So without further ado I present
The History of the Norman Empire
Prologue, Part 1: The Rulers of the Normans Until 1171
Robert 'Guiscard' d'Hauteville (b.1015), Duke of Apulia and Calabria (1057-1078)
Born in 1015 to the prolific Tancred d'Hauteville, Robert followed his older brothers to Italy in search of land and fame. By 1057, Robert had risen to become the most powerful man in southern Italy, claiming the titles of Duke of Apulia and Duke of Calabria. For several years Robert held court in Cannae, Apulia, consolidating his power and building his fortune; all the while drawing planes for future conquests. In 1070, Roger called his men and set off for Syracuse, then controlled by Muslims. After a quick conquest and an even quicker rest back in Apulia, Robert again called his banners and marched on Palermo. Palermo, the wealthiest county in Sicily, was calling for conquest after it had broken away from the Emir of Tunis. With his conquest capped off with the Sack of Palermo in 1076, Robert retired again to Apulia. Instead of traveling by sea, as would have been quicker and safer, he insisted on traveling across his realm. As he was crossing across the Apennine Mountains that separated his holdings in Apulia and the neighboring Duchy of Salerno, Robert came down with an illness. Initially thinking nothing of it, he continued on. By the time he arrived at Cannae however, the Duke had come down with consumption. Already in his sixties, Robert knew he didn't have much time left of earth. Seeing the sorry state of his legal heir Roger, Robert did the only thing he could and legalized his bastard son, Bohemond. Hindsight seems generally favorable about this choice because of several reasons. Bohemond was a strong capable leader, already tested in battle and respected by Robert's vassals. Roger, on the other hand, was a mess. He was a hunchbacked weakling who hardly left the royal estate in Cannae. If Roger had inherited him, Robert was sure his realm would collapse and thus he legalized Bohemond. With his succession secured and realm safe for another generation, Robert entered the arms of his Lord on May 13, 1078. He was sixty-three and had ruled the Duchies of Apulia and Calabria for thirty-one years.
Issue:
Alberade de Buonalbergo-
- Emma (1052-1104) m. Dávid Andrásfa, Prince of Hungary
- Bohemond, King of Sicily (1058-1107) m. Clemenza d'Hauteville, Countess of Taranto
Sigelgaita di Salerno-
- Matilda (1059-1139) m. Nikephoros Phokas, Doux of Charsianon
- Roger, Count of Cagliari (1060-1116) m. Ida de Messina
- Guy, Bishop of Assemini (1062-1123) m. Sichelgaita di Molise
- Sibylle (1068-1141) m. Borivoj Premyslid, Duke of Bohemia
- Maysant (1073-1153) m. Sámuel Árpád, King of Hungary
Bohemond I d'Hauteville (b. 1058), Duke of Apulia and Calabria (1078-1084) King of Sicily (1084-1107)
Bohemond's early life is a mysterious one. His mother, Alberade de Buonalbergo, was a minor Norman noble in southern Italy and the common-law wife of Robert Guiscard. In 1059, when Robert was offered the hand of Sigelgaita di Salerno, the sister of the Duke of Salerno, he took it. Understandingly, Alberade bore him no ill-will for taking the politically advantageous marriage as long as he accepted her children, Bohemond and his elder sister Emma. Bohemond arrived in Cannae in early 1060 and did not surface again until 1076 when he accompanied his father in Robert's campaign in Palermo. When Bohemond became Duke in 1078, he gave his new vassals little time to scheme about succession. The day after his coronation, he raised his levies and marched on Sicily again, this time with the intent of fully conquering the island. Finally, after an intervention by the Emir of Tunis, Bohemond proclaimed victory in early 1084. With this new land, Bohemond had wealth and power beyond what the grandson of a landed knight from Normandy could ever imagine. So much so that he moved his court to Palermo and crowned himself the King of Sicily later that year. He gave his Italian duchies to his cousins and kept the entire island of Sicily as his personal demense. His first order of business as monarch was to secure the integrity of his realm. To that end he pressed the claim of his wife, Countess Clemenza of Taranto, on the Duchy of Salerno in 1087. Seeing what Bohemond was doing to secure land in southern Italy, Jordan I, Duke of Capua, offered his vassalage in the spring on 1088. Also in the previous year, Bohemond's first son and heir, Robert was born. With his realm secure externally, Bohemond was forced to concentrate on the internal stability of Sicily. In 1091 he was forced to put down the rebellion of his cousin William d'Hauteville, the Duke of Foggia. In 1095, Jordan, Duke of Capua also revolted. From there, Bohemond reigned in peace until 1106 when the Emir of Mauritania gained control of Cagliari. Later that year the Pope called a crusade against the Mauritanians. Even though the island was not a religious target, its proximity to Italy made it a potential launching point for an attack on Rome. When word reached Bohemond about the Crusade, he answered the call immediately. Tragically, while he was leading his troops against the castle of Cagliari, the king took an arrow to the gut and entered the arms of his Lord early the next day. His son Robert was accompanying his father on the crusade and accepted the fealty of his vassals that evening. Bohemond was forty-nine years old and had ruled the Duchies of Apulia and Calabria for four years and the Kingdom of Sicily for twenty-three.
Issue:
Clemenza d'Hauteville-
- Robert, King of Sicily (1087-1158) m. Sergia Spartenos, Countess of Napoli & Ermyntrude de Normandie
- Hermessent (1090-1167) m. Hermann von Zäringen, Duke of Toscana
- Alberada (1093-1144) m. Jaufret Bosonid, Duke of Provence
- Righard, Duke of Salerno (1105-1145) m. Fressende de Cassano
- Mabel (1108-1177) m. Geoffroy de Conversano, Duke of Apulia
Rocca d'Hauteville (
out of wedlock)-
- Drogo (1083-1141) m. Matilda di Trani
Robert I 'the Proud' d'Hauteville (b. 1087), King of Sicily (1107-1157)
Robert (left, pointing to the distance) crusading in the Holy Land.
Robert came to power at a tumultuous time. His father had just been killed while campaigning and his new vassals were chomping at the bit to grab power in the new vacuum. On the morning that his father passed, he ordered the bishop that had accompanied the army to crown him immediately. That evening he invited his new vassals to a dinner. When they arrived, he surrounded the royal pavilion with his personal troops and had the dukes swear him fealty on the Bible, in the presence of the bishop and God. Robert then continued to besiege Cagliari for another week and then personally led an assault on the walls. His presence rallied his men and they swept into the castle so fast that the lord in charge of the garrison was captured in his underclothes. After he had captured the island and full led the crusade, robert withdrew back to Sicily and left his bastard brother, Drogo, as Count of Cagliari. The next year his brother Richard, the Duke of Salerno, rose up in rebellion. The next thirty years were mainly uneventful. Peasant rebellions rose every couple of years but were always brutally put down. In 1146, the peace was shattered when the Pope called a crusade against Jerusalem, which was under control of the Emir of Oultrejordain. For the next ten years Robert did not leave Outremer. He captured Jerusalem in 1147, Acre in 1148 and Hebron in 1149, creating the Duchy of Jerusalem. In 1150 he conquered the Duchy of Ascalon from the Shiite Caliphate. He then gained the Duchy of Oultrejordain in 1152 as a result of the Battle of Kerek, a pivotal battle between the 20,000 men of the Emir of Oultrejordain and 13,000 Normans under King Robert himself. After his new lands were given to loyal vassals and rebellions crushed, Robert returned to Sicily in 1156. Seeing his health failing and his body ailing, Robert did the one thing that no ruler up to that point had ever though of. He put his affairs in order and abdicated to his son Robert II. He was then on hand when the Norman Dukes swore allegiance to his son, ensuring a smooth transition of power. Robert then retired to Monreale, the royal estate in Palermo, until he passed into the arms of his Lord on July 25, 1158. He was seventy-one years old and had ruled the Kingdom of Sicily for fifty years.
Issue:
Sergia Spartenos, Countess of Napoli-
- Felicia, Countess of Napoli (1118-1175) m. Eustratios Murzuphlos
Ermyntrude de Normandie, Princess of England-
- Berengaria (1122-1139) m. Findlay Capet, Prince of France
- Robert, King of Sicily (1127-1171) m. Edith Capet
Robert II 'the Careless' d'Hauteville (b. 1127), King of Sicily (1157-1171)
Robert II leading his troops against the Emir of Damascus.
Robert II was the complete opposite of his father. Where Robert I was diligent, calculating and patient, his son was impatient, rash and zealous. He was prone to dueling and imprisioning anyone who "disrespected" him. For all his faults however, Robert was an inspirational king who often lead from the front, sometimes without his full suit of armor. This swiftly earned him the cognomen 'the Careless'. He hardly spent anytime at court in Palermo. Robert preferred to lead his troops wherever they went, whether to be putting down a rebellious noble, a peasant uprising or a campaign in Outremer. If truth be told, Robert hated ruling. As long as his steward kept his coffers full, Robert would rather lead his troops in the field. This is exactly what Robert did for the majority of his reign. He took control of the Duchy of Antioch from the Sunni Caliphate in 1168 and the Duchy of Galilee a year later. During his reign, Robert's vassals took advantage of his lack of rule. The Duke of Calabria attacked and took control of Tripolitania while the Duke of Oultrejordain lost two punitive wars against the Emirate of Damascus. By the time Robert returned to Palermo in 1170, his vassals were revolting. As soon as he sent his levies home, the Dukes of Calabria and Apulia rose up in rebellion. Robert recalled his levies immediately and marched to meet the rebellious Dukes. The two opposing armies met on a plain outside of Mileto in Reggio on December 12, 1171. Knowing Robert would be leading the van, the rebellious Dukes put all their pikemen and heavy infantry in their center. When Robert charged, his cavalry was trapped by the mass of pikemen. There he was tragically cut down in the thick of battle and entered the arms of his Lord. He was fifty years old and had ruled the Kingdom of Sicily for fourteen years.
Issue:
Edith Capet, Princess of France
- Hugolina (1145-) m. Maximos Atrapes, Doux of Achaia
- Eglina (1149-) m. Jaufret Bosonid, Duke of Provence
- Robert, Prince of Siciy, twin to Tancred (1152-) m. Teresa Felipez Jimena, Princess of Castille and England
- Tancred, Duke of Antioch, twin to Robert (1152-) m. Geva d'Hauteville
- Gaucelin (1060-) bet. Matheode Drengot, Duchess of Benevento
- Jordan (1176-)
Author's Note:Im going to try to put a map up sometime later and try to get on with the campaign later this week.
PS does anyone know if adding empires is save-compatable? If it is, does anyone know how to do it?
