Gilbert was a
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norma ...
Count of Gravina
The counts of Gravina, later the dukes of Gravina, were medieval rulers of Gravina in Puglia, in the old Kingdom of Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples. The county was settled on various royal favorites, and was held by members of the Neapolitan roya ...
from 1159 until 1167. His father Bertrand was the illegitimate son of
Rotrou III, Count of Perche
Rotrou III (bef. 1080 – 8 May 1144), called the Great (''le Grand''), was the Count of Perche and Mortagne from 1099. He was the son of Geoffrey II, Count of Perche, and Beatrix de Ramerupt, daughter of Hilduin IV, Count of Montdidier. He was ...
. He was a cousin of
Margaret of Navarre
Margaret of Navarre (, , ) (c. 1135 – 12 August 1183) was List of Sicilian royal consorts, Queen of Sicily as the wife of William I of Sicily, William I (1154–1166) and the regent during the minority of her son, William II of Sicily, William ...
, the
queen of Sicily
The monarchs of Sicily ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1130 until the "perfect fusion" in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1816.
The origins of the Sicilian monarchy lie in the Norman conquest of southern Italy which oc ...
. He arrived in Sicily sometime around 1159 and, through Margaret's influence, was created
Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
of Gravina in
Apulia
Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...
immediately.
Late in that same year, Gilbert joined a conspiracy of nobles, including
Richard of Aquila,
Roger of Acerra, and
Bohemond of Tarsia, Count of
Manoppello Manoppello ( Abruzzese: ') is a ''comune'' in Abruzzo, in the province of Pescara, south-eastern Italy.
It is famous for having a church which contains an image on a thin byssus veil, a sudarium, known as the Holy Face of Manoppello and which has ...
. The conspiracy was of only minor lords, but it gained traction. The aim of the conspirators was to assassinate
Maio of Bari
Maio of Bari () (died 10 November 1160) was the third of the great admirals of Sicily and the most important man in the Norman kingdom of Sicily during the reign of William I (1154–66). Lord Norwich calls him "one of the most influential st ...
and in this they succeeded on 10 November 1160. The rebellion which followed was short-lived in Sicily, and Gilbert was one of the barons restored to favour, along with Bohemond.
However, on the peninsula, the rebels, led by
Andrew of Rupecanina,
Robert of Loritello and
Tancred of Lecce
Tancred (; 113820 February 1194) was King of Sicily from 1189 to 1194. He was born in Lecce, an illegitimate son of Roger III, Duke of Apulia (the eldest son of King Roger II) by his mistress Emma, a daughter of Achard II, Count of Lecce. H ...
, marched on
Butera
Butera ( Sicilian: ''Vutera'') is an Italian town and commune in the province of Caltanissetta, in the southern part of the island of Sicily. It is bounded by the communes of Gela, Licata, Mazzarino, Ravanusa and Riesi. It is located from ...
and burned it.
King William King William may refer to:
People Bimbia
* William I of Bimbia
* William II of Bimbia ()
Britain and Ireland
* William of England (disambiguation), multiple kings
* William I, King of Scots (–1214), also known as William the Lion
German Empir ...
himself entered the field against Tancred, his nephew, while Gilbert held the
Campania
Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...
for him.
Gilbert took advantage of the death of William in 1166 to pressure his cousin, the regent, into giving him a high position at court. Gilbert became the personal enemy of Margaret's chief minister, the
caïd Peter
Ahmed es-Sikeli (), baptised a Christian under the name Peter, was a eunuch and kaid of the Diwan of the Kingdom of Sicily during the reign of William I. His story was recorded by his Christian contemporaries Romuald Guarna and Hugo Falcandus f ...
, and plotted his downfall and death. Peter fled Sicily and reconverted to Islam. However, Margaret still ignored her cousin and appointed one
Richard of Mandra, who had saved her late husband's life, count of
Molise
Molise ( , ; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. Until 1963, it formed part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise together with Abruzzo. The split, which did not become effective until 1970, makes Molise the newest region in Ital ...
and
chancellor
Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
. Gilbert promptly turned on him and the two met for a duel, but were separated before combat could begin. At that point, to rid Palermo of him, Margaret sent Gilbert to the peninsula as
catepan of Apulia and Campania to prepare for a possible invasion of
Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...
.
The year 1166 also saw the arrival of
Rodrigo
Rodrigo () is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name ''Roderick'' ( Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the la ...
, Margaret's brother and Gilbert's cousin, from
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
. Rodrigo was sent to Apulia with the name Henry and the title Count of
Montescaglioso
Montescaglioso (Montese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Matera, Basilicata, southern Italy.
The economy is mostly based on agriculture, including production of renowned oil and wine, as well as traditional food.
Historically, it ...
and there he stayed briefly with Gilbert.
In 1167, Barbarossa finally sent an army into the Campania. This army first established the
Antipope Paschal III
Antipope Paschal III (Latin: ''Paschalis III''; ) was a 12th-century clergyman who, from 1164 to 1168, was the second antipope to challenge the reign of Pope Alexander III. He had previously served as Cardinal of St. Maria.
Biography
Born Gu ...
at
Viterbo
Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Lazio region of Italy, the Capital city, capital of the province of Viterbo.
It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in ...
to prevent
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181.
A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a Papal election, ...
from reaching
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. Gilbert defeated the invasive imperial forces and sent them back into
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence.
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
. Barbarossa himself besieged
Ancona
Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...
, but the appearance of Gilbert's army south along the
Adriatic
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 Se ...
coast forced him to abandons the siege.
Later in that year, an uncle of Gilbert's,
Stephen du Perche
Stephen du Perche (1137 or 1138 – 1169) was the chancellor of the Kingdom of Sicily (1166–68) and Archbishop of Palermo (1167–68) during the early regency of his cousin, the queen dowager Margaret of Navarre (1166–71).
Stephen is desc ...
, chancellor and
Archbishop of Palermo
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Palermo () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church. It was founded as the Diocese of Palermo in the first century and raised to the status of archdiocese in the 11th century.[Messina
Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, 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 216,918 inhabitants ...]
. At a council in Messina, Henry of Montescaglioso was accused by Gilbert of conspiring against the chancellor. Evidence of a confession was duly provided and the Navarrese count was imprisoned in
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...
. Gilbert, now high in favour, successfully got the count of Molise, an old adversary, arrested as well. Gilbert left with his army; but Messina was in an uproar.
Messina revolted and freed the imprisoned Count Henry. The insurrection spread and the people of Palermo forced the removal of Stephen du Perche. This accomplished, an interim council was set up to assist the regent. The council exiled Gilbert and he joined Stephen on
crusade
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
, taking his wife and son, Bertrand of Andria, with him.
References
Sources
*
*
Norwich, John Julius. ''The Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194''. Longman:
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 ...
, 1970.
''History of the Tyrants of Sicily''at
Patrologia Latina
The ''Patrologia Latina'' (Latin for ''The Latin Patrology'') is an enormous collection of the writings of the Church Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers published by Jacques Paul Migne between 1841 and 1855, with indices published betwe ...
.
{{Authority control
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing
12th-century deaths
Italo-Normans
Norman warriors
Christians of the Crusades