Maud was the first daughter of Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, (ca.1020 - 1085) with his second wife Sikelgaita.
Her brother was Roger Borsa, the effective ruler of southern Italy from 1085 until his death.
She was also a half sister of Bohemund of Taranto, who was one of the leaders of the First Crusade and became Prince of Antioch.
The marriage could have been the result of the policy of Pope Gregory VII, who sought support among the Norman nobility of southern Italy against Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
A few days before, Maud had given birth to a son, the future Ramón Berenguer III.