Norman conquest of southern Italy

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/norman-conquest-of-southern-italy

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Southern Italy and the island of Sicily
2. What is the time span of conquest?Approximately 999 to 1194
3. Why did the Normans go to Italy instead of staying in Normandy?They wanted land and wealth, and Italy had many small kingdoms and cities that were fighting each other, so the Normans could offer their fighting skills and win new places to live.
4. How did the Normans become rulers in southern Italy?They started as mercenaries, then many of them joined together, fought many battles, and over about fifty years they carved out their own lands and finally joined them into one kingdom.

Geopolitical: Relating to politics, especially international relations, as influenced by geographical factors.
Mercenaries: Individuals hired to serve as soldiers in the armed forces of a foreign state or other group.
Fiefdoms: An area of land held by a feudal lord, often granted in exchange for military service.
Cultural Synthesis: The blending of different cultural elements into a new, distinct cultural form.