Roger I of Sicily at the Battle of Cerami, by Prosper Lafaye
Date
June 1063
Location
Cerami (near Troina), Sicily
Result
Norman victory
Belligerents
Normans
Kalbids Zirids
Commanders and leaders
Roger I of Sicily Serlo II of Hauteville Roussel de Bailleul Arisgot du Pucheuil
Ibn al-Hawas Prince Ayyub Prince 'Ali
Strength
136 mounted knights "only slightly more" infantry
3,000 horsemen up to 50,000 infantry
[heavily exaggerated]
Casualties and losses
Unknown, very few
Very high, reported as high as 70%[1]
The Battle of Cerami was fought in June 1063 and was one of the most significant battles in the Norman conquest of Sicily, 1060–1091. The battle was fought between a Norman expeditionary force and a Muslim alliance of Sicilian and Zirid troops. The Normans fought under the command of Roger de Hauteville, the youngest son of Tancred of Hauteville and brother of Robert Guiscard. The Muslim alliance consisted of the native Sicilian Muslims under the Kalbid ruling class of Palermo, led by Ibn al-Hawas, and Zirid reinforcements from North Africa led by the two princes, Ayyub and 'Ali.[2] The battle was a resounding Norman victory that utterly routed the opposing force, causing divisions amongst the Muslim aristocracy which ultimately paved the way for the eventual capture of the Sicilian capital, Palermo, by the Normans and subsequently the rest of the island.
The initial battle took place at the hilltop town of Cerami, around five miles to the west of the Norman stronghold at Troina. However, the main battle was joined in the valley just to the south. By all accounts the Normans, numbering 136 knights with probably only slightly more infantry,[3] were heavily outnumbered by their Muslim opponents who some sources claim were as many as 50,000 strong.[1] The best-surviving source of information for the battle is found in Geoffrey of Malaterra's De rebus gestis Rogerii Calabriae et Siciliae comitis et Roberti Guiscardi Ducis fratris eius.[4]
^ abMalaterra. The Deeds of Count Roger of Calabria and Sicily and of His Brother Duke Robert Guiscard. p. book 2, chapter 33.
^Cobb. The Race for Paradise: An Islamic History of the Crusades. p. 56.
^Theotokis. "The Norman Invasion of Sicily, 1061-1072: Numbers and Military Tactics, in War In History, 2010, vol. 19". p. 397.
^Malaterra. The Deeds of Count Roger of Calabria and Sicily and of His Brother Duke Robert Guiscard.
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