From the beginning of the 11th century, Normans tried to conquest Southern Italy. In a few decades, groups of knights coming from Normandy and other areas of Northern France, belonging to different families, were involved into the political events of the Italian territories, til they controlled almost all Mezzogiorno in the final decades of the 11th century. The Normans who reach Southern Italy are above all men of arms - the female component was very small. They use many strategies to conquer Italian territories, as is well known, such as marital alliances. The marriages were essential to create family ties and alliances with the local élites; these strategies were the basis of Robert Guiscard’s success. The two marriages of Robert, the first with Alberada (norman) and the latter with Sichelgaita (lombard), had a powerful political dimension and they allowed Altavilla’s to affirm his almost undisputed leadership in Southern Italy. Roberto reused these winning strategies for his own daughters. The presentation will analyze, through the reading of contemporary sources, the political context in which the marriages were inserted the marriages and the aims that the Normans managed to reach in the medium to long term.
Marriage Unions as a Norman integration strategy
Galdi Amalia
2022
Abstract
From the beginning of the 11th century, Normans tried to conquest Southern Italy. In a few decades, groups of knights coming from Normandy and other areas of Northern France, belonging to different families, were involved into the political events of the Italian territories, til they controlled almost all Mezzogiorno in the final decades of the 11th century. The Normans who reach Southern Italy are above all men of arms - the female component was very small. They use many strategies to conquer Italian territories, as is well known, such as marital alliances. The marriages were essential to create family ties and alliances with the local élites; these strategies were the basis of Robert Guiscard’s success. The two marriages of Robert, the first with Alberada (norman) and the latter with Sichelgaita (lombard), had a powerful political dimension and they allowed Altavilla’s to affirm his almost undisputed leadership in Southern Italy. Roberto reused these winning strategies for his own daughters. The presentation will analyze, through the reading of contemporary sources, the political context in which the marriages were inserted the marriages and the aims that the Normans managed to reach in the medium to long term.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
