Wilhelm Eisenarm

Wilhelm Eisenarm († 1046 ) was a Norman ruler and one of the sons of Tankred von Hauteville . Together with his brother Drogo von Hauteville , he was one of the first to leave Normandy and moved to southern Italy , where he would pave the way for his later younger half-brother Robert Guiskard .

Wilhelm and Drogo fought as mercenaries under the leadership of the Norman Count Rainulf von Aversa on the side of the Byzantines in their last attempt to liberate Sicily from the Saracens . During the siege of Syracuse in 1038, Wilhelm probably received his nickname fereabrachia , German: " poor iron". After the suppression of an Apulian uprising in 1040, the two brothers von Rainulf were finally promoted to commanders of smaller units of 25 men each in 1042. Rainulf left twelve of these companies to a certain Arduin, who commanded the town troops of Melfi , to quickly put an end to new uprisings. Later, after two traitors were exposed, the army even seems to have made Wilhelm a leader.

The ranks of the twelve captains were quickly completed again after the betrayal and each of the twelve leaders was to be raised to the rank of count a little later through an alliance with Waimar IV . The condottieri had to procure the equipment themselves : everyone was considered to be endowed with what he would conquer. The common center should be Melfi. Around this time, the third Hauteville, Humfred, appeared for the first time in southern Italy, so that the brother trio could rule the Melfi in the northeastern upstream towns of Ascoli Satriano , Lavello and Venosa, including the area in between. The surrounding area was plundered for further supplies.

When Wilhelm Eisenarm died in 1046, Drogo was his successor. In the spring of 1047, Emperor Heinrich III , who was staying in Italy, confirmed . Both Drogo and Rainulf's successor in the second important Asclittine Norman clan, Rainulf Trincanocte , all conquered possessions. Drogo called himself dux et magister Italiae comesque Normannorum totius Apuliae et Calabriae , even if a continued dependence on Waimar IV can be assumed. At the same time, Heinrich III enfeoffed. Pandulf IV again with Capua (after Conrad II had transferred this to Waimar in 1038 ).

Remarks

1. ↑ French : Guillaume Bras-de-Fer , English : William Iron Arm , Italian : Guglielmo Braccio di Ferro , Sicilian : Gugghiermu Vrazzu di Ferru

Web links

• Wilhelm von Hauteville, «Eisenarm» at michaelmaxwolf.de
• Genealogy of the Hautevilles in the 11th century at michaelmaxwolf.de

predecessor	Office	successor
––	Count of Apulia 1043-1046	Drogo