ppened in those times, forasmuch as they have much to do with
our subject, and because the aforesaid Emperor Henry III. was the
beginner of the scandal between the Church and the Empire, and
afterwards the Guelfs and Ghibellines, whence arose the parties of the
Empire and of the Church in Italy, the which so grew that all Italy
was infected thereby and almost all Europe, and many ills and perils,
and destructions and changes have followed thereupon to our city and
to the whole world, such as following on with our treatise we shall
mention in their times. And we will begin now, at the head of every
page to mark the year of our Lord, following on in order of time, to
the end that the events of past times may be the more easily looked
out in our treatise.

Sec. 19.--_Of Robert Guiscard and his descendants, which were kings of
Sicily and of Apulia._

[Sidenote: 880-1110 A.D.]

[Sidenote: 1078 A.D.]

[Sidenote: Cf. Purg. vii. 133-136.]

[Sidenote: 1110 A.D.]

Well, then, as was afore made mention, in the time of the Emperor
Charles, which is called Charles the Fat, which reigned in the years
of our Lord 880 unto 892, the pagan Northmen being come from Norway,
passed into Germany and into France, pressing and tormenting the Gauls
and the Germans. Charles, with a powerful hand, came against the
Northmen, and peace being made and confirmed by matrimony, the king
of the Normans was baptised, and received at the sacred font by the
said Charles, and in the end, Charles not being able to drive the
Normans out of France, granted them a region on the further side of
the Seine, called Lada Serena, the which unto this day is called
Normandy, because of the said Normans, in the which land, from that
time forward, the duke has reigned as king. The first duke, then, was
Robert, to whom succeeded his son William, which begat Richard, and
Richard begat the second Richard. This Richard begat Richard and
Robert Guiscard, the which Robert Guiscard was not duke of Normandy,
but brother of Duke Richard. He, according to their usage, forasmuch
as he was a younger son, had not the lordship of the duchy, and
therefore desiring to make trial of his powers, he came, poor and
needy, into Apulia, where at that time one Robert, a native of the
country, was duke, to whom Robert Guiscard, coming, was first made his
squire and was then knighted by him. Robert Guiscard having come then
to this Duke Robert, won many victories with prowess against h