reigned over Normandy as Count of Rouen from 911-928 AD. According to the Gargano Tradition established by William of Apulia's epic Latin poem, the Gesta Roberti Wiscardi, at a fateful meeting in a remote cave at the Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel on Mount Gargano in the year 1016 AD, the Lombard prince, Melus of Bari, forged an alliance with a group of Norman pilgrims against the Byzantine Empire, & it was their unlikely union which would effectively usher in the initial wave of Norman mercenaries led by Gilbert Buatère & Rainulf Drengot. The Norman conquest & occupation of Apulia, Calabria, & Sicily occurred between the years 1016 - 1130 AD, & ultimately led to the foundation of the short-lived Norman Kingdom, a sovereign state which lasted from 1130 - 1194 & encompassed 5 successive monarchs. It was ultimately absorbed into the Holy Roman Empire by Henry VI Hohenstaufen when he wed Constance, the daughter of the Norman king Roger II, & claimed the territory for himself by right of his wife's inheritance. This exciting era which preceded the Italian Duocento ranks as one of the most vibrant & colorful periods to be found in all of medieval European history.

In the late 1960's & early 1970's, British historian John Julius Norwich composed his 2-part history which chronicles the Norman invasion & subsequent occupation of Apulia, Calabria, & Sicily. This volume, entitled The Normans In The South, covers a period of 114 years spanning from 1016 - 1130 & is divided into 2 parts : The Conquest & The Building Of The Kingdom. For the first installment in this rich, intricate Norman history the Viscount Norwich has copiously referenced an array of contemporary works by renowned medieval historians such as Amatus of Monte Cassino's 'L'Ystoire de li Normant', Geoffrey Malaterra's Historia Sicula, William of Apulia's Gesta Roberti Wiscardi, as well as the writings of Leo of Ostia, Falco of Benevento, & Alexander of Telese. The author also provides excerpts throughout his history from the works of period-contemporary historians such as Anna Comnena, in her Alexiad, & the Prospographiaof Michael Psellus, in addition to studies written by modern historians such as Ferdinand Chalandon & Sir Steven Runciman.

Make no mistake, this is an incredibly detailed book with a staggering level of depth that is not intended to be rushed through so much as it is to be savored & enjoyed by reading it slowly & methodically. The author has managed to present a comprehensive, almost-exhaustive amount of content in a format & composition style which is so unbelievably smooth & easy to read that it practically defies description, a truly outstanding accomplishment & in my own opinion it is the book's greatest achievement. In it Norwich favors an eloquent, pleasantly meandering sentence structure with excellent attention to detail & an impeccable level of articulation. In the introduction, he fervently refutes any claim to being a scholar before providing an amusing description of his own linguistic skills, stating that "..my Latin remains poor & my Greek worse." Later he tells his reader that, "My purpose was simply, as I have said, to provide ordinary readers with the sort of book I wished I had had on my first visit to Sicily". That is an admirable objective for any author to undertake, let alone one as gifted & talented as John Julius undoubtedly was, don't you think ?

Italy during the 11th & 12th centuries was a patchwork quilt of Lombard principalities, Byzantine outposts, & papal city-states governed by the Catholic Church in Rome. The fiercely independent, self-styled Lombard princes of Campania fought to return to the days of the 6th & 7th centuries prior to Charlemagne's invasion in 774, when for 200 years they had enjoyed supremacy over the majority of the Italian Peninsula. The island of Sicily had been undergoing a long period of Saracen occupation. For 200 years it had been under the rule of powerful group of Arabic Emirs with loose affiliations to the Zirid Capliphate of Kairouan, & they were all too happy to set aside their ceaseless feuding & quarreling long enough to make common cause against any foreign Christian invasion. And the Byzantine Empire struggled to maintain sovereignty over its rapidly shrinking territories in Naples, Gaeta, & Amalfi, in an area known collectively as the Theme of Langobardia, or the Catepanate, & under the direct control of a provincial governor/general, the katepánō, who was appointed by the emperor of Byzantium. These katepánōs, or catepans, frequently were men of extraordinary ability who possessed larger-than-life personalities, such as the wily, cunning Basil Boioannes, who in 1018 inflicted a crushing defeat upon a force of Normans & Lombards at the 2nd Battle of Cannae before establishing a crucial outpost, Troia, at the mouth of a strategic pass through the Apennine mountain range; & the towering giant George Maniakes, who, according to a contemporary account, "..stood to the height of ten feet, so that to look at him men would tilt back their heads as if at the top of a hill or a high mountain. His countenance was neither gentle nor pleasing, but put one in mind of a tempest; his voice was like thunder & his hands seemed made for tearing down walls or for smashing doors of bronze." Maniakes staged a successful invasion of Sicily in 1038, where he captured the cities of Messina & Syracuse & took the strategic fortress of Rometta before being recalled prematurely to Constantinople by the Byzantine emperor Michael IV, the Paphlogonian. It was during this very same Sicilian expedition that the legendary William de Hauteville first rose to prominence by unhorsing & killing the Syracusan Emir in single combat, & won him the privilege of being known forever after as 'Bras-de-Fer', 'The Iron Arm'.

The distinct characters & personalities of the Lombard princes in 11th century Campania are among the main reasons why the first portion of Lord Norwich's narrative is so compelling to read. Aggressive & territorial, Pandulf of Capua established a brutal reputation on the battlefield & was known far & wide as the 'Wolf of the Abruzzi' for his ruthless, uncompromising disposition. Throughout the narrative Pandulf's changeable allegiance shifts like the spokes of a weathervane, which leads to his being thrown in prison, twice - once by the Western Roman Emperor, Henry II, & once by the Byzantine Emperor, Michael IV. He is set free on both occasions & immediately returns to his old stomping grounds where he continues to wreak havoc in Capua & Southern Italy until his death on 19 February in the year 1049 or 1050. Pandulf is referred to as a man "of wily & wicked deeds" in Amatus of Monte Cassino's L'Ystoire de li Normant, & a French historian, Odon Jean-Marie Delarc, describes the formidable prince of Capua with the following : "Even if we make allowance for exaggeration & legend [in the chronicles of Monte Cassino]...it remains true that, of all the many detestable bandits of the eleventh century, Pandulf is one of the vilest." Gaimar V of Salerno is cut from a completely different cloth, so to speak. Charming, charismatic & shrewd, he enjoys immense popularity amongst the citizens of Salerno. Gaimar garners the ire & jealousy of his 4 brothers-in-law, the sons of the Count of Teano, who together conspire to stage his assassination in the Salernitan harbor, & this unfortunate event is the subject of one of the most harrowing passages in the novel. Duke Sergius IV of Naples is a noble but weak-willed Lombard ruler who forges an alliance with Rainulf Drengot by offering him the hand of his sister in marriage & enfeoffing him with all the territories of Aversa. Unfortunately, after his wife dies in 1034 the changeable Rainulf betrays Sergius by making an opportunistic marriage to the niece of Sergius' mortal enemy, Pandulf of Capua. Broken & disconsolate by the death of his sister & the treachery of his brother-in-law, Sergius retires to a monastery where he dies in 1036. Finally, Melus of Bari was a fierce Lombard patriot whose rebellion against his Byzantine overlords proved to be the catalyst which brought the first major influx of Normans into Southern Italy. He suffers a catastrophic defeat in 1018 at the hands of the Basil Boiannes & flees to Bamberg where he finds refuge at the court of the Western Roman Emperor, Henry II. Overcome with despair, Melus lives for 2 more years before he dies in 1020. His son, Argyrus, would briefly continue the struggle for Lombard independence before ultimately betraying his own people by defecting to the Byzantines. Along with awarding him a considerable bribe, his new masters would promote him to the rank of 'katepánō' in 1050. His sire was fortunately spared the shame of living to witness his son's treacherous act.

The Normans In The South is filled with the Viscount's eloquent descriptions of epic, set-piece battles & dramatic sieges which are as skillfully narrated as they are factually accurate. The Battle of Civitate was waged on the banks of the Fortore River on 18 June 1053, & it pitted a force of 3,500 Norman infantry & cavalry led by Robert 'Guiscard' de Hauteville, his half-brother Humphrey, & Richard Drengot against a sizeable papal army of 6,000 Italians, Lombards, & Swabian infantry under the supreme command of Pope Leo IX. The battle results in utter disaster for the papal coalition when, after decisively routing the Italians & Lombards, the right flank of Normans led by Richard smashes into the 700 Swabian infantry who had been fighting Humphrey's center detachment & are taken completely by surprise. The Siege of Bari was a protracted affair which lasted close to 3 years, from 5 August 1068 – 15 April 1071, & was of the utmost importance to the Normans who by successfully conquering it could at last eliminate the Byzantine presence in Southern Italy & finally lay claim to the entirety of Apulia & Calabria. Bari was a fabulously wealthy city, & while the Guiscard & his band of Normans camped outside the walls the Bariots would arrogantly parade across the battlements with their expensive gold & silver plate, using it to reflect the light of the sun into Robert's eyes & mocking his troops for their commander's rapacity. The Guiscard actually found this to be quite amusing, & according to Norwich's account which itself is based on Malaterra's Historia Sicula, Robert began "..shouting gleefully back his thanks to the good citizens for keeping his property for him so carefully, & assuring them that they would not have charge of it much longer." Many of the epic battles & famous sieges that appear in this novel feel like they could come straight out of the pages of George R.R. Martin's A Song Of Ice & Fire, or Elio M. Garcia Jr. & Linda Atonsson's epic histories of the Targaryen dynasty, Fire & Blood & The Rise Of The Dragon. The reader possessing any degree of appreciation for Martin's written works would be doing themselves a disservice by neglecting to add this exceptional title to their library.

The second half of the book is dominated by the exploits & adventures of the sons & grandsons of Tancred de Hauteville, all of whom played significant political & military roles in South Italy & Sicily during the 11th & twelfth centuries. The most famous of them is Robert 'Guiscard' de Hauteville, whose dynamic, unquenchable good nature is accompanied by an unshakable resolve fueled by a burning desire to further his family's fortunes by using any means necessary. Robert's talents lay in the field of military operations & strategic conquest, he possesses neither the patience nor the desire to succeed in politics or statecraft. His youngest brother, Roger Bosso, is cut from a different mold entirely. After a grueling Sicilian campaign which takes a full 30 years before the island can be said to be completely under Norman control, Roger adopts a policy of religious tolerance & political inclusion. He refuses to adopt new titles for his governors & military commanders, continuing to use the old Saracen honorific of Emir, & he also allows both Greek Byzantines & Arabic Muslims to assume high-ranking positions of power & authority in his newly-formed Norman government. There are many, many more Hautevilles whom appear in John Julius Norwich's monumental Norman history, more than can be named in a single sitting.

The Normans In The South has everything a reader could possibly ask for : action-packed battles, political intrigue, high-drama --- all presented in a format which is as enjoyable to read as it is educational for specialists & history enthusiasts. It is a rousing tale of high adventure which succeeds on every conceivable level at keeping its audience informed, engaged, & utterly spellbound until they reach the conclusion of the book, an occurrence which happens all too soon. Norwich even includes a detailed appendix at the end providing supplementary information on his 5 primary historical sources that complements the main text while providing additional depth to a book already fully capable of standing on its own. If the reader enjoys this first entry in Norwich's Norman duology, he or she is strongly advised to pick up the 2nd installment, The Kingdom In The Sun : 1130 - 1198. It covers the 68-year period that followed king Roger II de'Hauteville's coronation at Palermo on Christmas Day 1130.

[Matthew Welker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is honestly just a great book. What lead me here was that I’m really into English history with the monarchy as my central operating area. I mean it’s just nice to have some interesting characters to explore things around & I mean, these people are the drivers so to speak imo.

Anyway, in my studies on England post Norman Conquest I occasionally read passing parts referencing the Normans in Sicily. How in Warren’s Henry II I believe, he infers how Henry delt with Ireland in a way to prevent another Sicily from happening. So I guess a bunch of Anglo-Normans or whatever from going over there & creating their own kingdom.

So stemming from this I had developed an interest in learning about how Normans also ended up in Sicily & finally got around to it while waiting for the release on a book on Henry III of England to release. A king who in the 13th century had an opportunity to put his son Edmund on Sicily’s throne though that fell apart. Well I looked into books on Norman Sicily and alas found Norwich’s work.

This first volume covering Norman conquest of South Italy & Sicily is an exception work of popular history imo. A great just general read for anyone looking to learn something. I’ll admit early on it’s quite confusing with the various historical figures, but the book really picks up once it starts focusing on the Guiscard & Roger I. From there you get some insane history especially regarding the exploits of Robert that just seems insane & of course Roger’s government of Sicily which formulated one of the coolest kingdom’s in the medieval period if not the coolest as it was this melting pop of Christian, Muslim, Greek, Italian, believe some Jewish, etc…

Needless to say, I enjoy this book immensely and recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about one of the most interesting kingdoms/principalities I suppose of the Medieval period. An entity both diverse and was able to stand seemingly alone in opposition to many great powers like the Holy Roman Empire, the Pope, Byzantium, and so on. Impressive stuff.

[Taj]

Norwich proclaims at the outset that no tale of the period seems as much like a romance as the story of the sons of Tancred de Hauteville, and their rise from sell-sword knights errant in Normandy to the throne of Sicily. His intentions, then, are clear: this book is basically a modernized chanson de geste.
Norwich begins by denying any original scholarship and admitting he has no knowledge of the languages of the primary sources. Various more academic monographs and articles are listed in the bibliography; the author here has only synthesized them into an eminently readable narrative, with minimal footnoting. One wonders what scholarly contributions have been made in the last half-century—there is some reference to and use of Muslim chronicles, and the Alexiad is also drawn upon—but a more recent book could probably make better use of non-Latin sources. The general attitude towards the fractious Oriental and the scheming Byzantine is rather dated. Norwich praises the religious tolerance of the Counts Roger, and their administrative ability, but is a little light on the details beyond a chronicle of battlefield actions and the many treaties signed between squabbling barons.
Still, in all, a well-stylized and enjoyable read.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read in the style of history books as escapism, something that seems dulled with our contemporary academically grounded and erudite professional historians. This really was one of those books you looked forward to reading a few pages of each evening.

The author is self deprecating about being an enthusiast rather than an academic, so the story is a little uneven and the context is patchy. It can be a bit disorienting with knights rushing hither and thither to beat down the pesky Lombards and Saracens etc. It’s almost like an extended match of tin soldiers, with the author’s favourite Rogers leading the charges.

Yet the enthusiasm and energy of both the author and the Normans is infectious and always wins the day. Highly recommended.

Mine was a first edition Longmans of 1967 borrowed from the university library. That was before ISBN numbers (ca 1970) so I’m guessing it doesn’t “exist” here. I chose to attach this to an ebook edition just to be ironic. In fact, my “real” book still had the original issuing card in its pocket. Authentic!

[Dan Sumption · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being 1000 year-old history, it's mostly births, marriages and wars, but very readable and with some lovely details scattered through the book. Like when the Normans executed someone by sewing them in a sack with a monkey, a chicken and a snake, and throwing the sack in the water. Or when they stopped a battle to hold a funeral in the town which they were invading - a Norman jumped out of the coffin, which was full of swords, and they took the town. Another town they captured by first nabbing the leader, then strapping him to a wattle screen - basically a piece of fence - and marching forward with the fence held in front, the town's leader begging his troops to surrender. Or when Robert Guiscard took Salerno, demanded the tooth of St Matthew from the defeated ruler Gisulf and, on discovering he'd been given a jew's tooth instead, threatened to pull all of Gisulf's teeth out.

[Astor Teller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable book (and maybe the only one) about how the Normans carved out a Kingdom of South Italia (starting before the battle of Hastings). The author navigates the complex story well into an enjoyable read, focusing on Richard Guiscard (who tried to become Byzantine Emperor) and Roger (his brother who became ruler of Sicily), but you also get to know other interesting personalities like Sichelgaita (the closest you get to a living valkyrie), Bohemund (son of Richard who became ruler of Antioch) and a lot of popes (excommunication each other and Normans on regular basis).

[Jeroen Van de Crommenacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really delightful history book, and the best of John Julius Norwich that I have read so far. It is a fairly obscure part of medieval European history, but immensely interesting and entertainingly told. Sometimes easy to get a bit lost in all the various characters, cities, battles and intrigues and it probably helps if you have some prior knowledge of the period. I was certainly hooked enough to decide to buy the second volume in this 2-volume series.

[Alastair Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first half of a detailed history of Norman Italy in the 11th & 12th centuries. Thoroughly enjoyed it and although at times the phrasing can seem clumsy it is overall very well written, it is engaging and keeps the narrative moving without feeling like merely a list of events & dates.

It also has the one thing which every history book should be legally obliged to include which is maps, it becomes so much easier to follow when they're included,

[モーリー · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative and detailed, but intensely boring and confusing. Depending on your level of interest in this topic you may or may not agree with me, but I can’t get behind this narrative style of one small point and minor figure listed one after another.

[Jim Dudley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors obvious love for his chosen subject is so infectious that I now love the subject too. It brings his work and the characters to life in a way that no other history writer has yet managed to do.

[Calum C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book and gave me a new I fight in a new part of the medieval world. I love the fact that William the Conqueror had a picture of Robert Guiscard on his bedroom wall to improve his courage.

[Edoardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A timely reminder to never read any one Goodreads review in its entirety. If these people were good enough to write books or articles, they would. 6000 words for two valid points and four likes. Madonna che depressione

[Olly Colluphid · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ripping yarn. An excellent narrative of the rise of the Normans in Italy until the coronation of Roger II as the first King of Sicily. He clearly has a sneaking respect for the swashbuckling group, while under no illusion about their despicable behaviours.

[Mike Barresi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing can be dense at times and remembering all the relationships can be confusing, but well worth the read if you are interested in the Normans or Italian, specifically southern Italian history.

[Hector Pinnington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently travelled to Sicily and really enjoyed this history of the region. Beautifully written.

[Sergio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bello e avventuroso come un romanzo, preciso e didattico come un saggio: una lettura folgorante e istruttiva. Perfetto!

[Ratratrat · Rating 5 out of 5]

quello che in Sicilia cercavo e non avevo trovato, I Normanni in Sicilia e tutti i contemporanei, Raccontato come una chiacchierata non accademica. Un piacere leggerlo.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Masterful scholarship and well-written, benefitting from Lord Norwich's extensive knowledge and research and also the inherently swashbuckling narrative of the Guiscard and his Normans.