Norman Conquest: Medieval Mafia Invade The East (Part 5)

The Normans who washed up in southern Italy around 1015 arrived as pilgrims, but above all as thugs. "They're hired help that are very valuable to local potentates, barons and lords to settle scores with each other," explains historian Peter Frankopan. "That's a very good business model. People pay you, whether you win or lose. And better still, the more violence there is, the more you're in demand." Within decades, these hired enforcers had transformed themselves into the most sophisticated rulers in Christendom, building a kingdom in Sicily that would reshape Mediterranean power.

From hired muscle to ruling dynasty

The Normans stepped into a patchwork of city-states—Salerno, Amalfi, Benevento, Capua—where rival dynasties offered plenty to fight about. Further south, the Byzantine Empire considered Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily its own backyard, having recently pushed out Muslim raiders from North Africa. The Normans did what any outsider group would do: rather than offering services to others, they started building their own network, translating military power into political power and significant wealth.