duchy · Italy
Duchy of Apulia and Calabria
Origins
Norman mercenaries in Byzantine Apulia elected William Iron Arm as their count at Melfi around 1042–1043. After his brothers Drogo and Humphrey, their half-brother Robert Guiscard took over in 1057, and in 1059 Pope Nicholas II invested him at Melfi as duke of Apulia, Calabria and, in prospect, Sicily, making the papacy the duchy's overlord.
Rule and society
Guiscard captured Bari in 1071, ending Byzantine rule in Italy, and Salerno in 1077, which became his capital. The duchy ruled Greek-speaking Calabria and Lombard and Latin Apulia, keeping Byzantine officials and Greek monasteries alongside Latin bishops. Its army also invaded the Byzantine Empire across the Adriatic in 1081, and in 1084 sacked Rome while rescuing Pope Gregory VII.
Decline and legacy
After Guiscard's death in 1085, his son Roger Borsa and grandson William II struggled to control rebellious barons. When William died childless in 1127, his cousin Roger II of the County of Sicily claimed the duchy, and in 1130 merged it into the new Kingdom of Sicily.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (6)
- Duchy of Apulia and Calabria was a vassal of Papal States1059 CE – 1127 CE
- Catepanate of Italy was conquered by Duchy of Apulia and Calabria1071 CE
- County of Sicily was a vassal of Duchy of Apulia and Calabria1071 CE – 1127 CE
- Republic of Amalfi was conquered by Duchy of Apulia and Calabria1073 CE
- Principality of Salerno was conquered by Duchy of Apulia and Calabria1077 CE
- Principality of Bari split from Duchy of Apulia and Calabria1119 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Duchy of Apulia and Calabria. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-apulia-and-calabria
- MLA
- “Duchy of Apulia and Calabria.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-apulia-and-calabria. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Duchy of Apulia and Calabria.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-apulia-and-calabria.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Duchy of Apulia and Calabria’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/duchy-of-apulia-and-calabria (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻