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

Robert Guiscard Robert Guiscard ( , ; – 17 July 1085), also referred to as Robert de Hauteville, was a Normans, Norman adventurer remembered for his Norman conquest of southern Italy, conquest of southern Italy and Sicily in the 11th century. Robert was born ...

through one of his sisters, he was the count of

Conversano Conversano (Bari dialect, Barese: ) is an ancient town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, south-eastern Italy. It is southeast of Bari and from the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic coast, at above sea level. The counts of Conversan ...

from 1072 and the lord of

Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) 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. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

and Nardò from 1070, until his death.

Biography

The identity of Geoffrey's parents is unknown, but it is believed that his mother was a daughter of Tancred of Hauteville and it has been speculated that his father was Armand of Mortain. According to Goffredo Malaterra, Geoffrey conquered most of his lands with his own energy (''sua strenuitate'') and without the help of Robert Guiscard. Thus, when, in 1067, 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 (; ) is a town and comune, 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 (2014), ...

. Geoffrey joined his cousins

Abelard Peter Abelard (12 February 1079 – 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, teacher, musician, composer, and poet. This source has a detailed description of his philosophical work. In philo ...

and Herman, 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 ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

, and Henry, Count of Monte Sant'Angelo in the rebellion of 1079–1082, while the Guiscard was away fighting the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...

. 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, recor ...

between Brindisi and

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

, Robert returned at

Otranto Otranto (, , ; ; ; ; ) is a coastal town, port and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce (Apulia, Italy), in a fertile region once famous for its breed of horses. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). ...

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. After Guiscard's death in 1085, Geoffrey became the vassal of Guiscard's son Roger Borsa, although a troublesome one. In 1088 Roger had to cede this vassalage to his older, disinherited brother Bohemond of Taranto after he had waged a successful campaign against Roger, thus gaining also access to Brindisi. Geoffrey was present at the synod held in Melfi in 1089 but did not participate in Bohemond's contingent during 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 Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

. Geoffrey hosted in the winter of 1099/1100 the returning crusader

Robert Curthose Robert Curthose ( – February 1134, ), the eldest son of William the Conqueror, was Duke of Normandy as Robert II from 1087 to 1106. Robert was also an unsuccessful pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of England. The epithet "Curthose" ...

, duke of Normandy, who had gained considerable reputation due to the success of the First Crusade which most likely also played a role in convincing Geoffrey to marry his daughter Sybil to Robert. It is likely that Robert had met Sybil in the winter of 1096/97 while on the way to the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

and, according to

Orderic Vitalis Orderic Vitalis (; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England.Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 6 Working out of ...

, had fallen in love with her. Geoffrey died, most likely in Brindisi, in February 1104 or April 1107. He was a patron of the local

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

and seems to have been fairly wealthy as his dowry enabled at least partially Robert Curthose to redeem his duchy which he had loaned to his brother

William Rufus William II (; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third son of William the Co ...

in order to finance his expedition.

Marriage and issue

Geoffrey was married to Sichelgaita of Moulins, daughter of Rudolf of Moulins, the count of Boiano, and Alferada of Guardia. They had three sons and a daughter: Robert,

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

, Tancred, and Sybilla, who married

Duke of Normandy In the Middle Ages, the duke of Normandy was the ruler of the Duchy of Normandy in north-western France. The duchy arose out of a grant of land to the Viking leader Rollo by the French king Charles the Simple in 911. In 924 and again in 933, N ...

References

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

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, 1967. * {{Authority control Italo-Normans Norman warriors 11th-century Normans Counts of Conversano 1104 deaths Year of birth unknown