Sikelgaita
Encyclopedia
Sikelgaita (1040 – 16 April 1090) was a Lombard
princess, the daughter of Guaimar IV
, Prince of Salerno, and second wife of Robert Guiscard
, Duke of Apulia.
She married Robert in 1058, after Robert divorced his first wife Alberada
, due to supposed consanguinity. Her sister Gaitelgrima
had earlier married Robert's half-brother Drogo
. The divorce from Alberada and the marriage of Sikelgaita were probably part of a strategy of alliance with the remaining Lombard princes, of whom Guaimar was chief. Alberada, for her part, appears to have had no qualms about dissolving her marriage.
Sikelgaita tried to mediate between her brother Gisulf II of Salerno
and husband when their relations went sour, but her pleas went unheeded and she accepted her brother's lot in the war with Guiscard (1078).
Sikelgaita frequently accompanied Robert on his conquests. Although at first she tried to persuade him not to attack the Byzantine Empire
, she accompanied him on his campaign against them nevertheless. At the Battle of Dyrrhachium
she fought in full armour, rallying Robert's troops when they were initially repulsed by the Byzantine army. According to the Byzantine chronicler Anna Comnena, she was "like another Pallas
, if not a second Athena
," and, in the Alexiad
, Anna attributes to her a quote from the Iliad
.
In 1083, Sikelgaita returned to Italy with Robert to defend Pope Gregory VII
against the Emperor
Henry IV
. She accompanied him on a second campaign against the Byzantines, during which Robert died on Kefalonia
in 1085 with Sikelgaita at his side. Early in 1086, Sikelgaita was in Salerno
making a donation of the town of Centraro in his honour to Montecassino, which the couple had endowed well throughout their married life. Sikielgaita donated a large amount of silver for her health while she was ill on another occasion.
Supposedly, she tried to poison Robert's son Bohemond
by his first wife, although the two eventually came to an agreement by which her son Roger Borsa
was allowed to succeed Robert in the duchy. With her son she put the Jews
of Bari
under that city's archbishop.
On her death, she was, at her own request, buried in Montecassino.
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
princess, the daughter of Guaimar IV
Guaimar IV of Salerno
Guaimar IV was Prince of Salerno , Duke of Amalfi , Duke of Gaeta , and Prince of Capua in Southern Italy over the period from 1027 to 1052. He was an important figure in the final phase of Byzantine authority in the Mezzogiorno and the commencement of Norman power...
, Prince of Salerno, and second wife of Robert Guiscard
Robert Guiscard
Robert d'Hauteville, known as Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, from Latin Viscardus and Old French Viscart, often rendered the Resourceful, the Cunning, the Wily, the Fox, or the Weasel was a Norman adventurer conspicuous in the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily...
, Duke of Apulia.
She married Robert in 1058, after Robert divorced his first wife Alberada
Alberada of Buonalbergo
Alberada of Buonalbergo was the first wife of Robert Guiscard, duke of Apulia , whom she married in 1051 or 1052, when he was still just a robber baron in Calabria....
, due to supposed consanguinity. Her sister Gaitelgrima
Gaitelgrima, daughter of Guaimar IV
Gaitelgrima was the daughter of Guaimar IV of Salerno and Gemma. She was married off by her brother Gisulf II of Salerno to Jordan I of Capua as was her sister, Sichelgaita, to Robert Guiscard....
had earlier married Robert's half-brother Drogo
Drogo of Hauteville
Drogo of Hauteville succeeded his brother, William Iron Arm, with whom he arrived in southern Italy c. 1035, as the leader of the Normans of Apulia....
. The divorce from Alberada and the marriage of Sikelgaita were probably part of a strategy of alliance with the remaining Lombard princes, of whom Guaimar was chief. Alberada, for her part, appears to have had no qualms about dissolving her marriage.
Sikelgaita tried to mediate between her brother Gisulf II of Salerno
Gisulf II of Salerno
Gisulf II was the last Lombard prince of Salerno ....
and husband when their relations went sour, but her pleas went unheeded and she accepted her brother's lot in the war with Guiscard (1078).
Sikelgaita frequently accompanied Robert on his conquests. Although at first she tried to persuade him not to attack the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, she accompanied him on his campaign against them nevertheless. At the Battle of Dyrrhachium
Battle of Dyrrhachium (1081)
The Battle of Dyrrhachium took place on October 18, 1081 between the Byzantine Empire, led by the Emperor Alexius I Comnenus, and the Normans of southern Italy under Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria...
she fought in full armour, rallying Robert's troops when they were initially repulsed by the Byzantine army. According to the Byzantine chronicler Anna Comnena, she was "like another Pallas
Pallas (daughter of Triton)
In Greek mythology, Pallas was the daughter of Triton. Acting as a foster parent to Zeus’s daughter Athena, Triton raised her alongside his own daughter. During a friendly fight between the two goddesses, Athena was protected from harm by Zeus but mortally wounded Pallas. Out of sadness and...
, if not a second Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
," and, in the Alexiad
Alexiad
The Alexiad is a medieval biographical text written around the year 1148 by the Byzantine historian Anna Comnena, daughter of Emperor Alexius I....
, Anna attributes to her a quote from the Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
.
In 1083, Sikelgaita returned to Italy with Robert to defend Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII
Pope St. Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal...
against the Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Henry IV
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
. She accompanied him on a second campaign against the Byzantines, during which Robert died on Kefalonia
Kefalonia
The island of Cephalonia, also known as Kefalonia, Cephallenia, Cephallonia, Kefallinia, or Kefallonia , is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece, with an area of . It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit...
in 1085 with Sikelgaita at his side. Early in 1086, Sikelgaita was in Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
making a donation of the town of Centraro in his honour to Montecassino, which the couple had endowed well throughout their married life. Sikielgaita donated a large amount of silver for her health while she was ill on another occasion.
Supposedly, she tried to poison Robert's son Bohemond
Bohemund I of Antioch
Bohemond I , Prince of Taranto and Prince of Antioch, was one of the leaders of the First Crusade. The Crusade had no outright military leader, but instead was ruled by a committee of nobles...
by his first wife, although the two eventually came to an agreement by which her son Roger Borsa
Roger Borsa
Roger Borsa was the Norman Duke of Apulia and effective ruler of southern Italy from 1085 until his death. He was the son of Robert Guiscard, the conqueror of southern Italy and Sicily; Roger was not as adept as his father, and most of his reign was spent in feudal anarchy.-Biography:Roger was the...
was allowed to succeed Robert in the duchy. With her son she put the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
of Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
under that city's archbishop.
On her death, she was, at her own request, buried in Montecassino.
Children
With Robert, Sikelgaita had eight children:- Mafalda (1059/1060 – 1108), married Raymond Berengar II of BarcelonaRamon Berenguer II, Count of BarcelonaRamon Berenguer II the Towhead or Cap de estopes was Count of Barcelona from 1076 until his death...
and then Aimeric I, Viscount of NarbonneViscount of NarbonneThe Viscount of Narbonne was the secular ruler of Narbonne in the Middle Ages. Narbonne had been the capital of the Visigoth province of Septimania, until the eighth century, after which it became the Carolingian Viscounty of Narbonne. Narbonne was nominally subject to the Carolingian Counts of... - Roger BorsaRoger BorsaRoger Borsa was the Norman Duke of Apulia and effective ruler of southern Italy from 1085 until his death. He was the son of Robert Guiscard, the conqueror of southern Italy and Sicily; Roger was not as adept as his father, and most of his reign was spent in feudal anarchy.-Biography:Roger was the...
(1060/1061 – 1111) - Guy (died 1107)
- Robert ScalioRobert ScalioRobert of Hauteville , called Scalio, was the third and youngest son of Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia, and his second wife Sikelgaita....
(died 1110) - Sibilla (Sybil), married Ebles II, Count of Roucy
- Mabillia (Mabel), married William de Grandmesnil
- Heria, married Hugh V, Count of Maine
- Olympias, betrothed to Constantine DoukasConstantine DoukasConstantine Doukas or Ducas , was Byzantine co-emperor from c. 1074 to 1078 and from 1081 to 1087. He was the son of Emperor Michael VII Doukas and his Georgian wife Maria of Alania....
, son of Michael VII Ducas and Maria BagrationiMaria BagrationiEmpress Maria was a daughter of the Georgian king Bagrat IV of the Bagrationi and spouse of the Byzantine Emperor Michael VII Doukas and later also Nikephoros III Botaneiates...
, in 1074 - EmmaEmma of HautevilleEmma of Hauteville was a daughter of Robert Guiscard and Alberada of Buonalbergo. According to Ralph of Caen, she married Odo the Good Marquis and had two sons: Tancred and William, both of whom participated in the First Crusade. Tancred became Prince of Galilee and William died in the Holy Land...
, married Odo the Good MarquisOdo the Good MarquisOdo was a Norman nobleman of the First Crusade who ruled over an unknown region of France. He went on to marry Emma of Hauteville and sired two sons, one of whom went on to become Tancred, Prince of Galilee.-Early life:...
Sources
- Norwich, John JuliusJohn Julius NorwichJohn Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich CVO — known as John Julius Norwich — is an English historian, travel writer and television personality.-Early life:...
. The Normans in the South 1016-1130. Longmans: London, 1967. - Loud, Graham A. The Age of Robert Guiscard: Southern Italy and the Norman Conquest. 2000.
- Loud, Graham A. "Coinage, Wealth and Plunder in the Age of Robert Guiscard." The English Historical Review, Vol. 114, No. 458. (Sep., 1999), pp 815–843.
- Bloch, Herbert. "Monte Cassino, Byzantium, and the West in the Earlier Middle Ages." Dumbarton Oaks Papers, Vol. 3. (1946), pp 163–224.
- Skinner, Patricia. "'Halt! Be Men!': Sikelgaita of Salerno, Gender, and the Norman Conquest of Italy". Gender and History, 12:3 (2000).
- Comnena, Anna. The Alexiad. trans. Elizabeth A. Dawes. London, 1928.
- Peterson-Gouma, Thalia. Anna Komnene and Her Times. 2000.
- Garland, Lynda. Byzantine Empresses. 1999.