# @itsaihistory on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DYH1638OnGX
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/65220559-itsaihistory-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/e75d279e32.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-05-09T15:15:03.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Parker Gordon (@itsaihistory) — https://gondola.cc/itsaihistory

## Caption

⚔️ October 1038 | Vikings in Sicily

What you’re seeing:
A Norwegian warrior named Harald Sigurdsson, known to history as Harald Hardrada, joins the Byzantine reconquest of Sicily. He commands the Varangian Guard, the Norse mercenaries of the Greek emperor. According to Snorri Sturluson’s Heimskringla, he takes four Arab fortresses through cunning.

Where is this?
Eastern Sicily, roughly 1,500 miles (2,400 km) from Norway. The Byzantine fleet under General George Maniakes landed near Messina in 1038.

Who are these people?
Harald Sigurdsson (later King Harald Hardrada of Norway), the Varangian Guard, the Greek general George Maniakes, and the Kalbid Arab emirs who had ruled Sicily for two centuries.

Why did this happen?
Sicily had been Byzantine territory for centuries before Arab forces conquered it in the 9th century. Emperor Michael IV saw an opening in 1038 when civil war broke out among the Kalbid emirs, and launched the campaign to reclaim the island. Maniakes’ army included Greeks, Varangians, Lombards, and Normans.

Outcome and how we know:
The Byzantines retook Messina and Syracuse before the campaign collapsed in 1040 when Maniakes was recalled to Constantinople. Our primary source for Harald’s role is Snorri Sturluson’s Heimskringla, written around 1230 in Iceland, drawing on the testimony of Halldór Snorrason, an Icelander who fought beside Harald.

Notes:
Snorri’s four stratagems are contested. The burning birds tactic is also told of Olga of Kiev a century earlier. The feigned funeral ruse appears later in stories of the Norman warlord Robert Guiscard, whose brother William fought alongside Harald in this campaign. 

What happened next:
Harald became King of Norway in 1046 and died invading England at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September 1066, three weeks before William the Conqueror landed at Hastings.

🎥 All visuals are original AI-assisted recreations produced by itsaihistory for educational and documentary purposes.

#itsaihistory #history #vikings #italy #reels

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italy, history, itsaihistory, vikings, reels

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