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Death of Robert Guiscard

Type Event Region Europe Time 1085

On 17 July 1085, Norman duke Robert Guiscard died of illness while campaigning against Byzantine Cephalonia;…

Timeline

  1. 1085Cephalonia · Ionian IslandsAmidst stalemate with Byzantium, Guiscard again crossed the sea with his fleet to besiege Byzantine-held Cephalonia, attempting to reestablish a naval base for the Balkan front.
  2. 1085Cephalonia · Ionian IslandsGuiscard fell ill with fever during the siege and died at about the age of 70. With the sudden death of the Normans' supreme commander, the expedition immediately collapsed.
  3. 1085Western Balkan Peninsula · BalkansBohemond led the remnants back to southern Italy; Byzantium seized the opportunity to recover Dyrrhachium and other lost territories, the first Norman invasion crisis was resolved, and Alexios could turn to the Danube and Anatolian frontiers.

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