DBA Resource Page

Campaign Scenarios

The Norman in Italy (1043 AD)

By Marco Ponzi

Norman warriors arrived in Apulia in the first years of the XI century. They fought as mercenaries during a communal revolt against the Byzantine rule in Bari. The rebels were defeated and the Normans offered their services to various Italian Duchies.

In 1030 AD, they received the county of Aversa as a reward for the support given to the Duke of Naples. After the establishment of this first Italian Norman Duchy, many more Norman warriors reached Italy. The twelve sons of Tancred of Hauteville left Normandy to fight against the Sicilian Arabs during a Byzantine campaign led by George Maniaces (1038 AD). When the general was recalled and imprisoned, two of the sons of Tancred, William "of the iron arm" and Drogo, took advantage of the weakness of Byzantium and conquered the Apulian county of Melphi (1041-1043 AD).

In 1053 AD, the Normans defeated Pope Leo IX at Civitate. That was the beginning of a fruitful alliance between the sons of Tancred and the successors of St. Peter. In thirty years the Normans, led by Robert the Guiscard, conquered all Southern Italy. The last city to fall was Salerno in 1075 AD. The Normans left to the Pope the control of the city of Benevento.

Roger, the twelfth and last of the sons of Tancred, led the Norman conquest of Sicily, that was completed in 1091 AD.

This five players campaign begins in 1043 AD. The situation is the following:

• Central Italy is part of the Sacred Roman Empire.
• Capua, Benevento and Salerno are ruled by Lombard Dukes.
• Northern Apulia is controlled by the Norman.
• Southern Apulia and Calabria are ruled by the Byzantine. Also Gaeta, Naples and Amalfi are formally part of the Byzantine Empire, but they are practically independent communes.
• Sicily has been entirely re-conquered by the Saracens in 1040-1043 AD.

I decided not to include Gaeta, Naples and Amalfi in the campaign since they did not take part in the fights of the following years.

ARMIES

STRATEGIC MAP

        E1----E3-----A2----A1
        |    /      /  \    |
        |   /      /    \   |
        |  /      |      \  |
        | /       |       \ |
        E2        |        A3
        . .       |         |
        .  .      |         |
        .   .     |        B2
        .    .    |       / |
        .     .   |      /  |
        .      ...Z--   B1  |
        .        .|  \   \  |
        .       . |   \   \ |
        .      .  |    \---B3
        .     .   \         |
        .    .     \------\ |
        D3...       .......C2
        | \        .      / |
        |  \      .      /  |
        |   \    .      /   |
        |    \  .      /    |
        D1....D2.....C3....C1

Key:

---  Land Route
...  Sea Route

Note

Civitate was destroyed in the XV century, so you will not find it on a modern map. San Paolo di Civitate is a small village near the ruins of Civitate. The town of San Severo is 20 km south-east of Civitate and can be found on most maps of Apulia.

References

Special Rules

Optionally, the alliance between the Pope and the Sicilian Arab can be forbidden.

|Top of Page | Campaign Scenarios | Home |

Last Updated: July 16, 1999

My thanks to Marco Ponzi for preparing this campaign scenario. Comments, suggestions and input are welcome. Send your feedback to Chris Brantley, brant@erols.com.