The Catepanate (or Catapanate) of Italy ( el, ''Katepaníkion Italías'') was a
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
of 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 Constantin ...
from 965 until 1071. At its greatest extent, it comprised mainland Italy south of a line drawn from
Monte Gargano to the
Gulf of Salerno. North of that line,
Amalfi
Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramatic c ...
and
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
also maintained allegiance to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
through the catepan. The Italian region of ''
Capitanata'' derives its name from ''
katepanikion''.
History
Following the fall of the
Exarchate of Ravenna
The Exarchate of Ravenna ( la, Exarchatus Ravennatis; el, Εξαρχάτο της Ραβέννας) or of Italy was a lordship of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) in Italy, from 584 to 751, when the last exarch was put to death by the ...
in 751, Byzantium had been absent from the affairs of southern Italy for almost a century, but the accession of
Basil I (reigned 867–886) to the throne of
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
changed this: from 868 on, the
imperial fleet and Byzantine diplomats were employed in an effort to secure the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
from
Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia P ...
raids, re-establish Byzantine dominance over
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, stre ...
, and extend Byzantine control once more over parts of Italy. As a result of these efforts,
Otranto was taken from the Saracens in 873, and
Bari, captured from Arabs by the Holy Roman Emperor
Louis II in 871, passed under Byzantine control in 876. The expeditions of the capable general
Nikephoros Phokas the Elder
Nikephoros Phokas ( gr, Νικηφόρος Φωκᾶς, Nikēphoros Phōkas; died 895/6 or ), usually surnamed the Elder to distinguish him from his grandson, Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, was one of the most prominent Byzantine generals of the l ...
in the mid-880s further extended Byzantine control over most of
Apulia and
Calabria. These victories were followed up by his successors and laid the foundation of a resurgence of Byzantine power in southern Italy, culminating in the establishment of the
theme of
Longobardia in c. 892. The regions of Apulia, Calabria and
Basilicata would remain firmly under Byzantine control until the 11th century. In c. 965, a new theme, that of
Lucania
Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto.
It bordered with Samnium and Campania in the north, Apulia in the east, and Bru ...
, was established, and the ''
stratēgos'' (military governor) of Bari was raised to the title of ''
katepanō'' of Italy, usually with the rank of ''
patrikios
The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...
''. The title of ''katepanō'' meant "the uppermost" in
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
. This elevation was deemed militarily necessary after the final loss of nearby
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
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, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
, a previously Byzantine possession, to the Arabs.
Some
Norman adventurers, on pilgrimage to
Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano, lent their swords in 1017 to the
Lombard cities of
Apulia against the Byzantines. From 1016 to 1030 the Normans were pure mercenaries, serving either Byzantine or Lombard, and then Duke
Sergius IV of Naples, by installing their leader
Ranulf Drengot in the fortress of
Aversa in 1030. This gave the Normans their first foothold in southern Italy from which they began an organized conquest of the land. In 1030, William and Drogo, the two eldest sons of
Tancred of Hauteville, a noble of
Coutances in
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
arrived in southern Italy. The two joined in the organized attempt to wrest Apulia from the Byzantines, who had lost most of that province by 1040. Bari
was captured by the
Normans
The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. T ...
in April 1071, and Byzantine authority was
finally terminated in Italy, five centuries after the
conquests of
Justinian I
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...
. In 1154-1156, through a plan hatched by Emperor
Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos ( el, Μανουήλ Κομνηνός, translit=Manouíl Komnenos, translit-std=ISO; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized Comnenus, also called Porphyrogennetos (; " born in the purple"), was a Byzantine empero ...
, the Byzantines returned briefly to besiege Bari and were moderately successful in inciting a mass revolt which nearly toppled Norman control (potentially handing much of the former Katepanate back to the Byzantine Empire), but the gains were "reversed by misfortune".
The title ''Catapan of Apulia and Campania'' was revived briefly in 1166 for
Gilbert, Count of Gravina, the cousin of the queen regent
Margaret of Navarre. In 1167, with his authority as catapan, Gilbert forced German troops out of the
Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demog ...
and compelled
Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt ...
to raise the siege of
Ancona
Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...
.
Catepans
*970–975
Michael Abidelas
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
*before 982 Romanos
*982–985
Kalokyros Delphinas Kalokyros Delphinas ( el, Καλοκυρός Δελφινάς, fl. ca. 982–989) was a Byzantine general and Catepan of Italy, who later rebelled against Emperor Basil II (r. 976–1025) and was executed.
Biography
The ''anthypatos'' and ''patrik ...
*985–988 Romanos
*988–998
John Ammiropoulos
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
*999–1006
Gregory Tarchaneiotes
*1006–1008
Alexios Xiphias
*1008–1010
John Kourkouas
*1010–1016
Basil Mesardonites
*May 1017 – December 1017
Leo Tornikios Kontoleon
*December 1017 – 1027
Basil Boioannes
Basil Boioannes ( grc-gre, Βασίλειος Βοϊωάννης, Basíleios Boïōánnēs, ; la, Basilius Bugianus, ), in Italian called it, Bugiano, label=none, i=no (), was the Byzantine catapan of Italy (1017 – 1027 Chalandon, Ferdinand. ' ...
*c. 1027–1029
Christophoros Burgaris
Christopher or Christophoros Burgaris was the short-tenured successor of the famous Basil Boioannes as catepan of Italy.
The chronicler Lupus Protospatharius gives the date of Boioannes' departure as 1029, but modern historian Ferdinand Chalandon ...
*July 1029 – June 1032
Pothos Argyros
*1032 – May 1033
Michael Protospatharios Michael Protospatharios ( it, Michele Protospatario) was the Byzantine catepan of Italy from 1031 to 1033. He was sent to Bari after his predecessor, Pothos Argyrus, was killed in battle with the Saracens who took Cassano allo Ionio in Calabria. ...
*May 1033 – 1038
Constantine Opos
*1038–1039
Michael Spondyles Michael Spondyles ( el, , it, Michele Sfrondilo) was a high-ranking Byzantine courtier who became governor of Antioch, and then Apulia and Calabria.
Biography
A court eunuch and favourite of Constantine VIII (r. 1025–28), Spondyles was a ...
*February 1039 – January 1040
Nikephoros Dokeianos
*November 1040 – Summer of 1041
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 ...
*Summer 1041 – 1042
Exaugustus Boioannes
*February 1042 – April 1042
Synodianos
*April 1042 – September 1042
George Maniakes
*Autumn 1042
Pardos
*February 1043 – April 1043
Basil Theodorokanos Basil III Theodorokanos or Theodorocanus ( el, Βασίλειος Θεοδωροκάνος, it, Teodoro Cano) was the Byzantine Catepan of Italy from February to the Spring of 1043. He was a patrician and a former companion in arms of George Man ...
*Autumn 1045 – September 1046
Eustathios Palatinos
*September 1046 – December 1046
John Raphael John Raphael may refer to:
*John Raphael (catepan), the Catepan of Italy from 1046 to 1049
*John Raphael (sportsman) (18821917), Belgian-born English cricketer and rugby union footballer
*John Raphael Smith
John Raphael Smith (1751 – 2 Marc ...
*1050–1058
Argyrus
*1060/1061
Marules
*1062
Sirianus
*1064–1068
Abulchares
*1068
Perenos
*1071
Stephen Pateranos Stephen Pateranos was a Byzantine general who served as the final Catepan of Italy.
By 1071, the Catepanate of Italy was severely reduced, with only a few holdings left and their capital besieged by the Normans. According to the ''Anonymus Barensis ...
References
Sources
*
Charanis, Peter. "On the Question of the Hellenization of Sicily and Southern Italy During the Middle Ages." ''
The American Historical Review.'' Vol. 52, No. 1 (Oct., 1946), pp. 74–86.
*
*
*
* White, Lynn, Jr.. "The Byzantinization of Sicily." ''The American Historical Review.'' Vol. 42, No. 1 (Oct., 1936), pp. 1–21.
See also
*
Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia (, ; , , grc, Μεγάλη Ἑλλάς, ', it, Magna Grecia) was the name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of Southern Italy in the present-day Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily; the ...
*
Grecìa Salentina
*
Katepanikion
*
Catepanate of Ras
{{Byzantine Empire topics, state=collapsed
Provinces of the Byzantine Empire
11th century in Italy
10th century in Italy
Italian states
Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy