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Bohemond's Siege of Dyrrhachium
In 1081, Norman duke Robert Guiscard and his son Bohemond besieged the Byzantine stronghold of Dyrrhachium (modern Durrës, Albania) on the Illyrian c…
Timeline
- 1081Dyrrhachium · AlbaniaRobert Guiscard and Bohemond led a Norman-Lombard coalition in besieging Dyrrhachium on the eastern Adriatic coast, cutting the city's sea and land links with Constantinople.
- 1081outside Dyrrhachium · AlbaniaEastern Roman Emperor Alexios I personally led relief forces to the city and engaged the Normans in open battle. Amid clashes between Norman cavalry charges and the Byzantine Varangian Guard and Turkic mercenaries, the battle line shifted several times.
- 1081Dyrrhachium · AlbaniaThe Norman army defeated the Byzantine relief forces on the battlefield, forcing Alexios to retreat. The Normans controlled the area around Dyrrhachium, laying the groundwork for subsequent expansion onto the Greek mainland.
Sources
- The Age of Robert Guiscard: Southern Italy and the Northern Conquest — G. A. Loud (2000)
- Anna Komnene, The Alexiad — Anna Komnene