The Battle of Montepeloso was fought on 3 September 1041 between Lombard-

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

rebel forces and the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

, near Montepeloso in southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The Byzantines, led by

Exaugustus Boioannes Exaugustus Boiοannes ( it, Exaugusto Bugiano), son of the famous Basil Boioannes, was also a catepan of Italy, from 1041 to 1042.He was released in February 1042 from captivity, at which time he was replaced by Synodianos. He replaced Michael Dokei ...

, were forced into battle by the rebels, and after a day-long fight the rebels defeated the Byzantine army and captured Boioannes. The decisive rebel victory forced the Byzantines to retreat to the coastal cities, leaving the Normans and Lombards in control of the whole interior of southern Italy.

Background

The battle of Montepeloso was part of a Lombard-Norman revolt against the Byzantine Empire in southern Italy, with preceding battles at Olivento in March, and at Montemaggiore in May, both rebel victories.. Before the battle, the Normans and Lombards agreed on choosing

Atenulf, brother of Pandulf III of Benevento Atenulf was the son of Prince Landulf V of Benevento Landulf V (died September 1033) was the prince of Benevento from May 987, when he was first associated with his father Pandulf II, to his death. He was chief prince from his father's death in 1 ...

, as their new leader, while the Byzantine Catepan

Michael Dokeianos Michael Dokeianos ( el, Μιχαήλ Δοκειανός), erroneously called Doukeianos by some modern writers, was a Byzantine nobleman and military leader, who married into the Komnenos family. He was active in Sicily under George Maniakes befo ...

was replaced by

.. The new overall leader of the revolt, Atenulf, was part of the ruling Beneventan family and a rival to the Norman sponsor

Guaimar IV of Salerno Guaimar IV (c. 1013 – 2, 3 or 4 June 1052) was Prince of Salerno (1027–1052), Duke of Amalfi (1039–1052), Duke of Gaeta (1040–1041), and Prince of Capua (1038–1047) in Southern Italy over the period from 1027 to 1052. ...

, but although the rebel army was led by Norman military leaders, the Normans could not yet afford to break with their Lombard allies.

Battle

After the battle of Montemaggiore, Boioannes made an attempt to lay siege to

Melfi Melfi (Neapolitan language, Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,7 ...

, which had been captured by the rebels. In response, the Normans and Lombards counter-attacked Boioannes' camp at Monte Siricolo,. near Montepeloso (modern

Irsina Irsina, until 1895 called Montepeloso (in local dialect: or ), is a town, ''comune'' (municipality) and former Latin bishopric in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. The town Irsina is an agricultural town pe ...

) on the Bradano river. The Byzantine army under Boioannes had been safe within the stronghold of Montepeloso, but as the rebels wanted to avoid the strains associated with a siege, they forced the Byzantines and the

Varangian Guard The Varangian Guard ( el, Τάγμα τῶν Βαράγγων, ''Tágma tōn Varángōn'') was an elite unit of the Byzantine Army from the tenth to the fourteenth century who served as personal bodyguards to the Byzantine emperors. The Varangi ...

into battle by stealing their cattle. The battle went on to last most of the day with intense fighting, but the Norman cavalry, led by

William Iron Arm William I of Hauteville (before 1010 – 1046), known as William Iron Arm,Guillaume Bras-de-fer in French, Guglielmo Braccio di Ferro in Italian and Gugghiermu Vrazzu di Ferru in Sicilian. was a Norman adventurer who was the founder of the ...

, managed to secure a decisive victory for the rebels. Boioannes was captured by the rebels during the battle and held for ransom..

Aftermath

The rebel victory forced the Byzantine army to retreat to the coastal cities, leaving the entire interior of southern Italy to the Norman and Lombard rebels. Following the victory, the town of

Matera Matera (, ; Materano: ) is a city in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. As the capital of the province of Matera, its original settlement lies in two canyons carved by the Gravina River. This area, the Sassi di Matera, is a comple ...

switched its support to the revolt, while the coastal cities

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...

Monopoli Monopoli (; Monopolitano: ) is a town and municipality in Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Bari and region of Apulia. The town is roughly in area and lies on the Adriatic Sea about southeast of Bari. It has a population of 49,246 ...

and

Giovinazzo Giovinazzo ( Barese: ) is a town, ''comune'' (municipality) and former bishopric within the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia region, southeastern Italy. History It was a small fortified centre of the Romans, who called it Natolium, maybe buil ...

relinquished their allegiance to the Byzantine Empire in order to avoid Norman raids.. After the battle, the rebel leader Atenulf was sent back home after it was found that he had kept the money received for Boioannes ransom for himself. Although the Norman knights pushed for the next leader to be a Norman, they were in the end outvoted by the Lombards and had to settle for Argyrus from Bari. The battle of Montepeloso was the last pitched battle fought between Normans and Byzantines in the Italian peninsula..

References

Sources

* * * {{refend 1041 in Europe 1040s in the Byzantine Empire

Montepeloso Irsina, until 1895 called Montepeloso (in local dialect: or ), is a town, ''comune'' (municipality) and former Latin bishopric in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. The town Irsina is an agricultural town pe ...

Catepanate of Italy