Battle of Cannae (1018)

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The second battle of Cannae took place in October 1018 on Ofanto between the Byzantines under the leadership of the Katepan Basil Boioannes and southern Italian rebels under the leadership of Meles of Bari , who wanted to drive the Byzantines from southern Italy.

The insurrection movement was supported by the Lombard princes of southern Italy and by Pope Benedict VIII , who had also recruited a large number of Norman soldiers under Rainulf Drengot , who formed a substantial part of the anti-Byzantine armed forces. Initially, the insurgents had been successful since 1017. It was not until autumn 1018 that the numerically superior Byzantine troops were able to achieve a complete victory in a bloody battle and thus stabilize Byzantine rule for another two decades. Even Salerno under Prince Waimar IV. Had to temporarily recognize the Byzantine rule. The Normans recruited by the rebels, however, stayed in the country despite the losses they had suffered, caught up with more immigrants and founded an independent rule that was to displace all power-political competitors (Byzantines, Longobard princes, Arabs) in southern Italy over the next few decades.

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