Serlo II (also ''Sarlo'', ''Serlone'' in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and ''Serlon'' in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

: after 1027/35 – 1072), son and namesake of Serlo of Hauteville{{sfn, Houben, 2002, p=16 and grandson of

Tancred of Hauteville Tancred of Hauteville (c. 980 – 1041) was an 11th-century Norman petty lord about whom little is known. He was a minor noble near Coutances in the Cotentin. Tancred is also known by the achievements of his twelve sons. Various legends arose ...

, went to seek his fortunes in the

Mezzogiorno Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion A macroregion is a geopolitical subdivision that encompasses several traditionally or politically defined regions or countries. The meaning ...

along with his numerous uncles and cousins, following

Roger Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

around 1056, for he is found in

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

in 1060. He joined Roger's expedition to

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

in 1060 and, the next year, he routed the

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

at Cape Farò, preventing their retreat to

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

. This expedition ended, however, in failure. Serlo accompanied Roger on his 1065 expedition as well, and there he was one of the commanders, being given charge of holding the town of

Cerami Cerami ( Sicilian: ''Cirami'') is a ''comune'' in Sicily, southern Italy, part of the Province of Enna. The town itself is perched on a mountaintop above sea level. A river also named Cerami flows through this area. Cerami produces cereals, o ...

when the Saracens surprised them there. He was holding off reinforcements from the central stronghold of

Enna Enna ( or ; grc, Ἔννα; la, Henna, less frequently ), known from the Middle Ages until 1926 as Castrogiovanni ( scn, Castrugiuvanni ), is a city and located roughly at the center of Sicily, southern Italy, in the province of Enna, towering ...

when, in 1071,

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

itself fell.{{sfn, Beeler, 1971, p=86-87 In 1072, he and his small band of followers were ambushed near

Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...

by a large Saracen army. They managed to climb to the flat top of a large rock, where they fought to the last man. The rock was commemorated with a large carving of a cross and was remembered as the ''Pietra di Serlone'', "Serlo's Rock", until it was demolished in the 1960s by a construction firm.{{cn, date=February 2022 He was made lord of

Gerace Gerace (; , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. Gerace is located some inland from Locri, yet the latter town and the sea can be seen from Gerace's perch atop a vertical rock. T ...

, Serrata, Surito, and

soon before his death, but he never took up control of his fiefs. He was married to Altruda, daughter of Rudolf, count of

Boiano Bojano or Boiano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Campobasso, Molise, south-central Italy. History Originally named Bovianum, it was settled by the 7th century BC. As the capital of the Pentri, a tribe of the Samnites, it played a majo ...

, and had two children: Serlo III and Eliusa. His widow remarried to Ingelmarius.

Notes

{{reflist

References

*{{cite book , title=Warfare in Feudal Europe, 730-1200 , url=https://archive.org/details/warfareinfeudale0000beel , url-access=registration , first=John , last=Beeler , publisher=Cornell University Press , year=1971 *{{cite book , title=Roger II of Sicily: A Ruler Between East and West , first=Hubert , last=Houben , publisher=Cambridge University Press , year=2002

External links

*{{in lang, it}
Le origine della “Rocca di Sarro” (Serlo's Rock)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hauteville, Serlo 02 Of Italo-Normans Norman warriors 11th-century births 1072 deaths Nicosia, Sicily