Arduin was a Greek-speaking Lombard nobleman who fought originally for the Byzantines on Sicily and later against them as the leader of a band of Norman mercenaries. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Lombards ( Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative names Langobards and Longobards) were a Germanic people originally from Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France.
He was the leader of the troops committed by Guaimar IV of Salerno to Giorgio Maniace's Sicilian expedition in 1038. Guaimar IV (c 1013 &ndash ass June 3 or 2 1052 was Prince of Salerno (1027&ndash1052 Duke of Amalfi (1039&ndash1052 Duke of Gaeta George Maniakes (Γεώργιος Μανιάκης transliterated as Georgios Maniaces, Maniakis, or Maniaches, Giorgio Maniace (d According to Amatus of Montecassino, he refused to surrender a captured horse to the Byzantine general and Maniace consequently had him stripped and beaten. Amatus of Montecassino ( Amatus Casinensis) a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Montecassino is one of three Italo-Norman Chroniclers Whatever happened, Arduin and his Salernitan contingent along with the Normans (also sent by Guaimar) and the Varangians (sent by Emperor Constantine IX) abandoned Sicily and returned to the mainland. The Varangians or Varyags ( Old Norse: Væringjar Greek: Βάραγγοι Βαριάγοι Váraggoi / Varyágoi, Ukrainian Constantine IX Monomachos ( Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Θ΄ Μονομάχος Kōnstantinos IX Monomakhos) c
On the peninsula, the Byzantine catepan of Italy, Michael Doukeianos, appointed him topoterites of Melfi. The Catepanate (or Catapanate) of Italy ( Greek:) was a province of the Byzantine Empire, comprising mainland Italy south of a line drawn from Michael III Doukeianos (Μιχαήλ Δουκειανός Dulchiano in Italian) called the Young, was the Catepan of Italy from 1040 to 1041 A Topoteretes (Τοποτηρητῆς was a Byzantine title, meaning deputy commander (literally "place-warden" Melfi is a town and Comune in the Vulture area of the Province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. He soon revolted against Greek authority in Apulia and he and his Normans joined the rebellion-in-progress of Argyrus. Apulia ( Italian: Puglia) is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east the Ionian Sea Argyrus (or Argyros) was the son of the Lombard hero Melus of Bari. First, the nominal leader of the insurrection, Atenulf, Prince of Benevento, defected to the Greeks and then Argyrus, his successor. Atenulf was the son of Pandulf III of Benevento. In 1040, Benevento still had the prestige of being the first of the independent Lombard principalities The Normans, bypassing Arduin (who may also have been bought off by the Greeks), chose their own successor to Argyrus, William Iron Arm, and Arduin faded completely out of view. William Iron Arm (born before 1010 &ndash died 1046 was a Norman adventurer founder of the fortunes of the Hauteville family.
Sources
- Norwich, John Julius. John Julius Cooper 2nd Viscount Norwich CVO (born 15 September 1929) is an English historian travel writer and television personality The Normans in the South 1016-1130. London: Longman, 1967.
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