Roussel de Bailleul
Encyclopedia
Roussel de Bailleul (died 1077), also known as Phrangopoulos (literally "son-of-a-Frank"), was a Norman adventurer (or exile) who travelled to Byzantium
and there received employ as a soldier and leader of men from the Emperor Romanus IV (ruled 1068–71).
Roussel was possibly a Frank
, but certainly ventured with the Apulian Normans to Italy, settled in Terra d'Otranto
and served under Roger de Hauteville
in Sicily. According to Geoffrey Malaterra, Roussel distinguished himself with his bravery at the Battle of Cerami, where he urged Count Roger to pursue the fleeing Saracens. Aside from this brief account by Malaterra, The Alexiad
of Anna Comnena is the main source for Roussel.
He was present at the Battle of Manzikert
in 1071, where he refused to join the fray, which proved to be a disastrous defeat for the Byzantines. Despite this treachery, he was kept in imperial service, where good generals were needed, and was sent into Asia Minor
again with a force of 3,000 Franco-Norman heavy cavalry. There Roussel conquered some territory in Galatia
and declared it an independent state, in 1073, with himself as prince, following the example set by his fellow Normans in the Mezzogiorno
. His capital was Ankara
, now the capital of Turkey
. He defeated the Caesar
John Ducas
and sacked Chrysopolis
, near Constantinople
. He even supported a usurper candidate, but by formally ceding lands that the Seljuk Turks had actually conquered, the emperor Michael VII
persuaded the Seljuk warlord Tutush I
to remove Roussel. However, the Norman evaded imperial would-be captors and found refuge in Amasea, where the population so loved him that he made himself undisputed governor. He was given up by the people through a ploy of Alexius Comnenus (1074), then a general, later an emperor.
In 1077, he was released (for a ransom) from his Constantinopolitan imprisonment to lead a battalion against the rebel Nicephorus Botaniates. He defeated him handily, but then played the traitor and joined him. This time, the emperor called up the Seljuks again and they defeated and captured him at Nicomedia
. He was given over to Byzantium and executed.
It is uncertain what exact relationship he might have had with the House of Balliol
.
His life and career in Byzantine service was fictionalized in Alfred Duggan
's novel The Lady for Ransom.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and there received employ as a soldier and leader of men from the Emperor Romanus IV (ruled 1068–71).
Roussel was possibly a Frank
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
, but certainly ventured with the Apulian Normans to Italy, settled in Terra d'Otranto
Terra d'Otranto
Terra d'Otranto was an ancient administrative division of the Kingdom of Naples, consisting of a giustizierato and then converted into a Province of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Now it belongs to Apulia region and is located in the Province of Lecce....
and served under Roger de Hauteville
Roger I of Sicily
Roger I , called Bosso and the Great Count, was the Norman Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101. He was the last great leader of the Norman conquest of southern Italy.-Conquest of Calabria and Sicily:...
in Sicily. According to Geoffrey Malaterra, Roussel distinguished himself with his bravery at the Battle of Cerami, where he urged Count Roger to pursue the fleeing Saracens. Aside from this brief account by Malaterra, The Alexiad
Alexiad
The Alexiad is a medieval biographical text written around the year 1148 by the Byzantine historian Anna Comnena, daughter of Emperor Alexius I....
of Anna Comnena is the main source for Roussel.
He was present at the Battle of Manzikert
Battle of Manzikert
The Battle of Manzikert , was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuq Turks led by Alp Arslan on August 26, 1071 near Manzikert...
in 1071, where he refused to join the fray, which proved to be a disastrous defeat for the Byzantines. Despite this treachery, he was kept in imperial service, where good generals were needed, and was sent into Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
again with a force of 3,000 Franco-Norman heavy cavalry. There Roussel conquered some territory in Galatia
Galatia
Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. Galatia was named for the immigrant Gauls from Thrace , who settled here and became its ruling caste in the 3rd century BC, following the Gallic invasion of the Balkans in 279 BC. It has been called the "Gallia" of...
and declared it an independent state, in 1073, with himself as prince, following the example set by his fellow Normans 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...
. His capital was Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, now the capital of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. He defeated the Caesar
Caesar (title)
Caesar is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...
John Ducas
John Doukas, Caesar
John Doukas was the son of Andronikos Doukas, a Paphlagonian nobleman who may have served as governor of the theme of Moesia and younger brother of Emperor Constantine X Doukas...
and sacked Chrysopolis
Üsküdar
Üsküdar is a large and densely populated municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Beykoz, on the east by Ümraniye, on the southeast by Ataşehir, on the south by Kadıköy, and on the west by the Bosphorus, with the areas of Beşiktaş,...
, near Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. He even supported a usurper candidate, but by formally ceding lands that the Seljuk Turks had actually conquered, the emperor Michael VII
Michael VII
Michael VII Doukas or Ducas , nicknamed Parapinakēs , was Byzantine emperor from 1071 to 1078.- Life :...
persuaded the Seljuk warlord Tutush I
Tutush I
Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I was the Seljuq ruler of Damascus from 1079 to 1095, succeeding Abaaq al-Khwarazmi. He finished the construction of the Citadel of Damascus, a project that had begun under the direction of Abaaq al Khwarizmi...
to remove Roussel. However, the Norman evaded imperial would-be captors and found refuge in Amasea, where the population so loved him that he made himself undisputed governor. He was given up by the people through a ploy of Alexius Comnenus (1074), then a general, later an emperor.
In 1077, he was released (for a ransom) from his Constantinopolitan imprisonment to lead a battalion against the rebel Nicephorus Botaniates. He defeated him handily, but then played the traitor and joined him. This time, the emperor called up the Seljuks again and they defeated and captured him at Nicomedia
Nicomedia
Nicomedia was an ancient city in what is now Turkey, founded in 712/11 BC as a Megarian colony and was originally known as Astacus . After being destroyed by Lysimachus, it was rebuilt by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC under the name of Nicomedia, and has ever since been one of the most...
. He was given over to Byzantium and executed.
It is uncertain what exact relationship he might have had with the House of Balliol
House of Balliol
The House of Balliol was a Picard and Anglo-Norman family who began to rule some estates in England in the reign of William Rufus. In the late 13th and 14th centuries, two members of the house were kings of Scotland....
.
His life and career in Byzantine service was fictionalized in Alfred Duggan
Alfred Duggan
Alfred Duggan was an English historian, archeologist and best-selling historical novelist during the 1950s. Although he was raised in England, Duggan was born Alfred Leo Duggan in Buenos Aires, Argentina to a family of wealthy landowners of Irish descent. His family moved to England when he was...
's novel The Lady for Ransom.
Sources
- Norwich, John JuliusJohn Julius NorwichJohn Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich CVO — known as John Julius Norwich — is an English historian, travel writer and television personality.-Early life:...
. The Normans in the South, 1016–1130. London: Longmans, 1967. - Gravett, Christopher, and Nicolle, David. The Normans: Warrior Knights and their Castles. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2006.