Norman noble family that rose to prominence in southern Italy
Hauteville
Altavilla
|
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|
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Country
| |
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Founded
| 11th century
|
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Founder
| Tancred of Hauteville
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Current head
| None; extinct
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Final ruler
| Constance of Sicily
|
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Titles
| |
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Motto
| Dextera Domini fecit virtutem, Dextera Domini exaltavit me
(God's right-hand made wonders, God's right-hand exalted me)
|
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Dissolution
| 1198
(
1198
)
|
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The
House of Hauteville
(
Italian
:
Altavilla
) was a
Norman
family originally of
seigneurial rank
from the
Cotentin
.
[1]
The Hautevilles rose to prominence through their part in the
Norman conquest of southern Italy
. By 1130, one of their members,
Roger II
, was made the first
King of Sicily
. His male-line descendants ruled Sicily until 1194. Some Italian Hautevilles took part in the
First Crusade
and the founding of the
Principality of Antioch
(1098).
Origins
[
edit
]
The traditional account of the family's origin traces them back to
Hiallt
, a 10th-century
Norseman
who settled in the
Cotentin Peninsula
and founded the estate of
Hialtus villa
, giving rise in corrupted form to the family toponymic
Hauteville
.
[2]
[3]
The name represents the Scandinavian
Hjalti
or
Hialti
[4]
), but may instead have resulted from confusion with the
Helt[us]
found in
Heltvilla
, modern
Heauville
.
[5]
Alternatively, the eponymous Hiallt may be legendary: Hauteville (
Altavilla
) means simply "high estate".
[5]
Of several villages with the name "Hauteville", the one from which the family derived its name is hard to identify with certainty, though modern scholarship favours
Hauteville-la-Guichard
, but there is no proof that allows to connect the related knight
Robert Guiscard
with this village.
Guiscard
refers more probably to a Guichard de Montfort.
[5]
The first well-known member of the family is
Tancred of Hauteville
, a minor baron of Normandy who died about 1041. He had twelve sons and at least two daughters by two wives, Muriel and
Fressenda
. His small patrimony was hardly enough to satisfy his sons' desire for land and glory, and so eight of the twelve went south to the
Mezzogiorno
to seek their fortunes there.
According to Goffredo Malaterra's chronicle, Aubrey or Alverardus, the fourth son by Tancred's second wife, Fressenda, remained behind in Normandy. About the time of the
Domesday Book
in 1086 a certain Alverardus or Aluericus Hautville (Halsvilla, Altavilla or Hauteville) is mentioned as having previously held lands in Compton Martin, Somerset, England. His kinsman Ralf de Hauville (also Halsvilla) is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a tenant-in-chief in Burbage and
Wolfhall
in Wiltshire. Alverardus most probably founded the Somerset Hautevilles, and Ralf the Wiltshire/Berkshire Hauvilles.
Mezzogiorno
[
edit
]
The eldest of
Tancred of Hauteville
's twelve sons,
William
and
Drogo
, were the first to arrive in the south sometime around 1035. They so distinguished themselves against the
Greeks
that William was inaugurated as
count of Apulia and Calabria
and lord of
Ascoli
, Drogo as lord of
Venosa
. In 1047, Drogo was confirmed by the
Emperor Henry III
as William's heir and a direct vassal of the imperial crown. Their next brother,
Humphrey
, succeeded Drogo and defeated
Pope Leo IX
at the
Battle of Civitate
in 1053, making the Hauteville power the highest in the region. He was in turn succeeded by a fourth brother, the first by Tancred's second wife,
Robert Guiscard
.
It was Robert who began the conquest of Sicily which was to yield a kingdom seventy years later, as he renewed the war against Byzantium with vigour. Along with the valiant warriorship displayed by his youngest brother,
Roger Bosso
, the two began to amass notoriety around the Mediterranean.
[6]
According to
William of Apulia's
The Deeds of Robert Guiscard
, although his Norse roots would seem to suggest otherwise, until the invasion of Sicily, Guiscard had not participated in naval warfare.
[7]
It was during this conquest that Guiscard and his amphibious command pioneered the ability to transport over 200 troops in a mere 13 vessels, an advantage that would have an influence in the
Norman invasion of England
of 1066.
[8]
In 1059 he was created duke by the pope and invested with as yet unconquered Sicily, which he gave, in 1071, to his brother Roger with the title of count. The Guiscard's heirs,
Bohemond
and
Roger Borsa
, fought over the inheritance and Roger of Sicily began to outshine the Apulian branch of the family. Roger united the Greek, Lombard, Norman, and Saracen elements of Sicily under one rule and refused to allow religious differences to spoil his conquests.
Roger bequeathed a powerful state to his young sons,
Simon
and
Roger
. It was this Roger who, upon inheriting all from Simon in 1105, began the quest to unite into one all the Hauteville domains: Apulia and Calabria (then under Borsa's son
William II
) and
Taranto
(which had been given to Bohemond as a consolation for being deprived of Apulia) with his own Sicily.
Kingdom of Sicily
[
edit
]
On William's death in 1127, the union of the duchy and the county was affected and Roger's quest for a crown began. Believing kings to have ruled
Palermo
in antiquity, Roger threw his support behind the
Antipope Anacletus II
and was duly enthroned as
king of Sicily
on Christmas Day 1130.
Roger spent most of the decade beginning with his coronation and ending with his great
Assizes of Ariano
fending off one invader or other and quelling rebellions by his premier vassals:
Grimoald of Bari
,
Robert of Capua
,
Ranulf of Alife
,
Sergius of Naples
, et al. In 1139, by the
Treaty of Mignano
, Roger received the recognition of his kingship from the legitimate pope. It was through his admiral
George of Antioch
that Roger then proceeded to conquer the
Mahdia
in Africa, taking the unofficial title "king of Africa".
Roger's son and successor was
William the Bad
, though his nickname derives primarily from his lack of popularity with the chroniclers, who supported the baronial revolts William crushed. His reign ended in peace (1166), but his son,
William the Good
, was a minor. During the boy regency until 1172, the kingdom saw turmoil which almost brought the ruling family down, but eventually the realm settled down and the reign of the second William is remembered as two decades of almost continual peace and prosperity. For this more than anything, he is nicknamed "the Good". His death without heirs in 1189 threw the realm into chaos, as his designated and only legitimate heir, his aunt
Constance
, daughter of Roger II, had married Henry, son of
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
, and the Sicilian officials did not want a German ruler.
Tancred of Lecce
, illegitimate cousin of William, seized the throne but had to contend with the revolt of his distant cousin
Roger of Andria
, a former contender, and the invasion of Henry, now
Henry VI of Germany
, on behalf of his wife. Tancred was able to kill Roger in 1190; in 1191 he repelled an invasion of Henry in 1191 and captured Constance, but was forced to release her under pressure of Pope Celestine III. After his death in 1194, Constance and Henry eventually prevailed and the kingdom fell to the
Hohenstaufen
. Through Constance, however, the Hauteville blood was passed to the great
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
.
Crusades
[
edit
]
The aforementioned Bohemond received in 1088, as a consolation, the principality of Taranto district from the duchy of Apulia which fell as per their father's will to his brother Roger Borsa. Bohemond did not long remain to enjoy his new principality, for while besieging
Amalfi
with his uncle and brother, he joined a passing band of Crusaders on their way to
Palestine
. Among his army was a nephew of his, a young man named
Tancred
.
Bohemond was the natural leader of the crusading host but, through a trick, he took
Antioch
and did not continue on to
Jerusalem
with the rest of the army, instead remaining in the newly conquered city to carve out a principality for himself there. Tancred also left the main Crusade at
Heraclea Cybistra
to fight for territory in
Cilicia
. A great state like the one his cousins were forging in Europe, however, was impossible for Bohemond. He was defeated badly at the
Battle of Harran
in 1104 and forced later to sign the
Treaty of Devol
in 1108 with Byzantium. Nevertheless, his son
Bohemond II
inherited the Crusader state. He in turn gave it to his only daughter,
Constance
, who ruled it until 1163.
Tancred had great luck in carving out a
principality around Galilee
with the grants of
Godfrey of Bouillon
, but he relinquished this in 1101.
Genealogy
[
edit
]
Unless otherwise noted, dates shown are regnal dates.
- Tancred and his first wife Muriel (or Muriella) had the following issue:
- William Iron Arm
,
count of Apulia
(1042?1046)
- Drogo
,
count of Apulia
(1046?1051)
- Humphrey
,
count of Apulia
(1051?1057)
- Abelard
(d.1081)
- Herman
, count of
Cannae
(1081?1097)
- Geoffrey
, count of the
Capitanate
(d.1071)
- Robert I
, count of
Loritello
(1061?1107)
- Robert II
, count of
Loritello
(1107?1137)
- William
, count of
Loritello
(1137, d.?)
- Sarlo (or Serlo) I
, heir to estates in Normandy
- Sarlo II
(d.1072) married the daughter of
Roger de Moulins
Count of Boiano.
- Sarlo III
descending from which the
Marquis Sarlo
of Calabria
- Tancred and his second wife
Fressenda
(or Fedesenda) had the following issue:
[9]
- Robert Guiscard
, count (1057?1059) and
duke of Apulia
(1059?1085)
- Bohemond I
,
prince of Taranto
(1088?1111) and
Antioch
(1098?1111)
- Bohemond II
,
prince of Taranto
(1111?1128) and
Antioch
(1111?1131)
- Constance
,
Princess of Antioch
(1131?1163)
- Roger Borsa
,
duke of Apulia
(1085?1111)
- William II
,
duke of Apulia
(1111?1127)
- Guy
,
duke of Amalfi
and
Sorrento
(d.1107)
- Robert Scalio
(d.1110)
- Emma of Apulia
- Tancred, Prince of Galilee
(1072?1112)
- William
- Mauger
, count of the
Capitanate
(1056?1059)
- William
, count of the
Principate
(1056?1080)
- Richard of Salerno
, regent of the
County of Edessa
(1104?1108, d.1114)
- Roger of Salerno
, regent of the
Principality of Antioch
(1112?1119)
- Aubrey (also Alberic, Alberad, Alvered, Alvred, or Alfred), stayed in Normandy
- Hubert (also Humbert), stayed in Normandy
- Tancred, stayed in Normandy
- Roger Bosso
,
count of Sicily
(1071?1101)
- Jordan
, count of
Syracuse
(1091?1092)
- Geoffrey
, count of
Ragusa
- Mauger
, count of
Troina
- Simon
,
count of Sicily
(1101?1105)
- Roger II
, count (1105?1130) and
king of Sicily
(1130?1154)
- Roger
,
duke of Apulia
(1134?1148)
- Tancred
, count of
Lecce
and
king of Sicily
(1189?1194)
- Roger III
,
king of Sicily
(1193?1194)
- William III
,
king of Sicily
(1194)
- Tancred
, prince of
Bari
(1132?1138)
- Alfonso
,
prince of Capua
(1135?1144)
- William I the Bad
,
king of Sicily
(1154?1166)
- Roger
,
duke of Apulia
(1154?1161)
- Robert
- William II the Good
,
king of Sicily
(1166?1189)
- Bohemond
,
duke of Apulia
(1181)
- Henry
,
prince of Capua
(1166?1172)
- Henry
- Simon
,
Prince of Taranto
(1128?1154)
- Constance
,
Queen of Sicily
(1194?1198)
- Frederick II of Sicily
,
King of Sicily
(1198?1250)
- Fressenda, who married
Richard I
(dead in 1078), count of
Aversa
and prince of
Capua
- Jordan I of Capua
, Prince of Capua (1078?1091)
- Richard II of Capua
, Prince of Capua (1091?1106)
- Robert I of Capua
, Prince of Capua (1106?1120)
- Richard III of Capua
, Prince of Capua (1120)
- Jordan II of Capua
, Prince of Capua (1120?1127)
- Robert II of Capua
, Prince of Capua (1127?1156)
Relatives of unknown relationship include:
Family tree
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Kauffmann, Martin (2003).
"Hauteville, house of family"
.
Grove Art Online
. Oxford University Press.
doi
:
10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t036942
.
ISBN
978-1-884446-05-4
.
- ^
Hill, James S. The place-names of Somerset. St. Stephen's printing works, 1914, Princeton University. Page 256
- ^
Revue de l'Avranchin et du pays de Granville, Volume 31, Issue 174, Parts 3-4. Societe d'archeologie, de litterature, sciences et arts d'Avranches, Mortain, Granville. the University of Michigan.
- ^
Site of Nordic Names : origin of the name
Hjalti
- ^
a
b
c
Les Noms des communes et anciennes paroisses de la Manche
, A. et J. Picard, preface Yves Nedelec, 1986,
ISBN
2-7084-0299-4
, oclc=15314425, p. 133 - 135"
- ^
Malaterra, Goffredo;
Kenneth Baxter Wolf
(2005).
The Deeds of Count Roger of Calabria and Sicily and of His Brother Duke Robert Guiscard
. USA: The University of Michigan Press. pp.
151
.
ISBN
0-472-11459-X
.
- ^
G.A. Loud, William of Apulia (1963). M. Mathieu (ed.). Palermo: Guillaume de Pouille.
- ^
Theotokis, Georgios (November 2010). "The Norman Invasion of Sicily, 1061-1072: Numbers and Military Tactics".
War in History
.
17
(4): 381?402.
doi
:
10.1177/0968344510376463
.
S2CID
159817615
.
- ^
The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 4, C.1024-c.1198
, Part II, ed. David Luscombe and Jonathan Riley-Smith, (Cambridge University Press, 2004), 760.
Sources
[
edit
]
- European Commission
presentation of
The Normans
Norman Heritage, 10th-12th century.
- Norwich, John Julius
.
The Normans in the South 1016-1130
. Longmans:
London
, 1967.
- Norwich, John Julius
.
The Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194
. Longman:
London
, 1970.
- Pierre Aube
,
Roger II de Sicile
. 2001.
- Matthew, Donald.
The Norman Kingdom of Sicily
.
Cambridge University Press
: 1992.
- Houben, Hubert
.
Roger II of Sicily: A Ruler between East and West
. Trans. G. A. Loud and Diane Milbourne.
Cambridge University Press
: 2002.
- Medieval Sourcebook: Alexiad—complete text, translated Elizabeth A. Dawes
- Ralph of Caen
.
Gesta Tancredi
. trans.
Bernard S.
and David S. Bachrach. Ashgate Publishing, 2005.