1 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:12,960 Savagery and piety. 2 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,240 Conquest and colonisation. 3 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:28,520 The Normans used every weapon in their armoury 4 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:31,800 to reshape northern France and the British Isles. 5 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,920 They were powerful rulers and state-builders 6 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,320 and their legacy can be seen all around us. 7 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:49,960 But this wasn't just a French and British story. 8 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:56,440 The Normans' explosive ambition and Christian fervour 9 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:00,800 also took them south to the Mediterranean and beyond. 10 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:06,240 All the way to the Holy Land. 11 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:16,360 In the summer of 1099, 12 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:20,040 an international force of 12,000 Christian soldiers 13 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:22,320 stormed through the streets of Jerusalem. 14 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:28,920 This would be the most divisive part of the Norman inheritance - 15 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:31,600 the First Crusade. 16 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:35,520 Among their leaders were Norman knights, 17 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,640 including the son of William the Conqueror. 18 00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:45,200 As the Crusaders tore through the Holy City 19 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:47,280 they cut down thousands of Muslims. 20 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:49,200 According to one chronicler, 21 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:53,560 "the slaughter was so great that men waded in blood up to their ankles." 22 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:58,120 This was a massacre so terrible that Islam never forgot nor forgave. 23 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:01,720 It permanently deepened the divide between Christians and Muslims. 24 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:08,840 The Norman Conquests in Italy, Sicily and the Middle East 25 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,480 were bloody and destructive, 26 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,600 but the Normans of the South went on to create powerful 27 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:20,200 states and kingdoms, where different cultures and religions mixed 28 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,520 in an atmosphere of relative tolerance. 29 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:30,400 The result was an extraordinary flourishing of art, 30 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:33,240 architecture, science and learning. 31 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:41,080 The Norman legacy in England is widely known, 32 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:46,840 but their impact in the South was just as powerful and long lasting. 33 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:56,560 These great Norman campaigns in the Mediterranean and the Middle East 34 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:59,400 were their most ambitious ventures of all. 35 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,880 Their influence spread far beyond the borders of 36 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,520 the duchy of Normandy and these Norman Conquests 37 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:09,280 left a political, cultural and religious legacy, 38 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:13,040 with consequences that are still felt to this day. 39 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:37,680 In 1017, a group of pilgrim knights came here to worship at 40 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:39,880 the shrine of the Archangel Michael 41 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:43,720 in Monte Gargano, south-east Italy. 42 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,160 SINGING 43 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:54,240 The chronicler, William of Apulia, 44 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:59,240 records that they were known as, "Normans - men of the north wind." 45 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,560 The Normans were fervent Christians 46 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:15,520 and the shrine here at Monte Gargano was of a special importance to them. 47 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:18,440 It was here that the Archangel Michael 48 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:21,800 was said to have first appeared in western Europe 49 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:25,720 and Michael was the Normans' favourite saint. 50 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,920 As a warrior saint, he was the perfect combination of holiness 51 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,600 and military prowess for a race of warriors. 52 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:43,240 A thousand years later, pilgrims are still coming here. 53 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,240 Like the Normans before them, they descend these steps and touch 54 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:50,520 the door to the shrine, 55 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:54,720 which is said to represent the entrance to heaven. 56 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:07,360 The shrine itself is built into a cave. 57 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:11,440 You can feel that the rock surface has been rubbed smooth 58 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:14,640 by the hands of thousands of pilgrims touching the rock 59 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:18,560 on which the Archangel stood when he appeared here, 60 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:20,720 and beneath that statue 61 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,760 are said to be the footprints of the Archangel himself. 62 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:32,960 The Norman knights who came here in 1017 63 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,760 weren't driven by Christian piety alone. 64 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:39,320 There were also plenty of opportunities 65 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:41,440 for plunder and conquest. 66 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,240 Southern Italy was the meeting place 67 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:49,880 of three competing civilisations. 68 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:54,440 The old Roman empire had split into two. 69 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:57,840 The western half was divided into barbarian kingdoms 70 00:05:57,840 --> 00:06:01,160 with the Pope ruling over the western Christian church. 71 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,240 The eastern half was the Byzantine empire 72 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:09,880 with its own Christian leaders. Its inhabitants spoke Greek, 73 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,800 but they preserved the traditions of imperial Rome. 74 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:16,840 The empire stretched from southern Italy, in the west, 75 00:06:16,840 --> 00:06:19,520 to the borders of Armenia, in the east. 76 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:23,880 The southern Mediterranean was dominated by Muslims 77 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,360 and as these three groups fought for supremacy, 78 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:31,920 southern Italy was torn apart by war. 79 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:41,560 This volatile situation was a golden opportunity for the Normans. 80 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,880 The knights visiting Monte Gargano were soon approached 81 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:49,560 by a local noble who asked them to serve him as mercenaries. 82 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:53,880 The chronicler, William of Apulia, records that they agreed 83 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:56,040 and then returned home to recruit a greater force 84 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:57,680 amongst the knights of Normandy. 85 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:01,240 Stirring up their minds to come to Italy, 86 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:05,120 they were all united in their lust for gain. 87 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:17,800 In the years ahead, hundreds of Normans returned 88 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:19,560 to fight as mercenaries 89 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:23,280 in wars between the Italians, the Byzantines, and the Muslims. 90 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:30,120 These independent knights weren't fighting in the name of Normandy 91 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:32,120 but for their own private gain. 92 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:39,080 The Norman knights were enticed south partly by a display 93 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:44,520 of what the exotic Mediterranean had to offer - lemons, 94 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:46,960 almonds, 95 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:51,640 elaborate objects decorated in gold, clothes fit for an emperor, 96 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:56,440 even, it's said, an elephant's tooth and a griffon's claw, 97 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:00,360 but what the Normans were really hungry for was territory 98 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:02,800 and the fertile plains of southern Italy 99 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:06,160 must have presented a tempting sight. 100 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:14,680 Southern Italy was a promised land, ripe for the picking. 101 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:18,960 According to one chronicler, the Normans joined battle 102 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:20,640 against the Byzantines 103 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:24,280 and "performed great feats of war and knighthood." 104 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:31,240 They were richly rewarded. 105 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:36,280 An independent Norman settlement was established here in 1030, 106 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:38,960 and this was only the start. 107 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:45,880 Within a century, a few hundred migrant Norman knights 108 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:49,160 were to become the most powerful force in southern Italy. 109 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:54,800 Among the new arrivals from Normandy 110 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:59,480 were the sons of a landowner called Tancred de Hauteville. 111 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:04,280 His estate in Normandy was too small to support his 12 sons, 112 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:09,040 so they roamed across Europe looking for new territories. 113 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:13,720 By all accounts, the de Hauteville boys were very successful. 114 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,520 This single family of warriors 115 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:20,360 would lead the Norman conquests of Italy. 116 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:27,120 One of Tancred's sons, Robert, arrived in 1046 and made his home 117 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:31,720 here at Scribla, in the poor, mountainous region of Calabria. 118 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:38,440 These towers are all that's left of his desolate castle. 119 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,960 Robert struggled to survive here. 120 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:49,280 The chronicler Amatus wrote, "His knights were few, he was poor 121 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:53,720 "in the things necessary for life, he lacked money in his purse." 122 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:58,080 Indeed he lacked everything, although he had plenty of meat. 123 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,440 As the children of Israel survived in the desert, 124 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,480 so Robert lived on his hilltop. 125 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:08,480 But Robert was a true Norman. 126 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:12,600 He lived as a bandit chief, terrorising the countryside 127 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:18,480 and ruthlessly plundering Byzantine towns across the region. 128 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:20,920 According to the Byzantine historian, Anna Comnena, 129 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:25,480 Robert had a heart full of passion and anger, and among his enemies 130 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:27,040 he expected that either 131 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:29,800 he would drive through his opponent with a spear 132 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:31,920 or else himself be destroyed. 133 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:38,560 Robert was a fighter, but he was also a clever strategist. 134 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:43,160 He eventually earned the nickname "Guiscard," meaning "the crafty." 135 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:48,720 William of Apulia tells how Robert came up with a cunning strategy 136 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:51,200 to breach the defences of one city. 137 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:57,800 Robert commanded the Normans to say that one of his men had died 138 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:00,960 and he then requested the monastery inside the city 139 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,400 to arrange a funeral service for the dead man. 140 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:08,240 But once safely inside the church, the man they were about to bury 141 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:10,320 suddenly jumped out of the coffin. 142 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:12,760 Hidden beneath him were swords. 143 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:15,520 The fake mourners then grabbed the swords, 144 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,200 set about the men in the city and captured it. 145 00:11:25,680 --> 00:11:28,360 Seven years after Robert Guiscard arrived in Italy, 146 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:33,440 the Byzantines were still living in constant fear of Norman attack. 147 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,320 In desperation, they turned for help 148 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:41,040 to the Normans' own spiritual chief, 149 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:43,240 Pope Leo IX. 150 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:50,000 In 1053, the Byzantines sent envoys to Leo 151 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,320 to complain about the Normans. 152 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,400 They begged him, in the words of William of Apulia, 153 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:58,440 "to liberate Italy, that now lacked its freedom, 154 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:01,960 "and to force that wicked people, who were pressing Apulia 155 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:04,200 under their yoke, to leave." 156 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:07,120 Pope Leo was angered by the Normans' plundering, 157 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:08,960 by their burning of churches 158 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:10,920 and the slaughtering of civilians, 159 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:13,720 and so he enthusiastically entered into an alliance 160 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:15,880 with the Byzantines. 161 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:21,200 Pope Leo IX was a German aristocrat 162 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:25,480 and the powerful secular ruler of central Italy. 163 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:29,320 He gathered troops from across southern Italy, 164 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:33,400 but also brought in Swabian mercenaries from his native Germany 165 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:36,160 to help sort out the Norman problem. 166 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:42,800 They were fierce warriors, who fought with long, sharp swords 167 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:45,320 and could cut a man in half at a stroke. 168 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:52,560 Pope Leo led the army himself. 169 00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:54,520 A contemporary noted with astonishment 170 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:58,280 that he was the first Pope since the time of St Peter 171 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:01,520 to go to war with a body of armed troops. 172 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:04,480 The Normans were facing a formidable enemy. 173 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:08,120 Just a few decades after they'd first come to Italy, 174 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:12,000 it looked as though they might well have to retreat back to Normandy. 175 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:21,520 But the Normans weren't going to give up so easily. 176 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:27,640 They mustered all their forces, including 3,000 mounted knights 177 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:31,400 under the command of Robert Guiscard and the other Norman leaders. 178 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:36,360 As the Pope marched south to meet his Byzantine allies, 179 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:41,240 the Normans intercepted him here at the old Roman city of Civitate. 180 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:44,880 They were ready for battle, as ever. 181 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,520 But this time they were struggling with a dilemma. 182 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:54,240 As fervent Christians, 183 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:56,960 the Normans were reluctant to fight their spiritual leader. 184 00:13:56,960 --> 00:14:00,120 They tried to sue for peace, declaring that they were willing 185 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:04,680 to obey the Pope, but the Swabians mocked them and told the Pope 186 00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:07,120 to "command the Normans to leave the land of Italy, 187 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:11,200 "to lay down their arms and return to their own country." 188 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:14,000 Battle was now inevitable. 189 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:19,240 The Normans climbed this hill to gauge the size of the enemy camp. 190 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:23,800 The Swabian troops were drawn up down there on the left-hand side. 191 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:26,720 Opposite them were Robert Guiscard's men. 192 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,160 On the right-hand side were the Italians. 193 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:39,320 The battle began with a Norman cavalry charge. 194 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:51,120 According to William of Apulia, the Italians fled in all directions. 195 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:04,120 Now it was time for the Normans to confront the Swabians. 196 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:06,160 First they launched their spears. 197 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:12,080 Then, Robert Guiscard led another cavalry charge. 198 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:19,840 Robert was unhorsed three times, 199 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:21,800 but three times he climbed back up again 200 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:24,760 and returned more fiercely to the fray. 201 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:28,080 William of Apulia writes that, "he cut off the feet and hands of some, 202 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:32,920 "decapitated others, pierced belly and chest." 203 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:41,400 The Swabian troops were wiped out. 204 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:49,720 And Pope Leo fled back to Civitate, pursued by the Normans. 205 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:58,280 But they weren't after the Pope's head. They wanted his forgiveness. 206 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:01,600 It's said that the Normans prostrated themselves before him, 207 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:04,360 kissing his feet and begging pardon. 208 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:07,640 The Pope reprimanded them but blessed them. 209 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:11,680 But once they'd been pardoned, the Normans held Pope Leo hostage 210 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:14,920 for nine months, until he acknowledged their conquests 211 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:17,400 in Calabria and Apulia. 212 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:19,080 The Normans' Christianity 213 00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:22,720 rarely got in the way of their driving ambition. 214 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:30,680 Robert Guiscard's enemies in Calabria and Apulia 215 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,120 had been defeated, 216 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:37,120 and Pope Leo died soon after the Normans released him from captivity. 217 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:43,560 Robert now went on to conquer town after town. 218 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:49,560 In 1071, he finally captured the last Byzantine stronghold, 219 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:51,640 the city of Bari. 220 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:56,040 Southern Italy belonged to the Normans. 221 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:14,400 Robert Guiscard was quickly becoming one of the richest 222 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:17,400 and most powerful Normans leaders in Europe, 223 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:21,240 and he was already looking beyond the shores of Italy to Sicily, 224 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:25,080 the wealthy island just 3km away, 225 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:28,200 across the Straits of Messina. 226 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:30,320 Robert's territorial ambitions 227 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:34,960 would bring a new type of conflict to southern Italy - 228 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:37,080 Holy war. 229 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:45,600 This narrow strait was the frontier of Christian civilisation. 230 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,040 Sicily was a Muslim stronghold, 231 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:51,160 conquered by Islamic armies 250 years earlier. 232 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:57,800 Pope Nicholas II wanted to reclaim Sicily for Christianity 233 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:01,920 and he saw the Normans as the perfect force to crush the Muslims. 234 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:09,080 In 1059, Robert Guiscard agreed 235 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:11,280 to swear an oath of allegiance to the Pope. 236 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,880 If successful in battle, power over Sicily would be his reward. 237 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:28,240 The papal oath launched Robert into a holy war 238 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:30,600 against the Muslims of Sicily. 239 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:36,520 The Normans would receive a Papal banner in recognition of the special 240 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:40,760 religious nature of this war and it's said that in one battle, 241 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:44,080 St George himself appeared on the Norman's side, 242 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:48,360 mounted on a white horse and carrying a flag and the cross. 243 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:02,200 For three years, the Normans fought and plundered their way 244 00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:05,000 across the island in the name of Christ. 245 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:09,080 But even with St George on their side, 246 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:12,520 Muslim Sicily was a difficult island to conquer. 247 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:30,760 Finally in 1064, they reached the outskirts of the Sicilian capital, 248 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:33,840 the great Muslim city of Palermo. 249 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:41,880 The army made camp on a rock outside the city. 250 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,080 This turned out to be a terrible mistake. 251 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:53,560 The hill would later be called Monte Tarantino 252 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:56,040 because it was crawling with tarantulas. 253 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:59,440 The chronicler Geoffrey of Malaterra describes them, 254 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:03,760 "the tarantula is a spider-like creature with a poisonous sting. 255 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:07,720 "Those who are stung swell with poisonous wind 256 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:10,640 "and they are in such an agony that they cannot prevent themselves 257 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:15,200 "expelling the wind from their anus with a disgusting sound." 258 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:19,440 It's said that unless a hot pan or some object is applied immediately, 259 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:21,520 they are in danger of their life. 260 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:27,360 Faced with these ferocious insects and with fierce resistance 261 00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:31,840 from the Islamic garrison, the Normans were forced to retreat. 262 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:42,720 The Normans were more successful in 1068, 263 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:45,360 when they met the Muslim forces 264 00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:49,200 at Misilmeri, just 12km outside Palermo. 265 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:56,720 They were lead by Roger, a younger brother of Robert Guiscard, 266 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:59,840 yet another of the successful de Hauteville brothers 267 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:02,080 who came south from Normandy. 268 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:08,080 He was described as a powerful man and a fierce soldier. 269 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:14,400 In the terrible battle that followed, 270 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:16,120 the Muslims were defeated. 271 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:25,080 The Muslim army used homing pigeons 272 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:28,080 to send messages back from the front. 273 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:31,040 As the people of Palermo waited anxiously, 274 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:34,600 the Normans used the old tactic of spreading terror to demoralise them. 275 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:41,200 Roger came up with a dark plan. 276 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:45,360 He knew the women and children were waiting for news in Palermo. 277 00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:48,960 He had accounts of the Norman victory attached to the pigeons. 278 00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:53,520 Accounts that were written in the blood of the dead Muslims. 279 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:56,240 The birds were then released 280 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:58,480 to fly back to the city. 281 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:11,080 The chronicler Geoffrey of Malaterra 282 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:13,760 describes how the whole city was shaken. 283 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,280 The sorrowful voices of the women and children 284 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:18,400 were raised up to heaven. 285 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:31,000 Roger was a merciless warrior 286 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:35,840 and Palermo finally fell to the Normans in 1072. 287 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:40,680 Six years after William the Conqueror had taken England, 288 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:45,160 the Normans ruled over another new realm. 289 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,400 Sicily was a wealthy and powerful state, 290 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:00,040 right at the heart of Mediterranean trade routes. 291 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:03,720 Greeks, Italians and Muslims had all settled here. 292 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:11,520 Under the Muslim rulers, 293 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:15,960 different cultures and religions lived side by side, 294 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:19,760 but Sicily was now under the Christian rule of the Normans. 295 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:27,120 Would Roger enforce his religion and banish the non-Christians? 296 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:30,960 Quite the contrary. He was magnanimous in victory. 297 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:33,560 All the peoples of Sicily were treated with tolerance. 298 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:36,880 The Muslims were allowed to continue to practise their religion 299 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:40,160 and some even joined Roger's army. 300 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:42,960 Geoffrey of Malaterra describes him as 301 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:45,480 "prudent in organising the things that needed to be done, 302 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:47,640 "cheerful and friendly to everyone," 303 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:50,000 because of these qualities, in a short time 304 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:52,640 he won the favour of all. 305 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:06,000 Under Roger's rule, the Normans in Sicily adapted and assimilated 306 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:07,920 into the local population, 307 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:12,160 just as they had done with great success in France and England. 308 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:20,600 In 1130, 100 years after they first arrived, 309 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:23,680 the Normans united southern Italy and Sicily 310 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:27,560 into a single, powerful state. 311 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:30,120 It would last over 700 years. 312 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,680 The Pope decreed that Roger's son 313 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:40,160 should be rewarded in return for his loyalty. 314 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:43,880 He was crowned Roger II, 315 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:45,880 King of Sicily. 316 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:54,240 This was a remarkable achievement for a man who's grandfather had been 317 00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:59,800 a poor Norman knight, worried about how to provide for his many sons. 318 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:04,840 Here in the church of La Martorana, in Palermo, is a spectacular mosaic 319 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:08,400 of Roger's coronation on Christmas Day 1130. 320 00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:15,640 Above him is the inscription in Greek letters, 321 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:20,360 "Rogerios Rex," King Roger. 322 00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:27,960 And one of the most striking things about this mosaic 323 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:31,160 is that Roger is being crowned, not by the Pope, 324 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:33,720 but by Christ himself. 325 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:40,320 64 years after the Battle of Hastings, 326 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:44,560 God had given this warrior race yet another new kingdom to rule. 327 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,080 And this was no ordinary kingdom. 328 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:03,000 It was ruled by a Norman, 329 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:06,720 but its inhabitants spoke three different languages 330 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:09,480 and came from three different religious traditions. 331 00:26:11,360 --> 00:26:15,680 This illustration by a contemporary poet, Peter of Eboli, 332 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:18,680 shows the variety of peoples in Sicily. 333 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:23,720 The Greeks, who made up the majority of the population 334 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:28,640 in the east of the island, can be recognised by their dark beards. 335 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:31,080 In the centre, are the Saracens, 336 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:35,200 as the medieval Christians called Muslims, 337 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:36,960 with neat beards and turbans. 338 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:42,440 And, on the right, are the western Christians, 339 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:45,240 clean-shaven and with uncovered heads. 340 00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:49,800 All the faiths lived in relative harmony. 341 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:05,760 Like the Normans in northern France and England, 342 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:09,600 Roger built spectacular monuments to display his power. 343 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:13,680 He commissioned his palace chapel, 344 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:16,240 the Cappella Palatina in Palermo, 345 00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:18,600 to celebrate his monarchy. 346 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:34,600 But it's also a great symbol 347 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:36,680 of multicultural co-operation. 348 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:41,880 Craftsmen of three different religious traditions 349 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:44,080 worked alongside each other here. 350 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:56,000 These marble pavements were created by 351 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:58,640 western Christian craftsmen from across Italy. 352 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:08,680 Up in the dome, there is a mosaic of Christ Pantocrator, 353 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:13,680 Christ ruler of the universe, surrounded by a garland of winged angels. 354 00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:18,120 That was produced by the finest Greek craftsmen. 355 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:25,360 And there is a wonderful wooden stalactite ceiling 356 00:28:25,360 --> 00:28:27,480 produced by Muslim craftsmen. 357 00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:55,880 It shows scenes from paradise, with people riding camels, 358 00:28:55,880 --> 00:28:57,720 ladies in carriages... 359 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:02,400 ..and mythological beasts. 360 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:32,960 'Sicily became a great centre of culture and learning.' 361 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:39,040 Western, Greek and Muslim intellectuals flocked to the court of King Roger. 362 00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:43,280 In 1139, a Muslim scholar arrived from north Africa. 363 00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:47,000 His name was Abdullah Mohammed al Idrisi. 364 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:53,040 Roger commissioned him to create one of the most remarkable works of medieval geography. 365 00:29:56,040 --> 00:30:00,600 For 15 years, al Idrisi questioned sailors and travellers in Sicily's 366 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:03,960 many ports about their knowledge of other parts of the world. 367 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:08,560 The results of his researches are in this book. 368 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:12,080 It's known as The Book of Roger 369 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:16,200 and it's a combination of 70 maps of the regions of the world 370 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:20,440 combined with a description of the whole known world. 371 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:22,880 The Book of Roger is a powerful testament 372 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:25,240 to the Normans' curiosity and vision. 373 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:31,920 When put together, the 70 maps show their huge geographical knowledge. 374 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:38,680 From the Canary Islands and Spain in the west, 375 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:42,120 to India and China in the east. 376 00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:47,280 From Britain and Scandinavia in the north, to Africa in the south. 377 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:54,160 This was the most accurate map of the medieval world 378 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:57,480 and it would remain so for the next three centuries. 379 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:03,480 The Book of Roger also collects together everything that was known 380 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:05,720 about the world's geography and culture. 381 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:13,640 And it's truly global in its scope, containing accounts 382 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:17,840 of the caste system of India, rice cultivation in China 383 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:21,560 and even a not unrecognisable account of England. 384 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:27,080 "England is the shape of the head of an ostrich. 385 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:36,680 "It is very fertile. Its inhabitants are brave, active and enterprising, 386 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:40,120 "but all is in the grip of perpetual winter." 387 00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:49,080 The book is a symbol of the intense cultural ambition of Roger's Sicily. 388 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:53,440 The King himself had copies of these maps engraved on a silver disc 389 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:55,280 weighing 400 kilos. 390 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,360 King Roger was establishing himself 391 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:05,680 as one of the great medieval patrons of art, architecture and learning. 392 00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:10,960 Collaboration and assimilation had allowed the descendants 393 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:13,240 of Tancred de Hauteville to build 394 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:16,240 one of the most powerful kingdoms in Europe. 395 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:27,240 But events in the Middle East 396 00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:30,360 provoked the more aggressive side of the Norman character. 397 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:37,320 The flame of holy war was about to ignite beyond Europe, 398 00:32:39,560 --> 00:32:42,320 and the Normans would be at the heart of it. 399 00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:53,040 Christendom was under attack. 400 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:57,360 In the 1060s, the Seljuk Turks burst into the Middle East, 401 00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:00,880 defeating the Byzantines in their eastern empire. 402 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:04,120 In 1071, they captured Jerusalem 403 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:06,440 and its Christian holy places. 404 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:15,520 Atrocity stories spread about the fate of Christian pilgrims. 405 00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:19,320 Robert the Monk, the chronicler, says, "The Seljuks Turks 406 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:22,200 pierced "their navels, pulled out their entrails 407 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:23,880 and nailed them to a tree, 408 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:26,360 "then whipped the pilgrims around the tree 409 00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:29,440 until their intestines came out and they collapsed." 410 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:39,960 Christendom felt under siege. 411 00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:43,960 In 1095, Pope Urban II confronted the crisis 412 00:33:43,960 --> 00:33:46,920 at a council at Clermont in France. 413 00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:55,400 Before a huge crowd, the Pope announced the launch of a holy war 414 00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:57,840 between Christendom and Islam. 415 00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:02,600 In an impassioned speech, he urged all good Christians, rich and poor, 416 00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:05,200 "Take the road to the Holy Sepulchre, 417 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:09,120 "wrest that land from the wicked race and subject it to yourselves." 418 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:10,960 And for those died on the expedition, 419 00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:13,760 the Pope held out a special promise, 420 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:17,600 "All who die, on land or sea, or in battle with the pagans, 421 00:34:17,600 --> 00:34:20,680 "will earn immediate remission of sins." 422 00:34:20,680 --> 00:34:26,000 The crowd responded ecstatically, "God wills it! God wills it!" 423 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:28,200 The First Crusade had begun. 424 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:34,680 The Christians would present the First Crusade 425 00:34:34,680 --> 00:34:38,640 as a tournament between heaven and hell. 426 00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:41,040 Here was the perfect opportunity 427 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:45,920 for the Normans to combine piety and conquest. 428 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:49,400 Robert, Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror, 429 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:52,480 marched his men to war from northern France. 430 00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:58,920 Robert would prove a true son of his father. 431 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:03,000 During one fierce battle, the Normans were on the point of retreating 432 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:06,320 when Duke Robert rallied them, shouting out the war cry, "Normandy!" 433 00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:10,480 and pushing back his helmet to reveal his face, 434 00:35:10,480 --> 00:35:12,880 just as his father, William the Conqueror, had done 435 00:35:12,880 --> 00:35:15,760 at the Battle of Hastings. 436 00:35:19,560 --> 00:35:24,160 The Pope's message also stirred up the Normans in southern Italy. 437 00:35:24,160 --> 00:35:27,080 One of the most enthusiastic supporters of the Crusade 438 00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:30,120 was the eldest son of Robert Guiscard. 439 00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:31,800 His name was Bohemond. 440 00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:38,800 Like most Normans, Bohemond wasn't inspired by religion alone. 441 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:43,880 Despite being the eldest son, he had not inherited his father's lands. 442 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:47,480 He was eager to take new territory in the east 443 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:50,840 and set off on the long march to Jerusalem. 444 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:57,200 Bohemond was joined by another fierce warrior. 445 00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:02,960 His nephew, Tancred, also left south Italy to go on the First Crusade. 446 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:06,560 But Tancred had more religious qualms than his uncle. 447 00:36:06,560 --> 00:36:08,480 He was deeply worried that warfare 448 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:13,080 might be in conflict with Jesus' command to turn the other cheek, 449 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:16,080 but the Pope's message from Clermont reassured him. 450 00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:31,520 On their way to Jerusalem, 451 00:36:31,520 --> 00:36:35,720 the Crusaders arrived in the capital of the Byzantine Empire. 452 00:36:38,240 --> 00:36:41,240 Constantinople was one of the greatest cities 453 00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:42,920 of the medieval world. 454 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:56,200 Strategically situated on the borders of Europe and Asia, 455 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:59,080 successive emperors had strengthened its defences... 456 00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:06,320 ..and the Normans weren't welcome here. 457 00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:08,640 Constantinople was a Christian city. 458 00:37:08,640 --> 00:37:11,960 At its heart was the magnificent church of Aya Sophia, 459 00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:14,040 the Holy Wisdom. 460 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:21,680 So why didn't the Byzantines welcome the Christian Normans, 461 00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:24,160 fresh from their conquest of Muslim Sicily? 462 00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:29,440 The problem was the Normans had been enemies of the Byzantines 463 00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:31,920 ever since their first arrival in southern Italy. 464 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:38,760 And Bohemond himself was particularly unwelcome. 465 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:45,640 A decade before the Crusade, he'd inflicted a humiliating defeat 466 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:50,280 on the elite troops of the Byzantine Empire, the Varangian guard. 467 00:37:54,080 --> 00:37:58,760 This had been a bitter confrontation between old enemies. 468 00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:06,280 Many of the Varangian guard were Anglo-Saxons 469 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:09,800 who'd fled England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. 470 00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:13,720 Since Bohemond's assault on Byzantine Empire took place 471 00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:17,680 only 15 years later, it's likely that amongst the guard 472 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:20,600 were warriors who had fought at the Battle of Hastings. 473 00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:24,200 It must have been a curious replay of that earlier battle against 474 00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:26,720 the Normans and with the same outcome - 475 00:38:26,720 --> 00:38:28,840 the Normans were triumphant. 476 00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:40,120 Now the Byzantine Emperor, Alexius, 477 00:38:40,120 --> 00:38:42,960 found tens of thousands of westerners 478 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:47,480 pouring into his capital, among them many Normans. 479 00:38:47,480 --> 00:38:51,600 He needed their help in the battle against the Seljuk Turks, 480 00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:54,720 but he was determined to keep them under control. 481 00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:00,800 Alexius made the Crusade leaders, 482 00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:04,480 including Bohemond, swear an oath of allegiance to him. 483 00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:06,680 They all had to promise to return to his empire 484 00:39:06,680 --> 00:39:08,960 any former Byzantine towns they managed to liberate 485 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:10,560 from the Muslims. 486 00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:13,320 This was a condition for his support of the Crusade. 487 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:19,200 The whole episode was recorded by the Emperor's teenage daughter 488 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:23,040 Anna Comnena, the first female historian 489 00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:26,000 whose work has come down to us. 490 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:30,520 She seems to have been fascinated by this strange warrior from the North. 491 00:39:30,520 --> 00:39:35,200 Anna notes how Bohemond, "wore his hair in the Norman fashion - 492 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:39,520 "no beard and hair razor-cut to the ear." 493 00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:42,280 She also describes his "broad shoulders, 494 00:39:42,280 --> 00:39:45,560 deep chest and powerful arms." 495 00:39:47,160 --> 00:39:51,280 This teenage girl had mixed feelings about the Norman warrior. 496 00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:55,480 "It's true", she wrote, "that there was something appealing about the man," 497 00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:58,120 but this was outweighed by his terrifying qualities. 498 00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:00,760 "His whole being was harsh and brutal. 499 00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:04,080 "Even his laugh sounded like a snort of rage." 500 00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:11,120 Anna was well aware that the Normans were not to be trusted. 501 00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:14,640 She records Bohemond's reputation for treachery. 502 00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:17,600 It was said that he had perjury in his blood, 503 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:20,600 and it would be a miracle if he kept his oath. 504 00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:26,480 The Crusaders fought their way south across Anatolia, 505 00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:27,720 modern Turkey. 506 00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:33,600 In October 1097, they reached Antioch, 507 00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:38,480 one of the great Holy cities of the Christian world. 508 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:44,720 St Peter himself was said to have become the first ever bishop here. 509 00:40:44,720 --> 00:40:47,680 Antioch had been a major prize in warfare 510 00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:51,680 between Christians and Muslims since the 7th Century. 511 00:40:51,680 --> 00:40:54,040 Just ten years before the Crusade, 512 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:57,240 the city had been captured by the Seljuk Turks. 513 00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:03,920 It must have been a spectacular sight. 514 00:41:03,920 --> 00:41:08,200 The huge walls carried 400 towers. 515 00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:11,920 They climbed up the steep slopes of a mountain 516 00:41:11,920 --> 00:41:14,320 to a citadel 1,000 feet above the town. 517 00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:27,280 The Crusaders now had to capture this great fortress. 518 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:31,760 Thousands of knights laid siege to the city walls, 519 00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:35,360 but they faced a formidable Muslim defence. 520 00:41:38,720 --> 00:41:42,880 After a few months, the Crusaders had eaten all their supplies of food. 521 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:45,280 Horses died by the thousand 522 00:41:45,280 --> 00:41:48,200 and the Christian army was riddled with disease. 523 00:41:48,200 --> 00:41:51,160 Earthquakes and strange lights in the sky 524 00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:54,200 were interpreted as signs of coming doom. 525 00:41:54,200 --> 00:41:57,360 Some of the Crusaders, including several of the leaders, 526 00:41:57,360 --> 00:41:59,960 simply crept away. 527 00:41:59,960 --> 00:42:03,040 The first Crusade was close to collapse. 528 00:42:07,240 --> 00:42:10,920 Bohemond saw his chance to win valuable territory 529 00:42:10,920 --> 00:42:13,400 and decided it was time to act. 530 00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:18,280 He summoned a council of the Crusade leaders 531 00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:20,680 and proposed a plan of action. 532 00:42:22,320 --> 00:42:26,400 "f any one of us can gain possession of the city by any stratagem, 533 00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:29,080 "let us unanimously grant him the city." 534 00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:32,360 The council rejected Bohemond's offer of leadership, 535 00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:35,960 but when news arrived that a huge Muslim army was on its way 536 00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:39,240 to relieve Antioch, they changed their tune. 537 00:42:39,240 --> 00:42:42,080 "If Bohemond can gain possession of the city, 538 00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:48,520 "by himself or with others, we grant it to him freely and unanimously." 539 00:42:48,520 --> 00:42:53,040 The council didn't know that Bohemond had a secret agent inside the city, 540 00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:57,680 Firouz, one of the commanders of the city's defences. 541 00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:00,320 He was willing to betray the Muslim garrison 542 00:43:00,320 --> 00:43:03,360 by leaving a tower undefended. 543 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:06,880 Bohemond's troops prepared to attack. 544 00:43:06,880 --> 00:43:09,360 Bohemond told them, "Go with confidence 545 00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:11,440 "and climb the ladder into Antioch, 546 00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:15,040 "which we will quickly have in our possession, if it pleases God." 547 00:43:17,880 --> 00:43:21,360 Just before dawn on June 3rd 1098, 548 00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:24,280 they arrived at the Tower of the Two Sisters. 549 00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:32,840 One of Bohemond's knights reports, "They came to a ladder which was 550 00:43:32,840 --> 00:43:37,480 "securely fastened to the city walls and about 60 of our men went up it." 551 00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:43,680 They quickly seized the tower 552 00:43:43,680 --> 00:43:47,800 and then opened the great gates of the city to the Crusader army. 553 00:44:00,120 --> 00:44:02,800 After a siege lasting seven months, 554 00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:06,560 the Crusaders had finally taken Antioch 555 00:44:06,560 --> 00:44:09,760 and the Normans were triumphant. 556 00:44:19,560 --> 00:44:22,240 Bohemond had outwitted the other Crusaders. 557 00:44:22,240 --> 00:44:24,600 He raised his standard alongside the citadel 558 00:44:24,600 --> 00:44:26,520 and took control of the city. 559 00:44:26,520 --> 00:44:30,720 Ignoring his oath of allegiance to the Byzantine Emperor, Alexius, 560 00:44:30,720 --> 00:44:34,480 he set himself up as an independent Christian prince. 561 00:44:34,480 --> 00:44:37,680 Bohemond established a new Norman state, 562 00:44:37,680 --> 00:44:39,880 the principality of Antioch. 563 00:44:52,800 --> 00:44:55,080 Having conquered with terror, 564 00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:58,520 Bohemond followed the well established Norman strategy. 565 00:45:00,240 --> 00:45:03,400 Assimilation and adaptation. 566 00:45:08,080 --> 00:45:12,760 Like Sicily, this was an ethnically mixed state 567 00:45:12,760 --> 00:45:16,960 and it would flourish under Norman rule for the next 200 years. 568 00:45:20,280 --> 00:45:23,400 As Bohemond began to consolidate power in Antioch, 569 00:45:23,400 --> 00:45:28,200 his nephew, Tancred, marched on with the army of Crusaders... 570 00:45:28,200 --> 00:45:29,840 ..to Jerusalem. 571 00:45:49,160 --> 00:45:52,600 Jerusalem is one of the most holy cities in the world, 572 00:45:52,600 --> 00:45:55,440 the meeting place of three great religions. 573 00:45:55,440 --> 00:45:58,320 For Christians, it's the site of Christ's resurrection, 574 00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:01,720 the Holy Sepulchre, the most sacred place in Christendom. 575 00:46:01,720 --> 00:46:05,680 The Crusaders had come to take it back from the Muslims. 576 00:46:07,880 --> 00:46:10,840 But Jerusalem was strongly fortified. 577 00:46:10,840 --> 00:46:16,080 To the east, the city was protected by ravines. 578 00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:20,080 To the west, by a great fortress, the Tower of David. 579 00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:28,560 The Muslims were prepared for the coming of the Crusaders. 580 00:46:28,560 --> 00:46:30,680 They had driven off all flocks of sheep, 581 00:46:30,680 --> 00:46:32,880 which could have been slaughtered for food 582 00:46:32,880 --> 00:46:35,640 and poisoned the wells near the city. 583 00:46:35,640 --> 00:46:37,120 Thirst was the great menace. 584 00:46:37,120 --> 00:46:39,960 One Norman knight records how the Crusaders had to 585 00:46:39,960 --> 00:46:45,040 "sew up the skins of oxen and buffalo and carry water six miles. 586 00:46:45,040 --> 00:46:48,160 "We drank the stinking water from these containers. 587 00:46:48,160 --> 00:46:50,840 "We suffered great affliction every day." 588 00:47:03,560 --> 00:47:05,360 On June 13th 1099, 589 00:47:06,640 --> 00:47:10,200 Tancred led the first assault on the city walls. 590 00:47:19,320 --> 00:47:22,560 But the Crusaders were easily driven back. 591 00:47:29,880 --> 00:47:35,160 The Crusade was saved by the arrival of six Genoese ships in the port of Jaffa. 592 00:47:35,160 --> 00:47:40,200 They provided timbers to construct siege towers and ladders 593 00:47:40,200 --> 00:47:42,800 to scale the walls of Jerusalem. 594 00:47:50,680 --> 00:47:52,920 A month after the siege had begun, 595 00:47:52,920 --> 00:47:55,840 the Crusaders made plans for a final assault. 596 00:47:55,840 --> 00:47:57,560 In preparation, they fasted 597 00:47:57,560 --> 00:48:00,920 and went in barefoot procession around the city. 598 00:48:00,920 --> 00:48:04,360 As they did so, the Muslim defenders mocked and jeered at them 599 00:48:04,360 --> 00:48:07,200 from the walls. 600 00:48:15,040 --> 00:48:19,440 On the night of July 13th 1099, the Crusaders attacked in force 601 00:48:19,440 --> 00:48:23,320 from both north and south, using battering rams and siege towers. 602 00:48:23,320 --> 00:48:26,120 For two days the conflict hung in the balance. 603 00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:28,840 Then the Crusaders broke into the city. 604 00:48:28,840 --> 00:48:31,000 Tancred was amongst the leaders. 605 00:48:34,480 --> 00:48:37,440 Pillage and massacre followed. 606 00:48:39,200 --> 00:48:42,160 The Crusaders rampaged through the city, 607 00:48:42,160 --> 00:48:44,680 seizing gold and silver as they went. 608 00:48:51,160 --> 00:48:53,960 The slaughter of the Muslims was savage. 609 00:48:53,960 --> 00:48:56,400 Chroniclers record that thousands were killed, 610 00:48:56,400 --> 00:49:01,080 piles of hands, feet and heads could be seen in the streets. 611 00:49:05,320 --> 00:49:08,760 The Normans rushed to take possession of the sacred site 612 00:49:08,760 --> 00:49:12,920 of Christ's burial and resurrection, the Holy Sepulchre. 613 00:49:23,840 --> 00:49:27,920 One observer recorded that "they rejoiced and cried for joy 614 00:49:27,920 --> 00:49:32,160 "to worship at the sepulchre of our saviour, Jesus." 615 00:49:41,400 --> 00:49:46,360 After the slaughter, the Crusaders established a Christian kingdom here 616 00:49:46,360 --> 00:49:49,160 and divided up the land they had conquered. 617 00:49:54,720 --> 00:49:59,600 Tancred, the grandson of Robert Guiscard, became Prince of Galilee. 618 00:50:02,800 --> 00:50:05,480 Norman power was now firmly established 619 00:50:05,480 --> 00:50:09,520 far beyond the borders of Europe, 620 00:50:09,520 --> 00:50:12,920 but this military triumph in the east would deepen 621 00:50:12,920 --> 00:50:17,560 one of the world's greatest political and cultural divides 622 00:50:17,560 --> 00:50:21,400 and its impact is still being felt to this day. 623 00:50:23,280 --> 00:50:26,040 The bloody conquest of Jerusalem left a deep rift 624 00:50:26,040 --> 00:50:28,080 between Christians and Muslims. 625 00:50:28,080 --> 00:50:30,280 The Normans had taken part in a slaughter 626 00:50:30,280 --> 00:50:32,320 that would never be forgiven. 627 00:50:32,320 --> 00:50:36,320 Even today, Islamic fundamentalists refer to their enemies in the West 628 00:50:36,320 --> 00:50:38,560 as "the Crusaders." 629 00:50:55,960 --> 00:51:00,360 2,000 kilometres away across the Mediterranean, in Sicily, 630 00:51:00,360 --> 00:51:04,920 the Normans were still bringing Muslims and Christians together. 631 00:51:04,920 --> 00:51:09,560 This encouraged an astonishing exchange of ideas and learning. 632 00:51:15,200 --> 00:51:17,360 In the court of King Roger II, 633 00:51:17,360 --> 00:51:22,040 multi-lingual scholars shared and translated ancient works, 634 00:51:22,040 --> 00:51:25,320 which had been lost to western Europe for centuries in the chaos 635 00:51:25,320 --> 00:51:28,920 that followed the fall of the Roman Empire. 636 00:51:28,920 --> 00:51:31,840 Among them was one of the most influential 637 00:51:31,840 --> 00:51:34,400 scientific works in history, 638 00:51:34,400 --> 00:51:36,280 Ptolemy's Almagest. 639 00:51:37,840 --> 00:51:42,760 Written in Greek in the 2nd Century, the Almagest was made up of 13 books 640 00:51:42,760 --> 00:51:45,400 containing the most advanced mathematical and astronomical 641 00:51:45,400 --> 00:51:50,080 discoveries of the Classical world. 642 00:51:50,080 --> 00:51:53,280 It had been preserved in the libraries of Constantinople. 643 00:51:56,920 --> 00:52:00,480 In the 12th Century, an anonymous author in Norman Sicily 644 00:52:00,480 --> 00:52:04,080 translated a copy of the Greek text into Latin. 645 00:52:04,080 --> 00:52:08,560 The Almagest is the most important work of ancient Greek astronomy, 646 00:52:08,560 --> 00:52:12,000 allowing scientists to predict the patterns of the planets 647 00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:15,080 and to chart the night skies. 648 00:52:15,080 --> 00:52:18,080 In books six and seven, there are charts of the fixed stars, 649 00:52:18,080 --> 00:52:21,760 explaining their different patterns over the course of the year. 650 00:52:27,160 --> 00:52:30,520 The arrival of this knowledge into western Europe 651 00:52:30,520 --> 00:52:33,240 transformed the study of mathematics, 652 00:52:33,240 --> 00:52:35,600 astronomy and navigation. 653 00:52:35,600 --> 00:52:38,760 It remained a huge influence on European thought 654 00:52:38,760 --> 00:52:41,280 throughout the Middle Ages and beyond. 655 00:52:50,560 --> 00:52:53,240 Under Roger, Sicily grew into a kingdom 656 00:52:53,240 --> 00:52:55,880 more prosperous than Norman England. 657 00:52:59,360 --> 00:53:04,400 He conquered Malta, moved into northern Africa and invaded Greece 658 00:53:06,040 --> 00:53:10,240 and the Norman dynasty continued for many generations. 659 00:53:11,840 --> 00:53:16,000 This great cathedral at Monreale, outside Palermo, 660 00:53:16,000 --> 00:53:19,600 was built by Roger's grandson in the late 12th Century. 661 00:53:21,120 --> 00:53:23,920 Like the Norman cathedrals of northern Europe, 662 00:53:23,920 --> 00:53:27,600 Monreale is spectacular in scale. 663 00:53:40,400 --> 00:53:43,480 It marks the high point of the marriage between 664 00:53:43,480 --> 00:53:47,880 Norman Romanesque architecture and Byzantine craftsmanship. 665 00:53:53,360 --> 00:53:58,200 The Byzantine mosaics are among the most magnificent in the world. 666 00:54:29,640 --> 00:54:32,400 The inside of the cathedral is overwhelming. 667 00:54:32,400 --> 00:54:37,240 There are two acres of mosaic decoration and it's been calculated 668 00:54:37,240 --> 00:54:42,080 that something like 2,200 kilograms of gold were used here. 669 00:54:42,080 --> 00:54:45,600 One of the jewels of the island is this huge image 670 00:54:45,600 --> 00:54:48,240 of Christ Pantocrator. 671 00:54:52,520 --> 00:54:55,760 This striking image celebrating Christ's omnipotence 672 00:54:55,760 --> 00:54:59,000 is a powerful assertion of the Normans' Christian faith. 673 00:55:06,320 --> 00:55:10,600 But the cathedral at Monreale is also a magnificent symbol 674 00:55:10,600 --> 00:55:13,480 of this multi-cultural society 675 00:55:13,480 --> 00:55:16,840 that would become a legend in Italian history. 676 00:55:16,840 --> 00:55:21,320 When Italian historians talk about Il Regno, The Kingdom, 677 00:55:21,320 --> 00:55:23,760 it is always clear what is meant. 678 00:55:23,760 --> 00:55:28,440 Sicily, one of the most powerful kingdoms of the medieval world. 679 00:55:46,600 --> 00:55:49,160 For 300 years, the Normans 680 00:55:49,160 --> 00:55:53,240 were among the most dynamic forces in Europe. 681 00:55:53,240 --> 00:55:56,880 They colonised countries, 682 00:55:56,880 --> 00:56:01,280 and created new states and kingdoms. 683 00:56:01,280 --> 00:56:04,640 They became patrons of art and learning. 684 00:56:09,480 --> 00:56:11,920 And they transformed the landscape 685 00:56:11,920 --> 00:56:14,760 with magnificent cathedrals and castles. 686 00:56:18,200 --> 00:56:21,360 But the age of the Normans wouldn't last forever. 687 00:56:26,040 --> 00:56:29,760 In England, the Norman dynasty founded by William the Conqueror 688 00:56:29,760 --> 00:56:33,200 gave way to the Plantagenets in 1154. 689 00:56:37,640 --> 00:56:41,280 40 years later, the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI, 690 00:56:41,280 --> 00:56:43,480 conquered the Kingdom of Sicily. 691 00:56:50,600 --> 00:56:53,520 After 300 years of Norman rule, 692 00:56:53,520 --> 00:56:57,200 Normandy itself was lost to the French King. 693 00:57:00,040 --> 00:57:02,960 And finally, in 1268, Antioch, 694 00:57:04,240 --> 00:57:06,400 Bohemond's great eastern prize... 695 00:57:08,240 --> 00:57:10,640 ..was recaptured by the Muslims. 696 00:57:18,200 --> 00:57:21,720 The Normans simply disappeared. This might sound like failure, 697 00:57:21,720 --> 00:57:24,920 but in fact it was the key to their success. 698 00:57:24,920 --> 00:57:27,840 They weren't interested in the purity of their blood. 699 00:57:27,840 --> 00:57:31,000 They came, they saw, they conquered. 700 00:57:31,000 --> 00:57:32,840 Then they married the locals, 701 00:57:32,840 --> 00:57:36,800 learnt the language and assimilated themselves out of existence. 702 00:57:36,800 --> 00:57:39,360 But their legacy lived on. 703 00:57:39,360 --> 00:57:42,080 The Normans created a medieval blueprint 704 00:57:42,080 --> 00:57:47,640 for aggressive colonialism, but they also showed that sometimes 705 00:57:47,640 --> 00:57:50,320 people of different languages and different religions 706 00:57:50,320 --> 00:57:52,360 can live side by side.