Battle of Civitate
June 18, 1053
A Norman force of perhaps three thousand horsemen under Robert Guiscard defeated and captured Pope Leo IX's papal army in Apulia. The conquered pope became the prisoner-guest of his conquerors. The Normans, previously condemned as bandits, would soon hold papal banners as legitimate vassals of Rome itself. Leo's captivity lasted nine months, and the humiliation hastened his death the following year.
In context
Also in 1053 (2 other events on record)
- Almoravids Seize Sijilmasa and the Trans-Saharan Trade · Africa · War
- Wujing Zongyao Circulates Gunpowder Formulas · East Asia · Technology
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in War
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.