ALTAVILLA

The Altavilla (in French, Hauteville) were one of the most important and influential families of the Normans. In 1061, they began a campaign of conquest in Southern Italy, which until then had been under the control of Byzantines and Arabs. In 1130, Roger II formed the Kingdom of Sicily, which brought together all the Norman territories of the “Mezzogiorno,” a region extending from Southern Italy to North Africa. Constance, daughter of Roger II, married Henry VI of Swabia later in life, a union that consolidated the relationshop between the Normans and the Swabians, which would become a decisive alliance for the future of the Kingdom of Sicily. Constance distinguished herself for her intellectual talents and moral values, so as to become an example for future regents.