First Name:
Graham
Last Name:
Shelton
Major Department:
Department of History
Thesis Director:
W. Scott Jessee
Date of Thesis:
May 2015
The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the Norman conquest of southern Italy and Sicily with a particular focus on the d’Hauteville family. The d’Hauteville family was integral to the conquest, shaping and forming how it was undertaken and their actions directly guided how the conquest unfolded. To fully understand this question, it was necessary to exam the conquest and the d’Hautevilles within their own contexts. Research was conducted first on a smaller scale, analyzing the circumstance in which the Norman culture formed and how that related to their coming into southern Italy and Sicily. Once this was established it was necessary to place the d’Hauteville family within this context and to understand how their origins and circumstance within Normandy influenced them in regards to the conquest. It was also necessary to analyze the region in which the conquest took place, in order to understand how the history of the region played in to these events. To answer these questions, numerous secondary sources were consulted and from there a select number of primary sources emerged. With these sources the questions regarding the conquest could be answered. In conclusion, the research showed that the d’Hautevilles exemplified the Norman circumstance of their era, leading them into southern Italy and Sicily. The researched identified that the d’Hauteville family, but especially the brothers Robert and Roger, were fundamental to the course of the conquest. The actions and relationship of Robert and Roger forged the Norman in the south into a unified whole and from that basis formed the foundation from which their sons would build a rich and vibrant kingdom.