The Catepanate of Italy (Greek: κατεπανίκιον Ἰταλίας, Katepaníkion Italías) was a province (theme) of the Byzantine Empire, that existed from c. 965 until 1071. It was headed by a governor (katepano) with both civil and military powers. At its greatest extent, it comprised mainland Italy south of a line drawn from Monte Gargano to the Gulf of Salerno. North of that line, Amalfi and Naples also maintained allegiance to Byzantine Emperors through the katepano. The Italian region of Capitanata derives its name from the term katepanikion (a province under the jurisdiction of katepano).
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In this Dossier
Catepanate of Italy in the context of Three valli of Sicily
During the Muslim rule on Sicily, the island was divided into three different administrative regions: the Val di Noto in the southeast, the Val Demone in the northeast and the Val di Mazara in the west. Each zone has a noticeably different agriculture and topography and they converged near Castrogiovanni (Enna). The term val or vallo (plural: valli) is derived from Arabic (Siculo Arabic: وَلاية, romanized: walāya; compare وَلِيّ, waliyy), with the administrative meaning of 'province', and was retained for various administrative divisions of the Kingdom of Sicily until the 19th century.
There are many Arab-derived names in the Val di Mazara (and more Christians converted to Islam from this region), are more mixed in the Val di Noto, while Christian (particularly Greek) identities survived strongest in the Val Demone (with the least Arab-derived names), which was the last to fall to the Muslims, where Christian refugees from other parts of Sicily had assembled, and which furthermore remained in contact with Byzantine southern Italy. Even in present-day Sicily, differences between the east and west of the island are often explained by locals as being due to the Greek and Arab descent of the populations, respectively. Later Christian Lombard settlements would split the remaining Muslims of Sicily in half, separating the Val di Mazara and the Val di Noto.
Catepanate of Italy in the context of Byzantine Empire under the Doukas dynasty
The Byzantine Empire was ruled by emperors of the Doukas dynasty between 1059 and 1081. There are six emperors and co-emperors of this period: the dynasty's founder, Emperor Constantine X Doukas (r. 1059–1067), his brother John Doukas, katepano and later Caesar, Romanos IV Diogenes (r. 1068–1071), Constantine's son Michael VII Doukas (r. 1071–1078), Michael's son and co-emperor Constantine Doukas, and finally Nikephoros III Botaneiates (r. 7 January 1078 – 1 April 1081), who claimed descent from the Phokas family.
Under the rule of the Doukids, Byzantium was fighting a losing battle against the Seljuk Turks, losing most of its remaining possessions in Asia Minor following the catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 and the following civil war after the death of Romanos IV Diogenes.Byzantium also incurred substantial loss of territory in the Balkans, to the Serbs, as well as losing its final foothold in Italy, to the Normans.
Catepanate of Italy in the context of Province of Foggia
The province of Foggia (Italian: provincia di Foggia, Italian: [proˈvintʃa di ˈfɔddʒa]; Neapolitan: Provìnge de Fogge) is a province in the Italian region Apulia.
This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygian pre-Roman tribe living in Tavoliere plain, and as Capitanata, derived from Catapanata, since the area was governed by a catepan as part of the Catepanate of Italy during the High Middle Ages. Its capital is the city of Foggia.