Described as a brilliant Norman adventurer who arrived in Italy in 1047 with only 35 men, captured a castle in Apulia, defeated a papal army, and over the next twenty years turned southern Italy into his personal kingdom. His nickname 'the Fox' reflected his cunning; he took Bari in 1071 and most of Sicily by 1072, then set his sights on the Byzantine throne after Nikephoros forced his daughter-in-law into a convent. He invaded, won at Dyrrachium, but was lured home by Alexios-backed revolts; he returned, sacked Rome, but died of plague in Greece in 1085.
Also known as: Robert de Hauteville · Robert the Fox · Robert Giscard
What each episode says
Episode 14 (13 mentions)
Described as a brilliant Norman adventurer who arrived in Italy in 1047 with only 35 men, captured a castle in Apulia, defeated a papal army, and over the next twenty years turned southern Italy into his personal kingdom. His nickname 'the Fox' reflected his cunning; he took Bari in 1071 and most of Sicily by 1072, then set his sights on the Byzantine throne after Nikephoros forced his daughter-in-law into a convent. He invaded, won at Dyrrachium, but was lured home by Alexios-backed revolts; he returned, sacked Rome, but died of plague in Greece in 1085.
“The girl's father, the brilliant Norman adventurer Robert Giscard, on the lookout for just such”
“all, the Norman Robert Giscard was massing his armies.”
“In the south, the even more ambitious Robert Giscard was already on the move.”
Related