Southern Italy before the First Crusade

The Vikings, a people of the North, began to invade and occupy other parts of Europe and even more distant places, to make raids in the 8th century. The first land that Vikings attacked in Europe was England. But, the Vikings did not only attack to England, they have made serious assaults in Ireland, Scotland, France and Andalus in the 8th-9th centuries. They even played an important role in the establishment of the first Russian State in the east. Normans, of Viking origin, came to Italy by pilgrimage in the first years of the 11th century. The Normans, who were primarily mercenaries in there, took advantage of the difficult situation of the Lombard principalities and Byzantium, and over time used it for a political benefit on their behalf. After 1040, The Hauteville family, initated a new process. In 1053, a Papal-led war was fought in Civitate to drive the Normans in Italy, but the Normans were victorious. At the Melfi Council in 1059, the Papacy declared Roberto Guiscardo as Duke of Apulia-Calabria. The official recognition of the Norman lands gave further impetus to their achievements. By 1091, Southern Italy was completely taken over by the Normans. In the meantime: with the declare of the Crusades in 1095, another chance arose for the Normans. In 1096, under Bohemund's leadership, the Normans of Southern Italy joined the First Crusade. However, they joined this expedition not out of religious aims, but with dreams of new lands in the Balkans or Anatolia.