principality · Italy
Principality of Taranto
Origins
After Robert Guiscard's death the Norman inheritance was divided, and in 1088 his eldest son Bohemond received Taranto and much of the heel of Italy as compensation for losing the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria to his half-brother Roger Borsa. Bohemond soon left on the First Crusade and founded the Principality of Antioch.
Rule and society
Taranto became a fief within the Kingdom of Sicily and then the Kingdom of Naples, often granted to royal relatives, such as the Angevin Philip I of Taranto from 1294. Its princes controlled the ports and olive and grain lands of Apulia and could field large armies. Under the Orsini del Balzo in the 15th century it covered much of southern Apulia.
Decline and legacy
Prince Giovanni Antonio Orsini del Balzo, who rebelled against King Ferrante, died in 1463 without legitimate heirs. Ferrante seized his lands, and the principality was absorbed into the royal domain of the Kingdom of Naples.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Principality of Taranto was a vassal of Kingdom of Sicily1130 CE – 1282 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Taranto. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-taranto
- MLA
- “Principality of Taranto.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-taranto. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Taranto.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-taranto.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Taranto’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-taranto (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻