- Amatus of Montecassino
Amatus of Montecassino (Amatus Casinensis), a
Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Montecassino is one of threeItalo-Norman chronicle rs, the others beingWilliam of Apulia andGoffredo Malaterra . His "History of the Normans" ("L'Ystoire de li Normant"), in eight books inOld French , written ca 1080, is a prime source for retrieving the history of the Normans in the Mediterranean, as seen from the perspective of the great Abbey, which was one of the most important cultural and religious centers of 11th-century Christendom. Amatus describes the Norman sieges ofBari andSalerno , the conquest of Sicily, and the career ofRobert Guiscard , as well as theGregorian Reform s seen from the papal point-of-view, interspersed with reports of miracles and prophecies.Many details of 11th-century history, such as the arrow in the eye that killed Harold at the
battle of Hastings , owe their origin to the chronicler of Montecassino.The historical novel by Gabriella Brooke, "The Words of Bernfrieda: A Chronicle of Hauteville" (Cheney: Eastern Washington University Press, 1999) tells of the lady Fredesenda of Hauteville, mother of
Robert Guiscard , as seen by her handmaid, who has met Amatus and intends to record "all that Amatus' chronicle will leave out".References
*(Prescott N. Dunbar, translator), 2004. [https://secure.wsa.u-net.com/www.boydell.co.uk/43830787.HTM "The History of the Normans by Amatus of Montecassino"] (Boydell) ISBN 1-84383-078-7
*John Howe, 2006. "Amatus of Montecassino: The History of the Normans" "English Historical Review" CXXI: 268-269.
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