The Battle of Stilo or Cap Colonne was fought on 13 or 14 July 982 near Crotone in Calabria between the forces of the Emperor Otto II and his Italo-Lombard allies and those of the Kalbid emir of Sicily, Abu al-Qasim. Some sources claim that the Muslims received support from the Byzantines, in retaliation for Otto's invasion of their province of Apulia, but this is unconfirmed. (Redirected from 13 July) July 13th is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Greenland founded by Erik the Red ; first contact of Europeans with North America Births Emma of Normandy Atisha the Bengali Buddhist Saint Deaths Categories: 982 ... Crotone is a city in Calabria, southern Italy, on the Gulf of Taranto. ... For other uses, see Calabria (disambiguation). ... Otto II (955 - December 7, 983, Rome), was the third German ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty. ... The Lombards (Latin Langobardi, whence comes the alternative name Longobards found in older English texts), were a Germanic people originally from Northern Europe that entered the late Roman Empire. ... The Kalbids were a Muslim dynasty in Sicily, which ruled from 948 to 1053. ... Italy in 1000. ... “Byzantine” redirects here. ... In 890 the Byzantines defeated the Saracens in southern Italy. ...

Al-Qasim, who had declared a Holy War against the Germans, retreated when he noticed the unexpected strength of Otto's troops when he was not far from Rossano Calabro. Informed by some ships of the Muslim retreat, Otto left in that city his wife and children with the baggage and the imperial treasure, and set to pursue the enemy. When al-Qasim recognized that his flight had no hope of success, he fielded his army for pitched battle south of Crotone at Cap Colonne. After a violent clash, a corps of German heavy cavalry destroyed the Muslim centre and pushed towards al-Qasim's guards. The emir was killed, but his troops were not shaken by the loss: they even managed to surround the German troops, slaughtering many of them. According to the historian Ibn al-Athir, casualties were around 4,000. Landulf IV of Benevento, Henry I, Bishop of Augsburg, Günther, Margrave of Merseburg, the Abbot of Fulda and numerous other German counts were among them. The image of Maria Achiropita in the Cathedral. ... Capo Colonna (sometimes Capo Colonne or Capo della Colonne; anciently Promunturium Lacinium) is a cape of Calabria. ... Izz ad-DÄ«n Hassan Karam pour AthÄ«r (1160–1233), was a 13th century Iranian/Persian historian born in Cizre in Northern Kurdistan province. ... Landulf IV (died 13 July 982) was the prince of Capua (as Landulf VI) and Benevento from 968, when he was associated with his father, Pandulf Ironhead, and prince of Salerno associated with his father from 977 or 978. ... Henry I (d. ... Gunther (German: Günther; died 13 July 982) was the Margrave of Merseburg from 965 until his death, upon which the march of Merseburg was united to that of Meissen. ... Fulda is a city in Hessen, Germany; it is located on the Fulda River and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (Kreis). ...

The defeat forced Otto to flee north, where he held an assembly of primarily north Italian magnates at Verona. He sent his nephew Otto I, Duke of Swabia and Bavaria, back to Germany with the news, but he died en route. News of the battle did reach as far as Wessex, which is significant of the magnitude of the disaster. Bernard I of Saxony was heading south for the assembly when Danish Viking raids forced him to return. Saxon losses at Stilo had been most severe. At the assemblage, Otto secured his son Otto III's election as King of Italy and a call for reinforcements from Germany. He died the next year before continuing his campaign in the south. This article is about the city in Italy. ... Duke Otto and his sister, Detail on an ottonian cross Otto I, Duke of Swabia and Bavaria (955–982), was the son of Liodolf of Swabia and his wife Ida, and thus a grandson of the Emperor Otto I and his anglo-saxon wife Eadgyth. ... For the helicopter, see Westland Wessex. ... Bernard I (c. ... The name Viking is a loan from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse seafaring warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, Europe and the British Isles from the late 8th century to the 11th century, the period of European history referred to as the Viking Age. ... Otto III in a medieval manuscript Otto III (980 – January 23, 1002, Paterno, Italy) was the fourth ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty. ... King of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers after the fall of the Roman Empire. ...

The state of the Mezzogiorno was shaken up. Besides Landulf IV, his brothers Pandulf II of Salerno and Atenulf, also died in battle. Though the Kalbid troops were forced to retreat afterwards to Sicily, the Saracens remained a presence in southern Italy, harassing the Greeks and Lombards. Capua and Benevento meanwhile passed to younger branches of the Landulfid family and Salerno was snatched by Manso, Duke of Amalfi. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Pandulf II (died 13 July 982) was the prince of Salerno (981), the second of such princes of the family of the princes of Capua. ... The Landulfids were a noble family of Lombardic origin in the ninth through eleventh centuries. ... Manso I (Italian: ) (died 1004) was the duke of Amalfi (966–1004) and prince of Salerno (981–983). ... The medieval Republic of Amalfi was ruled, in the tenth and eleventh centuries, by a series of dukes (Latin: duces). ...

Sources

• Reuter, Timothy. Germany in the Early Middle Ages 800–1056. New York: Longman, 1991.