by Jack Ludlow
But they were not sentimental regardless of the attention they lavished; each horse had a purpose. The lesser breeds as beasts of burden, the travelling mount required to be fleet as well as full of stamina, the destrier to be unflinching in the face of the enemies the rider would fight – men with pikes, axes, lances and swords, who, yelling in their thousands, could create enough of a din to act upon the nerves of a prey animal, for in the wild state that was what a horse was, thus being highly strung and so nervous they reacted to any unusual sound or sight. That they could be made fearless was remarkable.
Even in Italy, where Roman roads still existed, there were many areas – and the approach to Melfi from both east and west was one – where the only reliable transport for an army on the march had to be hoofed: not carts but packhorses, mules and donkeys. When they got to the town and castle that lay beneath the towering height of Monte Vulture, and to the fighting which lay beyond, William and the men he led, as well as their animals, would be required to live off the surrounding land.
For now, fodder could be gathered from the various fortresses and petty barons on the way, each one required to be a storehouse for Guaimar, their liege lord, but the main requirement was water, which meant that the route was dictated by the river system, at least until they got into the mountains where there were deep and abundant lakes. Men had to be fed and cared for as well, and the Norman host had with them enough camp followers to cook and see to their needs, as well as an armourer, a farrier, a saddle and harness maker, and a priest to say mass every day.
They travelled early morning and late afternoon, when the sun had lost some of its fire, resting up in the midday heat in places located by the advance party, sent ahead under Mauger. He was tasked to find not only ample water but shade and pasture, and the journey was not rushed – at five leagues a day – to keep fresh the horses. It took eight days, time for Arduin to both travel to Benevento to talk to the reigning prince and to make it back to rendezvous with William, with a view of Monte Vulture, but out of sight of the town and castle of Melfi.
The news Arduin brought to that encampment was by its nature mixed. The Prince of Benevento had refused to agree that the son of Melus, even given the power of his father’s name, should act as the standard-bearer for the revolt. Instead, no doubt fired by greed, he had put forward his own younger brother, Count Atenulf, with the proviso that, should matters go against the insurgency, he might be obliged to disown him in order to appease Byzantine wrath. William’s comment, made not to Arduin but to his brothers, was, ‘Typically Lombard!’
The next morning Arduin and William rode ahead with fifty knights, knowing their approach would set off the alarm – in this part of the world every commune looked out for signs of approaching danger, which fifty mounted men wearing Norman mail and helmets certainly represented – and it came as no surprise to find the mass of the townsfolk had decamped from their dwellings to the castle and slammed shut the gates.
CHAPTER FOUR
Neither was it a surprise to see Kasa Ephraim in the Castello di Arechi; as the Collector of the Port, the Jew was a powerful official in the government of Salerno, holding an office of high and consistent profit to both Prince Guaimar and himself. A look over the Castello battlements would show why: the bay was full of vessels arriving and departing, the harbour berths packed with trading ships from both the Levant and the territories to the north, eager to take back to their home ports the produce of fertile Campania, every one obliged to pay customs dues for the goods fetched in and transported out.
Ephraim was the man who had helped the young heir and his sister to escape the clutches of Pandulf, murderous enough to have them both killed, by smuggling them away to sea, then ultimately to Rome and the Imperial Court at Bamberg. He had also used his contacts in Rome to provide funds with which to appear at the court of the Holy Roman Empire in some style. The Jew had claimed that valuable office as his reward for the service, and any fears Guaimar might have had about the way he would conduct himself had long been laid to rest.
An examination of the tally books proved that in the time of his tenure in the collector’s office Ephraim had increased the revenues of the port substantially, monies which allowed his young master to be a liberal benefactor to his lesser nobles, the church and the poor; for the rest of the population, he satisfied their needs with pomp and display at the numerous religious festivals, both in the Latin rite as well as the Orthodox, which punctuated the Salerno year.
‘I give you good day, honourable one.’
This Ephraim said as he entered Guaimar’s private apartments. Under his arm he had his tally books so that the prince could see the extent of the month’s revenues which, in gold and silver coin, were at that very moment being handed over by Ephraim’s servants to the prince’s official treasurer, whose domain lay deep in the vaults of the Castello. These would be placed in the brass-bound state coffers, which lay behind two very heavily barred and constantly guarded doors.
Guaimar having dismissed his servants, no one saw, apart from the two principals, the single bulging leather purse the Jew gave to his master for his private use, the monies he extracted as bribes from those who smuggled goods in and out of that same port. Kasa Ephraim had explained, long before the young man came into his inheritance, that smuggling could not be stopped in a port like Salerno, with its long, deep bay and shallow sandy beaches; therefore it must be controlled.
So the collector oversaw it, kept it from growing into a burgeoning problem, provided an occasional malefactor to be stoned by the mob, usually someone who had gone too far or tried to avoid paying a bribe, to prove to all he was carrying out his official duties, thus raising monies from the contraband trade that would otherwise have gone missing.
It was a duty the Jew had carried out for the young man’s father, providing him, too, with sums of money that were never seen by the treasurer who recorded the income of the duchy, or the chamberlain who helped his lord and master to spend it. It was a fact that even the richest magnate required funds which he could disburse in secret to increase or merely just to maintain his power. The one question never posed was how much the Jew took as commission for his services: nothing was ever committed to paper.
‘I received word, this very morning, that our Normans are close by Melfi.’
Kasa Ephraim nodded. He was a tall, good-looking man with, apart from a somewhat sallow Levantine complexion, none of the features so associated with his race. As well as his duties in the port he had become an unofficial advisor to the young prince: not part of his court, yet close to it, a man in whom Guaimar could confide without a record being kept of what was discussed, and one whose wisdom and discretion he respected.
‘But they do not yet have possession of the castle?’
Guaimar dropped his eyes then, so that Ephraim could not see the train of his thoughts: the Jew had sources of information every bit as good as those of his prince, perhaps, in some regard, even better. Had he made that assertion regarding the Normans from knowledge or deduction?
‘I await news. I hope also that the Prince of Benevento will accede to a request from Arduin, and give permission to Argyrus, the son of Melus, to raise his standard as leader of the revolt.’
The Jew was clever, Guaimar knew that, and, lifting his head again, he gave him a look from under half-hooded eyes, accompanied by an enigmatic smile, which implied much but conveyed little.
‘And if this is the case, what will it portend?’
‘Should it tell me more than the fact that the revolt in Apulia can proceed?’
‘I sense, honourable one, that it will give you cause to examine your policy.’
‘How so?’
Kasa Ephraim had become accustomed to this game, one the prince played with increasing frequency. It was natural as a head of state that he thought of nothing but the good of his patrimony, which in essence meant he indulged in a high degree of selfinterest, since the fate of Salerno and the fate of its ruler were inextr
icably intertwined. It was also the case that the public face he presented was often at odds with his private thoughts: there were things a wise ruler needed to keep even from his everyday advisors.
‘The forces that shape our destiny are many and varied, Prince Guaimar.’
‘And must be treated on their merits.’
‘Or faults, honourable one.’
‘Even if they take possession of Melfi, it will be some time before Arduin can launch any kind of deep incursion into Byzantine territory.’
‘And you are curious, I sense, as to how the catapan will react?’
‘It is my duty to be.’
‘I sense you would not now wish that which is about to fall upon him to come as a surprise?’
Guaimar smiled, an expression both full and satisfied. ‘You have, as usual, my clever friend, nailed the predicament. If I wish, and I do wish, the catapan to believe that Salerno has had no hand in this revolt, how can I reassure him?’
‘Only by forewarning him.’
‘Is that a wise thing to do?’
The strands of what the prince was saying were very obvious to a man who would have openly and proudly admitted to being in possession of a very devious mind. He also had much experience in the byways of other men’s thinking – the processes by which they justified to themselves acts of questionable virtue – a very necessary ability for one of his race in a Christian world that was not always overly fond of the Sons of Abraham.
Guaimar wanted to protect Salerno from any chance of Byzantine reprisals, which would surely follow if Arduin and his Normans failed in Apulia. It would be pointless to protest to a lack of knowledge after matters were settled in favour of Constantinople: he would not be believed. Were the Normans not from his fiefs, were they not men who had been in his service? The leaders, Arduin and this Argyrus, were Lombards, as was he, for Michael Doukeianos would soon discern that the latter was no more than a figurehead, and this might expose the tentacles that led back to Campania.
Yet Guaimar had a need to be careful: what if Rainulf Drengot found out that his liege lord had sent information to Bari, which he would certainly do if this matter was discussed openly in the prince’s council? Never mind his reservations about William de Hauteville, Drengot’s men were about to take over Melfi, and surprise was an advantage that would stand them in good stead when it came to the first encounters with the enemy, something that definite information given to the catapan would possibly destroy. An angry Rainulf might bring them back to fall on the man he felt had betrayed them.
‘If he is a wise catapan, honourable one, he might already know.’
‘You are saying he has spies in Salerno?’
There was no irritation in the question; both men knew the strands of Byzantine influence were long and deep, given they had once ruled in this part of Italy, just as they knew their own city. Constantinople had eyes and ears in every court that might pose a threat: Rome and Bamberg, home to the Western Emperor, especially. Salerno, Naples, Amalfi and Gaeta, all trading rivals on the Western Italian coast, each contained within them Greek traders, while substantial parts of their Italian populations still worshipped in the Orthodox rite and looked to the Greek not the Roman church for guidance. Loyalty was a movable feast even if you excluded payments for information.
‘We are a busy trading port, honourable one. Ships go in and out of Salerno by the fistful every day, and many go east to the Levant and the Bosphorus. It would be foolish to think some hint of Arduin’s intent has not left with them. The port, indeed any port, must be a hotbed of rumour and gossip.’
‘So no warning from me would serve?’
‘On the contrary,’ Ephraim insisted. ‘If what I suspect is true, and the catapan will be forewarned anyway, it would be sound policy that something of the same should come from you.’
There was a moment when both men ruminated on what the Jew had said: there was a great difference between gossip and hard, irrefutable fact. Michael Doukeianos would wonder if there was truth in the former; word from a Prince of Salerno would be taken as truth.
‘And Benevento?’ Guaimar asked.
Kasa Ephraim was at pains not to smile, for what Prince Guaimar had been saying so far was in the nature of being obvious. Now he had come to the salient point: here was the true nub of that at which he was driving. To inform the catapan of the involvement of Benevento could have unseen benefits, first by definitely diverting suspicion from Salerno, and secondly – and again this was based on the possibility of the failure of the Apulian revolt – with that information given early, any reprisals would be directed against his fellow Lombard prince and that could present opportunities in the aftermath, which might see the expansion of Guaimar’s territory at the expense of his neighbour. It never did any man harm to be on the side of the victor.
He did not smile, because he was too wise to let even his lord know of his thoughts, instead he looked grave. ‘We know from the past that the Eastern Empire does not forgive those who see it as its enemies.’
‘Are there ships at present in the harbour who might have reason to call at Bari?’
‘It can be arranged, honourable one.’
If Guaimar detected any irony in the way Kasa Ephraim addressed him, it did not show.
‘A secret letter then, with my seal?’
Ephraim shook his head. ‘No seal, my Lord, not even your name on the message. It would not be wise to gift Constantinople something with which they could later undermine you.’
‘That is wise. I must go now to my council, where we are to discuss the matter of Amalfi.’
‘A troublesome thorn, honourable one.’
In saying that, Kasa Ephraim was identifying a truth to both him and his prince. Not only was Amalfi Salerno’s closest trade rival, but, positioned as they were, on the direct route west to the Tyrennian Sea, they could board and seize goods at will, interfering with shipping going to and from this port from half the Mediterranean. These interceptions were based on the flimsiest of excuses, but they diminished the revenues of the much larger principality. It had long been Guaimar’s intention to put Amalfi in its place.
‘They think by denying piracy, by claiming imperial edict, that I will believe them.’
‘No thief lacks justification for his crimes, honourable one.’
‘You see I have just cause, do you not, to subdue them by force?’ Ephraim merely nodded: it was, in truth, not a dispute in which he wanted to become involved, having as he did his own interests in the port of Amalfi. ‘And besides, we must keep Rainulf Drengot occupied, for if he is not he is inclined to mischief.’
So, the territory of Amalfi will be invaded, Ephraim thought, and the concomitant of that was what he would need to do about his own investments.
‘Might I also suggest, honourable one, that you lay upon them, at some time in the future, the accusation of alerting the catapan to what is about to fall on Melfi?’
The deviousness of that suggestion pleased Guaimar enormously, for he was grinning widely as he spoke. ‘How I wish I could have you as one of my council, but, of course, it would never do.’
Arduin stopped William and his knights far enough off to tempt out, through the gates of Melfi, the leading citizens of the town, those who had left their homes to whatever they feared these Normans might do. He was alone as he addressed them, a man they already knew, who had feasted and flattered them on taking up his appointment, yet it was with obvious suspicion that they listened to the blandishments of this topoterites, as he sought to persuade them that they had nothing to fear.
‘These are the men I have engaged at the express request of the catapan. If you deny them entry to the castle they are supposed to garrison in your defence you will defy him and the emperor, not just me.’
‘They are Normans,’ one elderly worthy growled.
It was a telling interjection, which brought forth a swelling murmur of agreement from the assembled crowd; the people in these parts had encountered Normans
before in the last two decades, and suffered much from their unbridled banditry. The castle they left alone – it was too strong for the roving bands – but the mailed knights took what they wanted in food and comfort from the surrounding countryside, burning and destroying what they could not carry if faced with resistance.
‘This is different. Who do you think holds the fortress of Troia?’
He waited for a response but none came; he found himself looking at bowed heads, doubting if indeed they knew the answer. These were people who lived in ignorance of what occurred in the neighbouring valley, never mind a fortress ten leagues distant.
‘They are Normans, the very same kind of men you are damning now, and they protect the people thereabouts.’
‘The Normans are brigands.’
‘Not those I command,’ Arduin replied softly. ‘They are soldiers in the pay of the catapan, as am I, as are the Normans of Troia.’
Quite a few of the faces were diverted then: Italians did not like Lombards any more than Normans. Arduin did not miss it, he merely ignored the reaction: he was not without the arrogance typical of his race and he had lived among these people too long to be bothered. Besides, they rarely had much affection for each other, never mind those they saw as interlopers.
‘Observe what they do now,’ he said.
Arduin pointed to William’s band, dismounted by the gurgling stream that ran off the high peak of Monte Vulture and through the huddle of buildings that made up the town. They had unsaddled their mounts and were busy grooming them with combs and brushes, this while the horses munched at piles of hay.
‘Do they torch your homes, do they break your watermill? No. They have not even touched your wine.’ That led to some shuffling of feet, which made Arduin feel he was getting somewhere.
