Battle of Cannae (1018) 1018
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1018 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | Italy | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Norman conquest of southern Italy | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Byzantine Empire, Lombards | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 41.2964, 16.1517 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
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 cavalry mercenaries under their leader Gilbert Buatère, while Boioannes had a detachment of elite Varangian Guard sent to him at his request to combat the Normans. The engagement was one of the first clashes between the Byzantines of southern Italy and the Normans.
The battle was disastrous for the Lombards, who were routed. Melus of Bari managed to escape to the Papal States and eventually to the court of Holy Roman Emperor Henry II at Bamberg. The Normans lost their leader, Gilbert Buatère, and most of their group. However, what remained of this group of Normans was the first of many to go to southern Italy.
Within a year, a Norman garrison would be stationed at Troia in the pay of the Byzantine Empire.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Cannae (1018) (revision 1378176845), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Cannae 216 BC · 2 km
- Battle of Montemaggiore 1041 · 8 km
- Battle of Canusium 209 BC · 10 km
- Battle of Cerignola 1503 · 21 km
- Battle of Ruvo 1503 · 34 km
- Battle of Olivento 1041 · 43 km
Other battles of the Norman conquest of southern Italy
- Battle of Montemaggiore 1041
- Battle of Montepeloso 1041
- Battle of Olivento 1041
- Battle of Civitate 1053
All 5 battles of the Norman conquest of southern Italy →
Browse more: battles in Italy · Europe · Medieval battles