Battle of Cannae (1018)
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The Battle of Cannae took place in 1018 between the Byzantines under the Catepan of Italy Basil Boioannes and the Lombards under Melus of Bari. The Lombards had also hired some Norman mercenaries under their leader Gilbert Buatère. The battle was fought on the same spot where Hannibal of Carthage had destroyed the Roman army in 216 BC.
The battle was disastrous for the Lombards, who were routed. Melus managed to escape to the Papal States and eventually to the court of Emperor Henry II at Bamberg. The Normans lost their leader and most of their group. But this group of Normans was the first of many to go to southern Italy and by the end of the century most of southern Italy was under Norman control.
- Norwich, John Julius. The Normans in the South 1016-1130.
