In the last days of the 11th century, six brothers of an arch typically ‘poor but noble’ Norman family by the name of Guiscard decided to follow the example that William had set with respect to England. Since England was already taken, they turned their attention to southern Italy. Each brother became a well known commander of mercenary troops and, upon his death endorsed his lands and troops to his next brother. Ultimately, they ruled all of southern Italy and Sicily. The youngest of these brothers, Robert Guiscard, married a Lombardian princess named “Gaita” (sometimes referred to as “Sigelgaita”). The Byzantine princess-historian Anna Comnena wrote about Robert Guiscard, whose troops often fought against the Byzantines (when he wasn’t intriguing with them). She had this to say about his wife:
“Robert set out from Salerno and arrived at Otranto. There he stayed for a few days waiting for his wife Gaita (she went on campaign with her husband and when she donned armour was indeed a formidable sight).”
On one occasion, when the Normans were arrayed against the Byzantines on the coast near Dyrrachium, they met with stiff resistance. Anna writes:
“Our men [the Byzantines] resisted [the attack] bravely and the enemy [the Normans] turned back (they were not all picked men). They threw themselves into the sea up to their necks and when they were near the Roman and Venetian ships begged for their lives - but nobody rescued them. There is a story that Robert’s wife Gaita, who used to accompany him on campaign, like another Pallas, if not a second Athena, seeing the runaways and glaring fiercely at them, shouted in a very loud voice: ‘How far will ye run? Halt! Be men!’ - not quite in those Homeric words, but something very like them in her own dialect. As they continued to run, she grasped a long spear and charged at full gallop against them. It brought them to their senses and they went back to fight.”
It says much for the character of Sigelgaita that when a route of panicked troops had a choice between facing her or turning and fighting the Byzantine army, they chose to fight the Byzantines.
The Alexiad of Anna Comnena, trans by E.R.A. Sewter. Penguin Books 1969.
What a woman fighter! I have come to respect her. Even though she plotted against the powerful Boamundus (Bohemond) the first son of her husband from his first wife. It’s worth mentioning that when she fought in Dyrrhachium she was 41 years old.