Page "Pope Adrian IV" Paragraph 8

In 1155, Byzantine Emperor Manuel Comnenus invaded the Italian peninsula from the south, landing his forces in the region of Apulia.

Making contact with local rebels who were hostile to the Sicilian crown, Greek forces quickly overran the coastlands and began striking inland.

Pope Adrian IV watched these developments with some satisfaction.

The Papacy was never on good terms with the Normans of Sicily, except when under duress by the threat of direct military action.

Having the Eastern Roman Empire on its southern border was preferable to Adrian than having to constantly deal with the troublesome Normans.

Therefore, negotiations were hurriedly carried out, and an alliance was formed between Adrian and Manuel.

Adrian undertook to raise a body of mercenary troops from Campania.

Meanwhile, Manuel dreamed of restoration of the Roman Empire ; this was, however, at the cost of a potential union between the Orthodox and the Catholic Church.

Negotiations for union of the eastern and western churches, which had been in a state of schism since 1054, soon got underway.

The combined Papal-Byzantine forces joined with the rebels against the Normans in Southern Italy, achieving a string of rapid successes as a number of cities yielded either to the threat of force or the lure of gold.

The future looked bleak for the Sicilians.