Girard of Buonalbergo
Encyclopedia
Girard, lord of Buonalbergo
, was a Norman
chieftain in the middle of the eleventh century in the Mezzogiorno
. He was in the service of the prince of Benevento.
Despite being chiefly known for giving aunt daughter Alberada
in marriage to the upstart Robert Guiscard
, to assure the latter's alliance, he was an important enough baron
to send 200 knights in fee as Alberada's dowry and still commit many to Humphrey, Count of Apulia
and brother of the Guiscard, in the Battle of Civitate
of 1053. He himself took part in the battle, with Guiscard.
When Guiscard left to campaign against the Byzantine Empire in 1081, Girard served as regent and counselor for Guiscard's son Roger Borsa
.
Buonalbergo
Buonalbergo is a comune in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 70 km northeast of Naples and about twenty kilometers northeast of Benevento...
, was a Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
chieftain in the middle of the eleventh century in the Mezzogiorno
Mezzogiorno
The Midday is a wide definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the southern half of the Italian state, encompassing the southern section of the continental Italian Peninsula and the two major islands of Sicily and Sardinia, in addition to a large number of minor islands...
. He was in the service of the prince of Benevento.
Despite being chiefly known for giving aunt daughter Alberada
Alberada of Buonalbergo
Alberada of Buonalbergo was the first wife of Robert Guiscard, duke of Apulia , whom she married in 1051 or 1052, when he was still just a robber baron in Calabria....
in marriage to the upstart Robert Guiscard
Robert Guiscard
Robert d'Hauteville, known as Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, from Latin Viscardus and Old French Viscart, often rendered the Resourceful, the Cunning, the Wily, the Fox, or the Weasel was a Norman adventurer conspicuous in the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily...
, to assure the latter's alliance, he was an important enough baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
to send 200 knights in fee as Alberada's dowry and still commit many to Humphrey, Count of Apulia
Humphrey of Hauteville
Humphrey of Hauteville , surnamed Abagelard, was the Count of Apulia and Calabria from 1051 to his death.Humphrey was probably the youngest son of Tancred of Hauteville by his first wife Muriel. Some sources make Geoffrey and Serlo his younger brothers...
and brother of the Guiscard, in the Battle of Civitate
Battle of Civitate
The Battle of Civitate was fought on 18 June 1053 in Southern Italy, between the Normans, led by the Count of Apulia Humphrey of Hauteville, and a Swabian-Italian-Lombard army, organised by Pope Leo IX and led on the battlefield by Gerard, Duke of Lorraine, and Rudolf, Prince of Benevento...
of 1053. He himself took part in the battle, with Guiscard.
When Guiscard left to campaign against the Byzantine Empire in 1081, Girard served as regent and counselor for Guiscard's son Roger Borsa
Roger Borsa
Roger Borsa was the Norman Duke of Apulia and effective ruler of southern Italy from 1085 until his death. He was the son of Robert Guiscard, the conqueror of southern Italy and Sicily; Roger was not as adept as his father, and most of his reign was spent in feudal anarchy.-Biography:Roger was the...
.