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Roussel de Balle
An 11th-century Norman mercenary commander who served Byzantium and established a short-lived independent regime in Anatolia in 1073–74, later captur…
Timeline
- c. 1060–1071Anatolia · AnatoliaRoussel came from the Bayeux region of Normandy and, like many Norman knights, traveled east to serve the Byzantine Empire as a mercenary; his elite cavalry won him imperial favor, and he took part in frontier campaigns in Anatolia, gradually accumulating independent military strength and followers. He joined the Manzikert expedition, and the post-battle situation allowed him to seek independent development.
- 1073–1074Galatia · GalatiaBetween 1073 and 1074, Roussel led Norman cavalry in central Anatolia's Galatia region, defeating several Byzantine armies including the force under Caesar John Doukas, whom he captured. He installed John Doukas's son Andronikos Doukas as nominal emperor, using this as a pretext for open separatism. His regime at one point left imperial authority in Anatolia almost nonexistent.
- 1074–1077Anatolia · AnatoliaByzantine emperor Michael VII Doukas entrusted the young general Alexios Komnenos with suppressing the revolt; Alexios persuaded the Sultan of Rum, Tutush, through diplomacy to hand Roussel over to Byzantium. Captured, Roussel was tried in Constantinople and blinded, after which the historical record of him essentially ends.
Sources
- The Alexiad — Anna Komnene
- The Normans in the South 1016–1130 — John Julius Norwich (1967)
- Byzantium and the Crusades — Jonathan Harris (2003)