BARI, SIEGE OF

(106871), three-year blockade by Norman forces under Robert Guiscard that resulted (April 1071) in the surrender of the last important Byzantine stronghold in southern Italy. It brought an end to Byzantine domination on the Italian peninsula. An Adriatic seaport and trading centre surpassed only by Venice, Bari commanded a strategic position on the crossroads between western Europe and the Byzantine East. Its well-fortified harbour had always protected it from attack by sea until Guiscard utilized the Norman fleet to blockade the harbour.