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Drogo of Hauteville (''c''. 1010 – 10 August 1051) was the second
Count of Apulia and Calabria The County of Apulia and Calabria (), later the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria (), was a Norman state founded by William of Hauteville in 1042 in the territories of Gargano, Capitanata, Apulia, Vulture, and most of Campania. It became a duchy whe ...
(1046–51) in southern Italy. Initially he was only the leader of those
Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...
in the service of Prince
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 after 1047 he was a territorial prince owing fealty directly to the
Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
. Drogo was born 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 ...
, a son 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 ...
and his first wife, Muriella. Around 1035, he arrived with his elder brother
William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
in southern Italy. With his brother, he took part in the campaign of the Byzantine catepan George Maniaches in Sicily (1038) and then in the campaign of Guaimar IV against the Byzantines in Apulia (1041).Manselli 1960. In 1042, Drogo was one of the twelve Norman leaders who met at
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 ...
to elect his brother William their first count under Guaimar's suzerainty. In the ensuing twelve-part division of the conquered territory in northern Apulia, Drogo received
Venosa Venosa ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Palazzo San Gervasio, ...
. In 1044–45, Drogo fought on behalf of his brother in Apulia. In 1045, he seized
Bovino Bovino is a ''comune'' and hill town at the eastern side of the Apennines in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southern Italy. Located within the woody Daunian Mountains as a terrace over the Tavoliere plains, Bovino is currently a member of the ...
from the Byzantines. After William's death in 1046, Drogo and Peter of Trani were vied to succeed him. Having the support of Guaimar, Drogo was elected by his fellow Normans. In 1047, Drogo married Altrude of Salerno, a Lombard princess. He reached an agreement with the Abbey of Montecassino, which intervened on his behalf to convince Guaimar to release the Norman
count of Aversa In 1030, the first Norman foothold in the Mezzogiorno was created when Sergius IV of Naples gave the town and vicinity of Aversa as a county to Ranulf. The following are the counts of Aversa: *Rainulf I 1030–1045 * Asclettin 1045 (nephew of pr ...
, Rainulf II, whom he had imprisoned. On 3 February 1047, while the
Emperor Henry III Henry III (28 October 1016 – 5 October 1056), called the Black or the Pious, was Holy Roman Emperor from 1046 until his death in 1056. A member of the Salian dynasty, he was the eldest son of Conrad II and Gisela of Swabia. Henry was raised by ...
was visiting southern Italy, he received Drogo's
homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...
and invested him with all the territory which he already controlled. After this Drogo began using the title "Duke and Master of all Italy and Count of all the Normans of Apulia and Calabria". Although legally, as a direct vassal of the emperor, he was on the same plane as Guaimar, according to the opinion of the historian
Ferdinand Chalandon Ferdinand Chalandon (February 10, 1875 – October 31, 1921) was a French medievalist and Byzantinist. Chalandon's work remains the most substantial study of the Normans in Italy and though the details of what he wrote a hundred years ago have in ...
, he remained a feudal dependent of the prince of Salerno. When Drogo's younger half-brother,
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 ...
, arrived in Italy before 1050, he was ordered to leave the service of Guaimar's rival, Prince
Pandulf IV of Capua Pandulf IVAlso spelled ''Randulf'', ''Bandulf'', ''Pandulph'', ''Pandolf'', ''Paldolf'', or ''Pandolfo''. (died 1049/50) was the Prince of Capua on three separate occasions. From February 1016 to 1022 he ruled in association with his cousin Pa ...
, presumably on account of Drogo's obligations to the former. Other newly arrived Normans also gave him trouble: Richard Drengot attacked him and was captured. Only the intervention of Guaimar could secure Richard's release late in 1047 or early in 1048. In 1051, Drogo met with
Pope Leo IX Pope Leo IX (21 June 1002 – 19 April 1054), born Bruno von Egisheim-Dagsburg, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 February 1049 to his death in 1054. Leo IX is considered to be one of the most historically ...
, when the latter visited southern Italy at the emperor's command to re-establish the "freedom of the church" (''libertas ecclesiae''). Leo forced a promise from Drogo that he would stop the Normans from pillaging. In August, as he was returning from this meeting with the pope, Drogo was assassinated at Monteilaro,Also given as Montoglio, Monte Allegro or Monte Ilario, perhaps to be identified with
Orsara di Puglia Orsara di Puglia is a small town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southern Italy. Named as ''Orsara Dauno-Irpina'' between 1861 and 1884, the town was part of the province of Avellino until 1927. History The origins of Orsar ...
.
near
Bovino Bovino is a ''comune'' and hill town at the eastern side of the Apennines in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southern Italy. Located within the woody Daunian Mountains as a terrace over the Tavoliere plains, Bovino is currently a member of the ...
, the victim of a Byzantine conspiracy organised by the Catepan Argyrus, who was planning the reconquest of Apulia. Drogo was buried in the church of the Santissima Trinità in Venosa. Drogo was succeeded by his younger brother
Humphrey Humphrey is both a masculine given name and a surname. An earlier form, not attested since Medieval times, was Hunfrid. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Medieval period :''Ordered chronologically'' *Hunfrid of P ...
after a brief interregnum. A certain
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
, who joined the
First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...
, has been identified as Drogo's son.


Notes


Sources

*Raoul Manselli. "Altavilla, Drogone d'". ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'', vol. 2, Alberto Ghisalberti (ed.) Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia italiana, 1960. * H. M. Gwatkin and
J. P. Whitney James Pounder Whitney (30 November 1857, in Marsden, West Yorkshire – 17 June 1939, in Cambridge) was a British ecclesiastical historian. Educated at King James's Grammar School, Almondbury and Owens College, Manchester, he was a foundation scho ...
, edd. ''The Cambridge Medieval History'', vol. 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1926. *
John Julius Norwich John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich, (15 September 1929 – 1 June 2018), known as John Julius Norwich, was an English popular historian, travel writer, and television personality. Background Norwich was born at the Alfred House Nursing ...
. ''The Normans in the South, 1016–1130''. London: Longmans, 1967. *
Ferdinand Chalandon Ferdinand Chalandon (February 10, 1875 – October 31, 1921) was a French medievalist and Byzantinist. Chalandon's work remains the most substantial study of the Normans in Italy and though the details of what he wrote a hundred years ago have in ...
. ''Histoire de la domination normande en Italie et en Sicilie''. Paris: 1907. *
Christopher Gravett Christopher Gravett is an assistant curator of armour at the Tower Armouries specialising in the arms and armour of the medieval world. Gravett has written a number of books and acts as an advisor for film and television projects. Selected wo ...
and
David Nicolle David C. Nicolle (born 4 April 1944) is a British historian specialising in the military history of the Middle Ages, with a particular interest in the Middle East. David Nicolle worked for BBC Arabic before getting his MA at SOAS, University ...
. ''The Normans: Warrior Knights and their Castles''. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2006. *George Beech. ''A Norman-Italian Adventurer in the East: Richard of Salerno''. 1993.


External links


History of the Norman World
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hauteville, Drogo Of 1051 deaths Italo-Normans Norman warriors Counts of Apulia and Calabria Assassinated royalty Year of birth uncertain Drogo Burials at the Abbey of Santissima Trinità, Venosa