Siege of Bari
| date | August 5, 1068 to April 15, 1071 |
|---|---|
| place | Bari ; Italy |
| Exit | Victory of the besiegers |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
Mabrica (1068–69) |
|
| Troop strength | |
| unknown | unknown |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
unknown |
The siege of Bari by a Norman- South Italian force under Robert Guiskard († 1085) began on August 5, 1068 and ended with the surrender of the Byzantine defenders on April 15, 1071 .
Starting position
Norman pilgrims who had traveled to Apulia in 1016 were persuaded by the Lombard nobleman Meles of Bari to take part in his revolt against Byzantine rule in southern Italy. In the following years, Norman mercenaries fought in the region for various rulers and were able to gradually gain influence. When Rainulf Drengot was enfeoffed with the county of Aversa in 1030, Norman rulership of its own began. In the decades that followed, the Normans were able to steadily expand their holdings in southern Italy. From 1060 on, only a few coastal cities were in Byzantine hands until Bari was the last Byzantine city to remain on the Italian mainland. In addition, parts of Sicily were under Norman rule, and Guiskard planned to conquer the entire island.
procedure
In order to attack Sicily without enemies behind, Guiskard first had to conquer Bari. Since Bari was heavily fortified, he dared not attack directly, but began a lengthy siege on August 5, 1068 . In addition, Guiskard had no experience with sieges and so inevitably switched to the blockade of the port city, also with the help of an artificially constructed pier to block the port. After the siege began, the city's pro-Byzantine party, which managed to persuade most of the city's residents, sent a messenger to Constantinople to ask for relief . However, the hastily dispatched auxiliary troops were completely wiped out by Robert Guiskard in a field battle. Worn down by the following three years of hunger and with no hope of further relief, the inhabitants of the city surrendered to the Norman duke on April 15, 1071. He treated the rich residents of Bari very courteously and was able to secure their support quickly.
consequences
The fall of Baris meant the irrevocable end of Byzantine rule on the Apennine peninsula , which had existed since the Gothic wars of Emperor Justinian I (r. 527-565).
literature
- John Julius Norwich : The Normans in the South. 1016-1130. Solitaire Books, London 1981, ISBN 0-907387-00-4 (first edition 1967).
Individual evidence
- ^ Udo Arnold : Europe in the high and late Middle Ages . tape 2 . Klett-Cotta, 1987, ISBN 978-3-12-907820-4 , pp. 557 ( preview in Google Book search).