1064: Amatus of Montecassino on the Christian Conquest of Barbastro

Abstract

The Historia Normannorum by Amatus of Montecassino provides the most detailed account of the conquest of Barbastro in 1064 from a Christian perspective. Although the city was retaken by Muslim forces only one year later, the campaign is considered a significant event in the history of Christian-Muslim relations on the Iberian Peninsula. Decisive factors in this regard were the involvement of the Holy See, the religiously charged nature of the campaign, and the participation of fighters from different Christian realms. Amatus’s account emphasises both the supraregional character and the religious dimension of the undertaking. His report provides an example for the role and function of depictions of interreligious violence in Christian historiography and illustrates how Christian defeats were interpreted.