Byzantine-Norman wars

In this episode, we explore the Byzantine-Norman wars, a prolonged struggle from 1040 to 1189 for control of southern Italy, the Balkans, and the wider Mediterranean. We trace how the Normans gradually dismantled Byzantine rule in Italy, culminating in the capture of Bari in 1071, before leaders such as Robert Guiscard launched ambitious invasions of Greece. Although the Normans established the Kingdom of Sicily and expanded across several Mediterranean islands, they never succeeded in permanently defeating the Byzantine Empire. Shifting alliances with the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire further complicated the conflict, which ultimately ended in strategic stalemate as both powers turned their attention to other threats.