Norman conquest of southern Italy Ofanto near Cannae, the site of Hannibal's victory over the Romans in 216 BC, and the Battle of Cannae was a decisive Byzantine victory; Amatus wrote that only ten Normans survived from a contingent of 250. After the battle, Ranulf Drengot (one of the Norman survivors) was elected leader of their company. Boioannes protected his gains by building a fortress at the Apennine pass, guarding the entrance to the Apulian plain. In 1019 Troia (as the fortress was known) was garrisoned by Boioannes' Norman troops, an indication of Norman willingness to fight on either side. With Norman mercenaries on both
Roger of Cannae Roger of Cannae Saint Roger of Cannae (1060 – December 30, 1129) was an Italian bishop. The Catholic Church honours him as a saint. Roger (in Italian: "Ruggero di Canne") was elected bishop of the town of Cannae, where a small diocese already had risen in the 10th century. In 1083 there was the destruction by Robert Guiscard, king of the Normans. Roger contributed to the moral and material reconstruction of the ancient city of Apulia, supporting his fellow citizens with the consolations of faith and the material aid. The "Cannes Anonymous", an ancient local biographical sources of the 14th