“When this great victory was won by the valour of those 40 Norman pilgrims, the Prince thanked them greatly, offered them gifts and promised them great rewards. [When the Normans did not wish to remain, he invited them] to give encouragement to others to come there from Normandy because of the wealth of that region, and he sent messengers with the victorious Normans with citrus fruit, almonds, preserved nuts, purple cloth, and instruments of iron adorned with gold to induce the Normans to come to the land of milk and honey and of so many beautiful things.”
Around 1000, the Italian peninsula and Sicily resembled a veritable patchwork of different dominions. Langobardic princes, Byzantines, Muslim rulers, the Pope, and the Holy Roman Emperor all struggled for power and influence. This was the melange encountered by Norman pilgrims and mercenaries. Attracted by pilgrimage sites such as Monte Sant'Angelo and the city of Jerusalem that could be reached via the ports of Southern Italy, Normans came into the country. They returned to Normandy with news of the need for mercenaries and the opportunities thus arising. Many Normans followed this call.
Southern Italy, 11th/12th c.
Iron
Brescia, Fondazione Brescia Musei, Museo delle Armi „Luigi Marzoli“, Inv. MR 14800
Nasal helmets of this kind, which are also called „Normans helmets“, are very rare today. This helmet was acquired in Salerno and probably originated from a church in the area. This makes it the only known Norman helmet from southern Italy to this day. There are holes at the lower rim of helmet bell which were used to attach an inner lining.
11th/12th c.
Iron
Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, Inv. AM 4354
Swords with a straight parry bar and a small semicircle pommel were often used by warriors in the Middle Ages. They were very valueable to their owner and accompanied them at all times. The former coating of the handle, the so-called „Hilze“, is no longer existing. It probably was made of wood and was covered with textile or leather.
Rouen, middle of the 11th–beginning of the 12th c.
Found at the Castle in Salerno
Silver
Salerno, Museo Medievale del Castello di Arechi, Inv. 21.S83–7.6
These coins were minted in Normandy but found in a vessel buried inside the castle of Salerno. They testify to the close connections between these two Norman territories and an ongoing migration to the South. It can be assumed that these coins arrivedin Italy in the luggage of mercenaries and found their way to the castle in the context of one of the many military undertakings.
Southern Italy, 12th c.
Stone
Monte Sant’Angelo, Santuario di San Michele Arcangelo, Musei Tecum – Museo Lapidario, Inv. 176
This stone plate was found in a cave in Monte Sant’Angelo and shows a knight armed with a long lance topped by a banner. The posture of the horse, the rectangular banner and the stretched leg of the knight indicate movement. A big drop-shaped shield and perhaps a Gambeson (defensive jacket) can be recognised.
Acceptus
Siponto, Church Santa Maria, 11th c.
Marble
Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst, Inv. 6670
This marble beam was found together with other fragments in the sacristy of the church of S. Maria di Siponto. It belonged to the liturgical furniture and was probably part of a bishop’s throne. Creator of this work was the famous sculptor Acceptus who was active during the time when the first Normans arrived in Apulia. His works, to which the pulpits of Monte Sant’Angelo and Canosa belong, demonstrate the mastership of south Italian sculpture.
Inscription: Robert and Baldwin had this work made for Saint Michael out of love for God
Cava delle Pietre, 11th c.
Gilded copper
Monte Sant’Angelo, Santuario di San Michele Arcangelo, Musei Tecum – Museo Devozionale, no Inv.
Already around the year 1000 Normans came to Italy to visit the Monte Sant’Angelo. This sanctuary was linked to one of Normandy’s chief monasteries and pilgrim’s destinations: the Mont-Saint-Michel. Many pilgrims offered presents, so-called votive gifts for the archangel and left them inside the sanctuary. This icon, a depiction of the Archangel Michael, was donated by two men called „Robert“ and „Balduin“. These names originate from Normandy or Northern France, although the icon’s style points to a local production.
Monte Sant’Angelo, 11th–12th c.
Stone
Monte Sant’Angelo, Santuario di San Michele Arcangelo, Musei Tecum – Museo Lapidario, Inv. n. 148, n. 152
These engravings in the shape of footprints were left by pilgrims. Even over long distances, pilgrimage was mostly undertaken by foot. Many pilgrims travelled to the Monte Sant’Angelo, to see the archangel’s „foot print“ which was located in the centre of the sanctuary. As a sign of devotion and a reminder of their visit, they not only left gifts, but also graffiti.