Geoffrey the Elder (died September 1100) was an Italo-Norman nobleman. A nephew of

Robert Guiscard Robert Guiscard (; Modern ; – 17 July 1085) was a Norman adventurer remembered for the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily. Robert was born into the Hauteville family in Normandy, went on to become count and then duke of Apulia and Calabri ...

through one of his sisters, he was the count of Conversano from 1072 and the lord of

Brindisi Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Histo ...

and

Nardò Nardò ( la, Neritum or ; cms, Nareton) is a town and ''comune'' in the southern Italian region of Apulia, in the Province of Lecce. Lies on a lowland area placed at south-west of its Province, its border includes part of the Ionian coast of S ...

from 1070, until his death. According to Goffredo Malaterra, Geoffrey conquered most of his lands with his own energy (''sua strenuitate'') and without the help of the Guiscard. Thus, when, in 1067, the Guiscard demanded homage for the castle of Montepeloso, Geoffrey refused. Robert brought him to heel in the subsequent war and Geoffrey did homage. Among the other lands Geoffrey had conquered from the Byzantines were Polignano and

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 ...

. Geoffrey joined his cousins Abelard and

Herman Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Minne ...

, his brother

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, and

Henry, Count of Monte Sant'Angelo Henry (died probably 21 December 1102A necrology of Montecassino dates his death to 21 December in an uncertain year. He is known to have been dead by August 1103.) was the Count of Monte Sant'Angelo, with his seat at Foggia, from November 1081. ...

in the rebellion of 1079–1082, while the Guiscard was away fighting 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 ...

in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. His brother died in July 1080 and Abelard a year later. While he was besieging Oria, a city on the

Via Appia The Appian Way (Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name, rec ...

between Brindisi and

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

, Robert returned at Otranto and began to march towards him. Geoffrey, though he had numerous troops, fled anyway. By 1083, Geoffrey was reconciled to Robert Guiscard and accompanied him on his final Byzantine expedition. He was present at the synod held in

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 ...

in 1089. He was a patron of the local monasteries. Geoffrey died, most likely in Brindisi, in 1100 or 1101. He left three sons and a daughter: Robert, Alexander,

Tancred Tancred or Tankred is a masculine given name of Germanic origin that comes from ''thank-'' (thought) and ''-rath'' (counsel), meaning "well-thought advice". It was used in the High Middle Ages mainly by the Normans (see French Tancrède) and espe ...

, and

Sybilla Sibylla is a female given name. It may refer to: * Sibylla of Jerusalem (c. 1160–1190), queen regnant of Jerusalem * Sybilla of Normandy (c. 1092–1122), queen consort of Scotland * Sibylla of Acerra (1153–1205), queen consort of Sicily * Siby ...

, who married Robert Curthose,

Duke of Normandy In the Middle Ages, the duke of Normandy was the ruler of the Duchy of Normandy in north-western Kingdom of France, France. The duchy arose out of a grant of land to the Viking leader Rollo by the French king Charles the Simple, Charles III in ...

Sources

''Lexikon de Mittelalters''.
* Norwich, John Julius. ''The Normans in the South 1016-1130''. Longmans:

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, 1967.
{{Authority control Italo-Normans Norman warriors Counts of Conversano 1100 deaths Year of birth unknown