Text by Ilias Anagnostakis

Immediately after the defeat of the Imperial forces by the Normans at Montemaggiore on May 4, 1041, the leadership of the Imperial troops in Southern Italy was assumed by “Katepano” ¹ Exaugustus Voianis, who replaced Michael Dokeianos. Exaugustus, son of Basil Voianis, who had defeated the Normans at Canne della Apulia in 1018, was determined to prove himself worthy of his father.

After weeks of maneuvering, he succeeded in trapping the Normans at Montepaloso and forcing them into battle. Indeed, on the morning of September 3, 1041, Exaugustus Voianis assembled his army, consisting of 10,000 men from Greek troops of Macedonia, a significant number of Varangians and Paulicians, as well as local Greek Italians, and to boost their morale, which had been shaken by the repeated Norman victories, he addressed them with a speech, which should serve as a monument to the Hellenic identity of the Empire. According to William of Apulia, therefore:

‘Lads, have pride in your manhood, and don’t allow yourselves to have the hearts of women! What
cowardice makes you always run away? Remember your forefathers whose courage made
the whole world subject to them. Hector, the bravest of men, fell before the arms of
Achilles. Troy was reduced to flames by the Mycenean fury. India knew of the gallantry of
Philip. Did not his son Alexander through his bravery make the strongest of kingdoms
submit to the Greeks?

The west and indeed every part of the world was once in fear of us.
What people, hearing the name of the Greeks, dared to stand before them in the field?
Towns, fortresses and cities could scarcely render their enemies safe from their power. Be
valiant, I pray you, remember the courage of your ancestors, and don’t disgrace them by
placing your trust in your feet [alone]!

He who dares to fight like a man wiil overcome the
strength of the enemy. Try to follow in the footsteps of your ancestors, and abandon now
any idea of flight. All the world should know that you are men of courage. One should not
fear the Frankish people in battle, for they are inferior both in numbers and in courage’.

With these words, he ignited the spirits of the native populace, urging them to descend from the highlands, where they had taken refuge after the defeats, and established their encampment on the plain below. Once they had completed this task, the combined Lombard-Norman army under the leadership of William I of Hauteville, clearly anxious, dispatched scouts to observe the actions of the Imperial army. The scouts returned with news that the natives were prepared for conflict, yet despite a change in leadership, they remained undaunted. The natives had stationed numerous allies in the hills, providing a fallback position if necessary. The local populations, with their familial origins² and consciousness rooted in the Eastern Roman Empire, descended from the mountainous regions to assist the army of Exaugustus.

The two factions clashed on the open ground, engaging in fierce combat. And indeed, this time the Byzantines fought harder and more spiritedly than before. The battle took a savage turn, with each opponent forcing the other into partial retreats, yet without a definitive victor emerging. As succinctly William of Apulia stated “..There was then heavy fighting. Both strove to be the victors. First one, then the other, fled and then forced the enemy to flee..”. At some point, the imperial troops came very close to victory when it seemed that a new attack of theirs caused dangerous ruptures in the Norman-Lombard formation and they began unequivocally to retreat.

But they were fortunate to be under the firm leadership of the brave William “Iron Arm”³ who charged into the midst of the opposition and rallied the retreating forces, urging them to rejoin the fray opposing the flow of the abttle. The Romans suffered immense losses, with a significant portion of their forces and many of their nobles falling in battle. The defeated leader, Exaugustus, was paraded in chains through the city of Atenulf, symbolizing the magnitude of the conqueror’s victory. The Normans, turned the captive Katepan over to the Lombard leader Atenulf in Benevento. The latter accepted a large payment in return for the catepan’s liberation and promptly kept the entire ransom for himself. Boioannes was free, but not in command any longer.

Sources

William of Apulia, «The Deeds of Robert Guiscard», 1096-1099.

G. Brown, «The Norman Conquest of Southern Italy and Sicily», publ. McFarland & Company, 2003.

Footnotes

1. Political and military ruler. the administrative region under him-as well as the position and jurisdiction thereof- was called Katepanikion. ↩︎
2. It is noteworthy the fact that William of Apulia is referring to them as “..indigenae Danais (the ancient Greek reference to the greek race Δαναοί) descendunt auxiliarii..” ↩︎
3. His nickname “Iron Arm” was won when he single-handedly killed the emir of Syracuse in 1040 while serving during that period as a mercenary in the Byzantine army under the command of general George Maniakes, ↩︎