Podcast appearances and mentions of robert guiscard

Robert Guiscard returns to Apulia, Count Roger deals with his own issues back in Sicily, and Pope Gregory VII is driven into hiding. The period of 1082 - 1084 is a rollercoaster. Members-Only Series on Patreon: For only a dollar per month, you can hear multiple varying stories and storylines so far through the 11th century, including but not limited to the creation of the Kingdom of Poland, what's happening on the Continent while Duke William is conquering England, and, currently, our series called “The Book of Alexios” detailing all those details of the monumental medieval emperor, Alexios Komnenos, that didn't make it into the public podcast. Every dime donated will be put directly back into the show, so I hope you consider becoming a Patreon member!  Just follow this link to our Patreon page to peruse the right “subscription” for you: https://www.patreon.com/FortunesWheelPodcast.  Social Media: YouTube Page: Fortune's Wheel Podcast Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast 

Alexios Komnenos versus Robert Guiscard in a clash for the ages: The Battle of Durazzo. Is Guiscard's invasion of Eastern Rome even feasible? Without Durazzo, it's not. Durazzo is a must-win situation for both sides. Members-Only Series on Patreon: For only a dollar per month, you can hear multiple varying stories and storylines so far through the 11th century, including but not limited to the creation of the Kingdom of Poland, what's happening on the Continent while Duke William is conquering England, and, currently, our series called “The Book of Alexios” detailing all those details of the monumental medieval emperor, Alexios Komnenos, that didn't make it into the public podcast. Every dime donated will be put directly back into the show, so I hope you consider becoming a Patreon member!  Just follow this link to our Patreon page to peruse the right “subscription” for you: https://www.patreon.com/FortunesWheelPodcast.  Social Media: YouTube Page: Fortune's Wheel Podcast Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast

Norman versus Eastern Roman. Robert Guiscard versus Alexios Komnenos. The war begins, but Guiscard gets an unexpected surprise before the Battle of Durazzo. Members-Only Series on Patreon: For only a dollar per month, you can hear multiple varying stories and storylines so far through the 11th century, including but not limited to the creation of the Kingdom of Poland, what's happening on the Continent while Duke William is conquering England, and, currently, our series called “The Book of Alexios” detailing all those details of the monumental medieval emperor, Alexios Komnenos, that didn't make it into the public podcast. Every dime donated will be put directly back into the show, so I hope you consider becoming a Patreon member!  Just follow this link to our Patreon page to peruse the right “subscription” for you: https://www.patreon.com/FortunesWheelPodcast.  Social Media: YouTube Page: Fortune's Wheel Podcast Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast

What were the reasons — besides the flimsy “deposed emperor turned up randomly in my court 600 miles away to ask for help in getting his throne back” — for Robert Guiscard's invasion of the Balkans and attempt on the crown of Eastern Rome? Beyond that, what was the first step in that invasion and why? Members-Only Series on Patreon: For only a dollar per month, you can hear multiple varying stories and storylines so far through the 11th century, including but not limited to the creation of the Kingdom of Poland, what's happening on the Continent while Duke William is conquering England, and, currently, our series called “The Book of Alexios” detailing all those details of the monumental medieval emperor, Alexios Komnenos, that didn't make it into the public podcast. Every dime donated will be put directly back into the show, so I hope you consider becoming a Patreon member!  Just follow this link to our Patreon page to peruse the right “subscription” for you: https://www.patreon.com/FortunesWheelPodcast.  Social Media: YouTube Page: Fortune's Wheel Podcast Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast

In this week's episode, I discuss why I decided to return to the character of Caina after twenty-nine novels. This week's coupon is for the audiobook of GHOST IN THE INFERNO as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy. You can get the audiobook of GHOST IN THE INFERNO for 75% off at my Payhip store with this coupon code: WINTERINFERNO The coupon code is valid through March 14th, 2024. TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 189 of the Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is February the 23rd, 2024 and today we are talking about the return of Caina Kardamnos. Before we get to our main topics, we will have Coupon of the Week and then an update on my current writing projects. First up, let's do Coupon of the Week. This week's coupon is for the audiobook of Ghost in the Inferno, as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy. You can get the audiobook of Ghost in the Inferno for 75% off at my Payhip store with this coupon code: WINTERINFERNO and that is WINTERINFERNO. The coupon code is valid through March the 14th, 2024. So if you find yourself needing an audiobook to break up the winter doldrums and weather, we've got one ready for you. So now for a progress update on my current writing projects. I'm pleased to report that Sevenfold Sword Online: Leveling is out at Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, since I have found that LitRPG books tend to do the best while they're in Kindle Unlimited. It is going a little better than expected, which is nice, and if you want to check out the book, you can read it at Amazon. My main writing project now is Ghost in the Veils, hence The Return of Caina Kardamnos title for this episode and I am 25,000 words into it, which puts me on Chapter 6 of 21. I am also 31,000 words into Wizard Thief, the second book in the Half-Elven Thief series and that should come out after Ghost in the Veils. I'm also 3,000 words into Cloak of Titans, the next Nadia book. So the order these will all come out in is Ghost in the Veils needs to come out first because it has recording slot scheduled for the middle of April. So it needs to be done and out by then. I will finish Wizard Thief after that and then Cloak of Titans. In an audiobook news, the recording and proofing for Shield of Storms' audiobook is done, and it's currently working its way through quality assurance on the various platforms, so hopefully it should be available on your audio platform of choice before much longer. 00:02:07 Reader Comments and Questions Now, before we get to our main topic, let's have a few questions and comments from listeners and readers. Reader NK asks: Hi, I would like to know what LitRPG is. Haven't come across it before and also do we need to complete reading the Sevenfold Sword series before Sevenfold Sword Online to better enjoy this story? In answer your question NK, LitRPG is generally defined as a story that uses the conventions and structures of online role-playing games like MMORPGs. They can be either fantasy or science fiction or blend a bit of both. Typically in these stories, either the protagonist is magically zapped into a game world or is playing the game while trying to balance some sort of crisis in both the game and real life, which is the approach I took for Sevenfold Sword Online. In answer to the second half of your question, Sevenfold Sword Online isn't actually connected to Sevenfold Sword. The premise is that it's 700 years in the future and that an evil corporation has built a hit virtual reality MMORPG using the books of a long dead author (i.e. me) as source material for the setting. In hindsight, I wish I had made the setting completely unconnected to anything else I had written, because it seems to confuse some readers, but too late now I suppose so, hopefully that will answer your question. Now we have a question from reader Justin. For context for that question, I recently had to get a new desktop computer after my old one died and this is in fact the first podcast episode I am recording using the new computer. So if it sounds really weird, I blame the computer, or more accurately, I probably should blame Windows 11. But anyway, with that in mind, here is our question from Justin: Good luck to you with your new computer. I switched to laptops for my computing needs. The lower power draw and portability are handy when you're going off grid. I'm used to you working on three series at once. You put that up a notch. Is this to reduce burnout and possibly writer's block? In answer to that question, the reason I got a desktop was because I do a lot of cover design and graphic design, which is not always the greatest on laptops because that needs a lot of processing power, a lot of RAM, and perhaps most importantly, a lot of storage. In answer to the writing question, the only thing that's changed is I'm not doing a Ridmark and Andomhaim book every other month. I am going to keep writing Ridmark and books set in Andomhaim but I've been writing a Ridmark/Andomhaim book every other month pretty much since summer 2013, so I'd like to change it up a little bit and do more of other things. So while I am going to continue the Shield Wars series and I am going to write Shield of Darkness soon, I'm not going to start writing it until after Cloak of Titans is done, if you remember my order of projects from earlier in the show. I don't feel at risk of burnout or getting exasperated with writing. I just have been writing Ridmark and Andomhaim setting for so long that while I would like to continue writing that I would like to write more of other things as I go along. 00:05:08 Main Topic: The Return of Caina Kardamnos Now to our main topic: the return of Caina Kardamnos. As I mentioned earlier on the show, I'm now 25,000 words into Ghost in the Veils, which puts me also at chapter six in the second book of the Ghost Armor Series, the immediate sequel to Ghost in the Serpent from late 2023. I have to admit that when I finished Ghost in the Sun in the Ghost Night series in 2021 (I believe that was), I thought I was done with Caina. The reason for that was I just didn't have any idea of what to where to go or what to do with the character after Ghost Night. Part of that, I admit, was that Caina had become powerful and influential and I am cynically suspicious of people like that and wasn't sure I could write someone like that as a protagonist. Though that was less a concern as I went on since writing Ridmark and Tyrcamber, and Dragontiarna and then Dragonskull and the Shield War gave me a good bit of practice. So I finally had a good enough idea to return to Caina as a protagonist, and I think it was a confluence of four different ideas. The first idea was perhaps the most obvious one: what if Caina found out she had stepchildren? There are lots of potential story dynamics with stepchildren, but I thought the most interesting setup would be if Kylon had children he didn't know about and the mother Kalliope Agramemnos had kept them secret from him, except Kylon loves Caina and Kalliope is in awe of Caina. So Caina, out of necessity, becomes the linchpin holding this family together, since neither Kylon nor Kalliope can stand each other. There are a lot of potential character arcs and conflicts that can be generated in the inherent tension of that situation. The second core idea came from medieval nobles. If you've read any histories of medieval Europe, one of the main themes of the Middle Ages is that men primarily wielded the political and military power. But some women, by sheer force of will, charisma, tenacity, and cunning came to wield great power themselves. There are in fact quite a few examples. Probably the most famous one nowadays would be Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was married to two different kings and the mother to two more or three (depending on how you count and if you include Henry II's eldest son, Young Henry, as the actual king or not). She kept her son Richard on the throne of England during his captivity after the Third Crusade and she was one of the chief architects of his release. Had Eleanor lived longer, and her son John listened to more of her advice, probably King John's reign would have been more successful and he would not be remembered primarily in the United States as the cowardly Prince John from that one animated Disney movie with the anthropomorphic animals. Perhaps the most successful example is Margaret Beaufort, who basically engineered her son Henry VII's ascension to the English throne at the end of the Wars of the Roses, and then served as one of his primary advisors for the entirety of his reign. In fact, she even outlived Henry VII by a year and then lived long enough to advise her grandson Henry VIII for the first year after he became king. A less successful example and contemporary with Margaret Beaufort, would be Margaret of Anjou, wife of King Henry VI and mother of his heir. Margaret of Anjou was one of the driving forces behind the Wars of the Roses but lost everything when her husband and son were killed and she died in poverty in France while her enemy Edward IV ruled in England. Blanche of Castile was her son Louis IX's regent when he went on crusade. Countess Matilda of Tuscany helped force the settlement in the Investiture Controversy and the Holy Roman Emperor, the southern dukes of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Pope all wanted Matilda as their ally. Perhaps the most striking example would be Sichelgaita of Lombardy, wife of the rapacious Norman adventurer Robert Guiscard. Guiscard started out as a penniless, landless knight and ended up conquering Sicily and a lot of Italy. He was known as greedy, cunning, and ruthless. His eventual tomb had the epitaph “Here lies Guiscard, the terror of the world.” It seems that Sichelgaita was in every way suited to be the wife of a freebooting warlord like her husband. Guiscard fought a lot of wars and Sichelgaita usually donned armor to battle alongside him. At the Battle of Durham in 1081 Guiscard's troops started to break and run while fighting the soldiers of the Byzantine Empire. Sichelgaita rode after the fleeing troops, berating them for their cowardice, and evidently the prospect of her displeasure was so fearsome that Guiscard's troops turned around and won the battle. It should also be known at this point in her life, Sichelgaita was in her forties and had borne Giscard eight children, so clearly a very resilient lady. So now that Caina is powerful and influential maybe historical events like these can provide inspirations for plot lines. Caina would still occasionally put on a shadow cloak and go out and break into places because this is, after all, a fantasy novel. The third idea was that someone must be in charge. I mentioned earlier that I had misgivings about writing protagonists with power and influence, but I've come to realize that is an incomplete view. The thing about power and influence is that someone is going to be in charge. It's just human nature. No matter how something is organized, someone must be in charge and bear the burden of leadership, and hopefully it will be someone with an eye on the greater good. I've thought about this concept a lot in 2023. I know several people in 2023 who, after much agonizing, left some of the traditional helping professions like medicine and education not because of dislike of the admittedly stressful work, but because the leadership was so stupid and so malicious as to create an unsustainable work environment. Like a leader can be stupid and well-intentioned, and a leader can be malicious and clever and an organization can still function, but stupidity and malice together are unsustainable. Alas, the contemporary United States and United Kingdom have no shortage of malicious and stupid leadership, but that's beyond the scope of the podcast about writing. So in the end, someone is going to be in charge, someone is going to have to wield power and influence. Hopefully it is someone who will act in the name of the greater good (I already did some of that with Caina in Ghost in the Council towards the second half of the Ghost Night series). That can make, in my opinion, for in a compelling protagonist. Fourth and finally, fantasy creatures. Way back in the 2000s when I was originally trying to sell the first Caina novels, all the agents and publishers fulminated on how they didn't want to see any novels with traditional fantasy creatures like elves and orcs and dwarves and serpent men and so forth. So when I wrote the kind of books I wrote them without any of that, which continued when I moved into self-publishing, though I was always a little sore about that, even years later. Now I think I have a firm enough grasp on the setting that I can introduce some traditional fantasy creatures into the Caina books, hopefully in a way that makes sense within the context of Caina 's very well-established world. So those four ideas came together for Ghost in the Serpent, and we shall hopefully see more of them in Ghost in the Veils. So that is it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. Our reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes on https://thepulpwritershow.com and many of them now have transcripts (note: Episodes 144-189 currently have transcripts). If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.

Having rewritten this one and broken it up into two episodes (Episodes 116 and 117), including re-recording them both…I really feel like this one works! I'm proud of the revisions (and extremely grateful I never posted the first version) and I hope you enjoy the new-and-improved Episodes 116 and 117! I'd love to hear your thoughts on them. Robert Guiscard joins his brother, Count Roger, once again on a venture into Sicily. This time, they're going for the crown jewel of the Emirate of Sicily: Palermo.  Members-Only Series on Patreon: For only a dollar per month, you can hear multiple varying stories and storylines so far through the 11th century. Every dime donated will be put directly back into the show, so I hope you consider becoming a Patreon member!  Just follow this link to our Patreon page to peruse the right “subscription” for you: https://www.patreon.com/FortunesWheelPodcast.  Contact / Social Media: Email: fortuneswheelpodcast@gmail.com  YouTube Page: Fortune's Wheel Podcast Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast  Music: Music for this episode is called “Cutting Edge” from the talented artist Hemlock!Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/cutting-edge License code: Y0ZLEPLIZYV2RTMJ

It's all about moving forward when it comes to conquests and life, so that's what both Robert and Roger do. They move further and further along one of the more important valleys on the mountainous island, a valley that would serve as the Normans' first proving ground in the larger land-based conquest of Sicily. Roger, needless to say, would learn quite a bit on this foray as he watched his older brother Robert Guiscard do what Robert Guiscard does best. Members-Only Series on Patreon: For only a few bucks per month, you can hear multiple varying stories and storylines so far through the 11th century. Every dime donated will be put directly back into the show, so I hope you consider becoming a Patreon member!  Just follow this link to our Patreon page to peruse the right “subscription” for you: https://www.patreon.com/FortunesWheelPodcast.  Social Media: YouTube Page: Fortune's Wheel Podcast Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast  Music: Music for this episode is called “Cutting Edge” from the talented artist Hemlock!Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/cutting-edge License code: Y0ZLEPLIZYV2RTMJ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortuneswheelpodcast/support

We begin by catching up with our old friend, Robert Guiscard, before ending it with some serious moves made by a rising power within the Catholic Church. No joke. Major changes occur in this one, so tune in!  Members-Only Series on Patreon: For only a buck per month, you can hear multiple varying stories and storylines so far through the 11th century. Every dime donated will be put directly back into the show, so I hope you consider becoming a Patreon member!  Just follow this link to our Patreon page to peruse the right “subscription” for you: https://www.patreon.com/FortunesWheelPodcast.  Social Media: YouTube Page: Fortune's Wheel Podcast Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast  Music: Music for this episode is called “Cutting Edge” from the talented artist Hemlock!Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/cutting-edge License code: Y0ZLEPLIZYV2RTMJ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortuneswheelpodcast/support

After narrowly escaping with his life,  and fleeing the city of Dyrrachium, Alexios pleaded for the German Empire to invade Italy and draw Robert Guiscard out of Greece. But that left his son Bohemond, who proved to be one of Alexios' greatest adversaries.The History of Modern Greece Podcast covers the events of the Greek People from the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Greek War of Independence in 1821-1832, through to the Greco-Turkish War from 1919 to 1922 to the present day.Website: www.moderngreecepodcast.comMusic by Mark Jungerman: www.marcjungermann.com

Alexios is now the Emperor of the Romans. But there is no time to rest.  The enemy is on the move... and the great Norman Warrior... Robert Guiscard landed a fleet on the shores of Greece. His army is hell-bent on conquering the imperial city for themselves. Now Alexios must face his first challenge as Emperor.The History of Modern Greece Podcast covers the events of the Greek People from the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Greek War of Independence in 1821-1832, through to the Greco-Turkish War from 1919 to 1922 to the present day.Website: www.moderngreecepodcast.comMusic by Mark Jungerman: www.marcjungermann.com

Robert Guiscard is no longer satisfied with conquering southern Italy. After discovering the true wealth of the Roman Empire, he begins his ultimate conquest. Robert starts dressing like the Roman Emperor and leads an army across the Adriatic Sea. The Normans have come to the doorstep of the Roman Empire, and Emperor Alexios Komnenos will be the one to answer the door.  The History of Modern Greece Podcast covers the events of the Greek People from the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Greek War of Independence in 1821-1832, through to the Greco-Turkish War from 1919 to 1922 to the present day.Website: www.moderngreecepodcast.comMusic by Mark Jungerman: www.marcjungermann.com

The Normans invade Byzantium as Robert Guiscard wants to leave his son Bohemond with an empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a civil war in Normandy, many Viking warriors found there was nothing for them in Normandy. Yet they were still the strongest and most brutal warriors of their time… so they head south to seek their fame and fortune in the fractured lands of Southern Italy.The History of Modern Greece Podcast covers the events of the Greek People from the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Greek War of Independence in 1821-1832, through to the Greco-Turkish War from 1919 to 1922 to the present day.Website: www.moderngreecepodcast.comMusic by Mark Jungerman: www.marcjungermann.com

We continue our journey into medieval Sicily by following the rag-tag band of Normans who carved out a tiny foothold on the Italian peninsula. In less than 50 years, these French-speaking adventurers and grandchildren of the Vikings would unite Southern Italy and established themselves as the overlords on the advanced and prosperous island of Sicily. We'll explore how these adventurers like Robert Guiscard and the warrior-queen Sikelgaita were able to defeat popes, emirs, and even Byzantine Emperors and discuss how these new Norman rulers would join, and not destroy, the existing Arab civilization of Sicily. Hosted by Liam, and Russian Sam. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gladiofreeeurope/support

We have come to the ninth pit of the sins of fraud, way down in the eighth circle of Dante's INFERNO. We're about to meet a set of souls--well, bodies, more like--who endure unbelievable agony, exactly as bodies have always endured agony under the sword of empire. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look at this complicated opening passage for canto XXVIII. It's chock full of historical references. But more importantly, our poet seems to be changing his mind. And changing the rules of the crusading ethic. Because the body in pain makes and unmakes the world itself. Here are the segments of this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE: [01:41] My English translation of INFERNO, Canto XXVIII, lines 1 - 21. If you'd like to read along or even drop a comment about this episode, please go to my website, markscarbrough.com. [03:59] The opening buried reference to THE AENEID, Book VI, lines 625 - 627. [07:06] References to Pulgia and Livy explored. [10:59] References to Robert Guiscard, Manfred, and Érard de Valéry explored. [14:20] The four historical dates (or battles) in this complicated passage. [19:58] Two implications from this passage. 1) We cannot determine who will end up where in the afterlife based on wins and losses in this world. [23:27] 2) The cost of empire is the body in pain. [24:54] Some of those bodies in pain are Muslims. [25:51] The body in pain makes and unmakes language. [29:39] Back to the opening of the canto: The body in pain confounds yet needs unbound words in a hollow space. [34:15] A second reading through the passage: Inferno, Canto XXVIII, lines 1 - 21.

His coronation barely two months hence, Henry IV leaves Rome without capturing Gregory VII. The Pope's powerful vassal, Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and greatest of Norman warlords was approaching with an army of 36,000. Henry no longer needs Rome, what he needs to do is get back to Germany and bring peace to the war-ravaged country. A u-turn in his policies helps to gain support amongst bishops and magnates so that by 1089, the country is largely pacified for the first time in 17 years. As always: Homepage with maps, photos and blog: http://www.historyofthegermans.com/?fbclid=IwAR0NpIdTmRlIOTQl87KulOJvJbYCebPgyJdTAbn_UK2BHPTCAM34iUScEUA (www.historyofthegermans.com/) Facebook: @HOTGPod  Twitter: @germanshistory Instagram: history_of_the_germans Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/Historyofthegermans?fbclid=IwAR1P1kj11VRyvdWujt7TQkaEBhIq6SS2xleTIgsbOpvmYV-6RCCrEANoEyk (www.patreon.com/Historyofthegermans) Support this podcast

I det här avsnittet får vi följa normanderna Vilhelm Erövraren, Robert Guiscard och Bohemund på deras äventyr genom Europa. Avsnittet produceras av Fredrik Timell Fler avsnitt hittar du på https://podme.com/se/historia-du-borde-fatt-lara-dig

Robert Guiscard, the Norman leader in Southern Italy, invades the Empire. He surrounds the key port city of Dyrrachium and Alexios gathers an army to stop him. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

1087 - 1095 We follow the start of one of the most famous papacies in history, that of Urban II and his fight against Henry IV alongside the countess Matilda of Canossa as things get personal, while the Normans try to sort themselves out after the death of Robert Guiscard.

1077 - 1085 The investiture controversy heats up with an anti-king elected in Germany and an anti-pope elected by Henry IV who then take the fight against Gregory and Matilde down into Italy with the Normans of Robert Guiscard waiting in the wings.

1047 - 1054 Once pope Leo IX takes power, we follow his rather disastrous decision to challenge the Normans and Robert Guiscard. After that, we have a quick look at the start of the Great East- West Schism.

Norman Robert Guiscard, entered at the dawn of the Norman conquest of Italy, defeated his enemies and pushed aside his competing family members to take the whole of southern Italy, much of Sicily, and parts of the Balkan Peninsula.

Quick correction: Rollo was not the first Viking leader to adopt Christianity. Guthrum, a Danish chieftain, was the first Viking to convert to Christianity by a treaty he made with Alfred the Great. Sorry about that error. http://www.realcrusadeshistory.com Pledge to Real Crusades History via Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/RealCrusadesHistory Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realcrusadeshistory/ J Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrusadesHistory Get your copy of my new book: http://www.amazon.com/Why-Does-Heathen-Rage-Crusades/dp/152395762X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461105827&sr=8-1&keywords=why+does+the+heathen+rage When most people hear “Norman conquest”, they probably think of William defeating Harold at Hastings and capturing England in 1066. But there is another Norman conquest of the Middle Ages that is very important. In the eleventh century Norman adventurers set out from their homes in northern Europe to wrest a new kingdom of their own from the Byzantines and local princes of southern Italy, as well as the Arabs of Sicily. The story of the Norman conquest of southern Italy and Sicily is one of the most dramatic and important of the High Middle Ages. Initially, this conquest began as little more than a rather haphazard movement of adventure and wealth-seeking young knights from Normandy who saw opportunity in the southern reaches of the Italian peninsula. However, this movement would result in the establishment of one of Europe’s most important and dynamic kingdoms of the twelfth century. Norman Italy and Sicily would be one of the great players in the rise of the Latin West, and would contribute greatly to the Christian push-back against Islam’s dominance of the Mediterranean. In this series on Real Crusades History, we’ll take a look at how Norman adventurers found their place in Byzantine Italy, how they eventually replaced the Byzantines and other local princes as the rulers of southern Italy, and how they ultimately conquered the Muslim Emirate of Sicily, bringing Sicily back into the orbit of Christendom after some two centuries of Arab domination. Everything about this story is colored with the unique character of the Normans: their military prowess and hunger of adventure, as well as their political creativity, Christian piety, and proclivity for culture, art, and architecture. Undoubtedly the Normans were among the most dynamic peoples of the medieval world, and it’s no wonder that the story of their conquest of southern Italy is one of the most exciting tales of the era. In the first part of the eleventh century, the young Norman knights who traveled to southern Italy had no intentions of conquest. The business of the Normans was war, and these descendants of the Vikings would go anywhere that that business would earn them a living. Their wanderlust took them as far as Spain, where they served the Christian kings of Aragon, to the Byzantine Empire, where they found employ from the emperors of Constantinople. However, due to a vacuum in firm central authority, southern Italy provided unique opportunity. Byzantine authority was often tenuous, or haphazard, and the local princes were frequently at odds with one another. It was exactly the sort of situation that the Normans were keen to recognize and turn to their advantage. It wasn’t long before certain knights sought to do more than make a living, but rather, to seize a lordship of their own. Eventually, power coalesced around the dynamic figures of Richard Dregnot and Robert Guiscard, who would expand and solidify Norman power across the southern reaches of the peninsula.

Build-up to the First Crusade. The Investiture Controversy between Emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII, plus the growing influence of the Normans under Robert Guiscard, and the reasons behind the call to crusade by Pope Urban II www.historyeurope.net See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the Cathedral of Foggia one can find an ancient and mysterious image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This icon, called “Our Lady of the Seven Veils,” once caused Saint Alphonsus to go into ecstasy, which I will describe below. As a young priest, St Pio of Pietreclina would make a visit to this image every day. I’ve read about the image, but knew nothing about it. I did some research and here is what I found. Madonna of the Seven Veils, Foggia In the eleventh century Foggia, Italy was a tiny town perched around the Tavern of the Owl. One day some local farmers saw three flames over a small pond or bog. Intrigued, they dug where the miraculous fire had been and discovered a large “table” buried in the mud. They realized that this “table” was actually a Byzantine icon that had remained somewhat preserved despite being soaked in water and mud. The image was cleaned and then cloaked with new veils. I assume there were seven veils and hence the name, but I cannot verify this. The icon was then placed in the local Tavern of the Owl for veneration. Soon the tavern became a place of pilgrimage. In 1080 Robert Guiscard built a church to honor the sacred image. In 1172 the church was expanded by William II “the Good” of Sicily. The “face hole” is all that one can now see of the original wooden icon. It is black and the face is now indiscernible. However, on Maundy Thursday of 1731, the Virgin Mary’s white face appeared in this portal, which was usually black and dark. Saint Alphonsus Liguori heard about apparition and went to Foggia to venerate the Immaculate Mother of the Savior. He also received an apparition of the Virgin’s face in the small black portal. He described the Blessed Virgin’s face on that occasion as a girl of 13-14 with a white veil. The apparitions of the Virgin’s face on the icon continued until about 1745. As the city grew larger, the church was decorated and enriched. The Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese, Spaniards, and Bourbons considered the church to be one of the most important in Italy. It has served as the site for several royal weddings. Today, the image is said to be covered in seven layers of precious metal and embroidered material – hence the name Madonna of the Seven Veils. Please take a moment to listen to my podcast on Our Lady of the Seven Veils. It’s free at iTunes. Or you can just listen to it by clicking here. Did you like the podcast? Want more episodes, click here. Sweet Mother Mary, pray for us The post Our Lady of the Seven Veils (St Alphonsus and St Pio) appeared first on Taylor Marshall.

A great father can be both a blessing and a curse, and no one was more aware of that than Bohemond de Hauteville. The first-born son of the adventurer Robert Guiscard, Bohemond spent most of his formative years trying to both prove himself worthy and escape his father's formidable shadow. At every turn, however, fate seemed to conspire against him. Disinherited before he reached the age of five, he was raised by a step-mother who was determined to keep him from an inheritance, and actively held back by more powerful members of his family. But Bohemond had Guiscard's blood flowing in his veins and an unwavering belief in his eventual triumph. Join Lars Brownworth as he traces Bohemond's struggle to claim a place in the sun.

By 1071 Robert Guiscard had risen to the height of power in Italy. The grumbling Lombards had been forced to grovel before him, the proud Norman barons recognized him as their unquestioned lord, and one of the greatest medieval popes depended on him for protection. But Robert was still restless and his eyes turned across the seas to the greatest prize of all- Byzantium: Queen of Cities and the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Join Lars Brownworth as he looks at Guiscard's final campaign to seize the imperial throne.

Robert Guiscard arrived in Italy as a simple knight, hoping to benefit from his brother's wealth and power. Instead he found his path blocked at every turn by petty jealousy and was sent off to rot in the most inhospitable place his sibling could think of. From these difficult beginnings, against the odds, Robert would build a base of power so formidable that not even the combined strength of a Pope and two Emperors could prevail against it. Join Lars Brownworth as he looks at the early career of the most brilliant general the Normans ever produced.