NAP 
All this time the Saracens.continued their incurfions; 
and the Greeks had gained ground fo much, that they 
were now in poffelfion of two-thirds of the prefent king¬ 
dom of Naples; but in the year 1002 or 1003, the Nor¬ 
mans firft began to be formidable in Italy. They had, 
about a century before, embraced Chriftianity, and be¬ 
come very zealous in all the furperftitions which were 
then praftifed. They were particularly zealous in vifit- 
ing facred places, efpecially Rome, and the holy fepulchre 
at Jerufalem; and, being naturally of a very martial dif- 
polition, they forced through great bodies of Greeks and 
Saracens who oppofed their paffage. About this time 
forty, or, as others write, a hundred, of thefe Normans, 
returning from Jerufalem by fea, landed at Salerno in the 
habit of pilgrims, where they were honourably received 
by Guaimarius. During their refidence at Salerno, a 
great body of Saracens landed, and invefted" the city. 
Guaimarius, not being in a condition to oppofe the in¬ 
vaders by force, was preparing to pay them a large fum 
of money, which they demanded, when the Normans 
propofed to attack .them ; and, having got arms and 
horfes from the prince, they engaged the infidels with 
fuch fury and bravery, that they entirely defeated them, 
and obliged them to fly to their fhips. By this complete 
viftory, Guaimarius was filled with fuch admiration of 
the valour of thefe ftrangers, that he entreated them to 
remain in his country; offering them lands, and the mod: 
honourable employments; but, not being able to prevail 
with them to flay in Italy, or even accept of his prefents ; 
at their departure he fent fome ambaffadors with them to 
Normandy, in veffels loaded with exquiiite fruits, rich 
furniture for horfes, &c. in order to allure the valiant 
Normans to leave their own country. This kind invita¬ 
tion encouraged a Norman chief, named Ofmond Drengot, 
to fettle in Italy about the year 1015 ; having killed an¬ 
other lord in a duel, which obliged him to leave his own 
country, in order to avoid the refentmentof his fovereign, 
Robert duke of Normandy. 
In the mean time, the city of Bari had revolted from 
the Greeks, and chofen one Mello for their leader, whole 
wife and children happened foon after to fall into the 
hands of their enemies, and were fent prifoners to Con- 
flantinople. No fooner, therefore, did Mello hear of the 
arrival of thefe adventurers, than he engaged them to 
aftift him; and, having drawn together a confiderable 
army, defeated the Greeks with great daughter, and 
obliged them to abandon their camp. In this engagement 
the Normans diftinguilhed themlelves by their bravery; 
and the news of their fuccefs foon brought from Nor¬ 
mandy an innumerable multitude of their countrymen, 
with their wives and children. By this reinforcement, 
Mello gained two other vidlories, took a great many towms, 
and obliged the Greeks to abandon a large territory ; but, 
in 1019, they were utterly defeated, and every thing re¬ 
covered by the Greeks. The Greek general, Bajanus, 
continued to go on with fuch furprifing fuccefs, that he 
almoft entirely re-eftablifhed the affairs of his country¬ 
men in Italy, and made a diftindt province of the weftern 
part of Puglia, which he called Capitanata, and which to 
this day retains the name. His great progrefs at laft 
alarmed the emperors of Germany; and, in 1027, Pan- 
dulphus prince of Capua made himfelf mailer of Naples ; 
but was obliged, three years afterwards, to leave it, by the 
Normans, who built the city of Averfa, which was now 
eredted into a county. In confequence of this piece of 
good fortune, great numbers of Norman adventurers mi¬ 
grated into Italy; among whom were William, Drogo, 
and Umbert, three of thefons of Tancred duke of Haut- 
ville ; from whofe pofterity thofe princes were defcended, 
who firft conquered the illand of Sicily from the Saracens, 
and formed the prefent kingdom of Naples. 
In 1040, the Greek emperor Michael Paleologus, in or¬ 
der to fecure theaffedlion of his fickle fubjedls, undertook 
the conqueft of Italy from the Saracens, and for that pur- 
pofe fent a general named Michael Maniacus into Sicily. 
L E S. 535 
This commander, hearing of the great reputation of the 
Normans, fent to Guaimarius, prince of Salerno, entreat¬ 
ing him to grant him fome of thofe warriors. His requeft 
was moft willingly hearkened to by the prince of Salerno, 
who, to encourage the Normans to engage in the expedi¬ 
tion, promifed them fome additional rewards befides the 
emperor’s pay. William, Drogo, and Umbert, accord¬ 
ingly marched from Salerno with three hundred of their 
countrymen 5 and paffing over into Sicily, diftinguilhed 
themfelves moft remarkably in the conqueft of that illand. 
Maniacus acknowledged, that the recovery of Medina 
was chiefly owing to their valour; and William with his 
Normans gained a complete victory over the Saracens be¬ 
fore Syracufe, where he killed the governor of the city-in 
Angle combat. Maniacus made himfelf mailer of Saracufe, 
and almoft entirely reduced the whole illand ; but, being 
accufed of treafon, was next year carried, pnfoner to C011- 
llantinople. His fucceffor, Doceanus, being a man of no 
abilities, quickly loft the whole illand, except Medina, 
and treated his Norman auxiliaries with the utmoft con¬ 
tempt. He would not allow them any lhare of the booty ; 
and even caufed one Ardoin, a noble Lombard, an afl'o- 
ciate and interpreter of the Normans, to be whipped 
round the camp, becaufe he refufed to part with the horfe 
of a Saracen' whom he had flain in fingleccombat. The 
confequences of this tyrannical behaviour were very fatal 
to the Greeks. Ardoin foon after obtained leave to re¬ 
turn to Italy under a pretence of a vow, and all the Nor¬ 
mans embarked at night along with him ; but, inllead of 
going to Rome, Ardoin went immediately to Averfa, 
where he perfuaded count Rainulphus, fovereign of that 
province, to join with him in the defign he had formed of 
attacking the Greek provinces in Italy, which he (howed 
him would be an eafy conqueft, as the inhabitants fub- 
mitted with great reluctance to the Greeks, and the pro¬ 
vinces were at that time almoft entirely defencelefs. Rain¬ 
ulphus, approved of the fcheme, and raifed 300 foldiers, 
whom he fent under twelve officers to join the other Nor¬ 
mans under the foils of Tancred ; and made an agreement 
with Ardoin, that the conquelts Ihould be equally divided 
among the chief leaders. 
Their firft enterprife was the redudlion ofMelphis, one 
of the ftrongeft cities in Puglia, which prefently furren- 
dered ; and they increafed its fortifications fo much, that 
it thenceforth became impregnable. Soon after this they 
made themfelves mailers of Venofa, Afcoli, and Lavello, 
with very little oppofition. Doceanus, alarmed with the 
rapidity of their conquells, immediately left Sicily, and 
marched with his army into Puglia, where he attacked 
the invaders near the river Oliviento; but, after a fierce 
engagement, he was obliged to retire with confiderable 
lofs. The Greeks were foon after defeated a fecond time 
at Cannae; and in a third engagement, which happened 
near the river Ofanto, the army of Doceanus was entirely 
routed, and he himfelf obliged to fly to Bari. On this 
bad fuccefs, Doceanus was ordered to return to his com¬ 
mand in Sicily, and another general was fent with an 
army into Puglia. This new commander, however, had 
no better fuccefs than his predeceffor; for his army was 
entirely defeated in an engagement with the Normans, 
and he himfelf taken prifoner. Atenulphus, brother to 
one of the princes of Benevento, on whom the Normans 
had conferred the chief command, fet at liberty the cap¬ 
tive general without conlulting them, on receiving from 
him a confiderable fum of money. With this the Nor¬ 
mans were fo much difpleafed, that they deprived Atenul¬ 
phus of his command, and bellowed it on Argyrus, fon 
to the late Mello, who had efcaped from Conilantinople, 
and now affumed the title of Duke and Prince of Italy. 
Before this time alfo Maniacus, whom we have formerly 
mentioned, had returned to Italy; and, to ftrike the 
greater terror into the revolted cities, had executed a 
number of people of all ages and fexes with great inhu¬ 
manity. Soon after this Maniacus openly rebelled againlt 
the Greek emperor Conftantinus, and prevailed upon 
