The Other Norman Conquest

The 'Norman Conquest' expands far beyond England throughout the 11th century. By Adam Staten.

Robert Guiscard at the surrender of Palermo

In England, the phrase ‘Norman Conquest’ immediately conjures up images of arrows in the eye, the Bayeux tapestry and an abrupt transition from Anglo-Saxon rule to Norman feudalism. But the conquest of England was just one facet of the extraordinary expansion of Norman power throughout the 11th Century.

The other major region of conquest for the Normans was the Italian peninsula and Sicily and here, just like in England, they established enduring dynasties and even kingdoms. Unlike the conquest of England, the conquest of Italy was a far more prolonged affair without a definitive ‘Battle of Hastings’ moment. In part, this reflects the fact that the region they were entering did not have the single, centralised powerbase that England did at the end of the Anglo-Saxon period. Because of this, the conquest of Southern Italy was a more piecemeal affair, taking over a century in all, but historically significant nonetheless.