A 1071 siege ended five centuries of Byzantine rule in southern Italy
The fall of Bari in 1071 marked the end of half a millennium of Byzantine influence in Italy, as Norman conquerors finally ousted the last remnants of the Eastern Roman Empire.
For over 500 years, the Byzantine Empire maintained a powerful foothold in Southern Italy, but that era ended abruptly on April 15, 1071. After a brutal three-year siege, the city of Bari fell to the Norman commander Robert Guiscard. The city was the capital of the Catepanate of Italy, and its surrender signaled the total collapse of Byzantine authority in the region.
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