Description
Book SynopsisThis translation of Amatus's L'Ystoire de li Normant identifies the events of the Norman conquest of southern Italy and Sicily as recorded in one of the earliest chronicles. Amatus of Montecassino was the earliest historian of the Norman conquest of southern Italy and Sicily. His History of the Normans, written c.1080, includes the sieges of Bari and Salerno, the conquest of Sicily, Robert Guiscard'sbrigand's life, as well as tales of miracles and prophecies. It is also a text of great value for study of the Gregorian Reform and of the abbey of Montecassino, one of the most important cultural and religious centres of eleventh-century Christendom. This book provides a vivid translation of this intriguing contemporary history; while the introduction and extensive annotation locate the "History" securely in its contemporary context and provide a full discussion of its purpose and themes, and of the various problems of authorship and transmission associated with it.
Trade ReviewGiven the collective expertise accumulated here, this annotated translation is now the text's indispensable introduction. [...] Loud's annotations are invaluable: they concentrate on the parallel primary sources, not on secondary commentary; they highlight agreements and conflicts. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *
