Sikelgaita
Sikelgaita (also Sichelgaita, Sigelgaita, or Gaita) (c. 1040 – 16 April 1090) was a Lombard princess, the daughter of Prince Guaimar IV of Salerno and second wife of Duke Robert Guiscard of Apulia.
[1] Her father had a successful career expanding the borders of the principality of Salerno over large territories in Southern Italy, including many important cities, still to peak when she was born.
[7] The Normans had been present in Southern Italy since before Sikelgaita was born, one of them on the rise was Robert Guiscard who had inherited the county of Apulia and Calabria from Humphrey, his brother, in 1057.
[2] One year later after their marriage, Richard was raised to the title of Duke by Pope Nicholas II at the Synod of Melfi at the end of August.
Skinner explains that her primary objective in the first few years was to produce male heirs to secure Robert's claim on the Lombard lands.
When Robert once was close to death in 1073, she made their vassals swear allegiance to her eldest son Roger as heir over her older stepson Bohemond.
[22] Sikelgaita likely participated due to similar reasons as before, a lack of loyal generals and steadfast ambition to protect the interest of her son and heir.
[24] In 1083, Sikelgaita returned to Italy with Robert to defend Pope Gregory VII against the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV.
[27] According to Skinner, Anna Comnena's description and tale of Sikelgaita is an attempt at discrediting and effeminating the Norman army by claiming they needed a Lombard woman to make them fight.
[1] Eads notes that Comnena's description of Sikelgaita echos that of Roman writing on Boudica[29] and it is not the only reference to other older literature as she attributes to her a quote from the Iliad.
[...] At such moments, charging magnificently into the fray, her long blond hair streaming out from beneath her helmet, deafening friend and foe alike with huge shouts of encouragement or imprecation, she must have looked — even if she did not altogether sound — worthy to take her place among the daughters of Wotan.
"[25] William of Apulia, a contemporary poet employed by Roger Brosa, wrote a different account of Sikelgaita during the battle of Dyrrhachium in his poem The Deeds of Robert Guiscard.
According to William, she is supposed to have fled with fear of her life during the battle trying to board an enemy ship after being wounded by a stray arrow but god saved her from ridicule.
[33] Eads suggests that William's account might have been a choice encouraged by Sikelgaita herself to not overshadow her son and that it is unlikely that he lied about a battle wound that could easily have been verified at court by the actors in his poem.
[40] Early in 1086, Sikelgaita was in Salerno donating the town of Cetraro in Robert's honour to Monte Cassino, which the couple had endowed well throughout their married life.
