Pope Leo, who has been held hostage…
1054 CE
Pope Leo, who has been held hostage from June 1053 at Benevento, in honorable captivity, finally acknowledges the Normans’ conquests in Calabria and Apulia in March 1054.
On his consequent release and return to Rome, Humphrey escorts him as far as Capua, north of Naples.
The Battle of Civitate proves to be a turning point in the fortunes of the Normans in Italy, who had been able to win a victory despite their differences even among themselves, and solidifying their legitimacy in the process.
Not only that, it was the first major victory for Robert Guiscard, who will eventually rise to prominence as the leader of the Normans in the South.
In terms of its implications, the Battle of Civitate has the same long-term political ramifications as will the Battle of Hastings in England and Northern Europe, a reorientation of power and influence into a Latin-Christendom world.
Finally, while Leo has attempted to maintain an anti-Norman alliance with Constantinople in hopes of driving them out on religious grounds, the inability of the papal legates to negotiate with the Greek court in addition to Leo's untimely death negates any hope for aid from the Empire, except at the command of the Eastern emperor himself.
The schism, in this case, works to the favor of the Normans, at least in the political realm.
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