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Roger to establish himself in the authority given to him.” 5.3.6 Having thus made these arrangements with him, he boarded a galley and reached the coast of Lombardy; and from there he quickly arrived at Salerno, which had long ago been designated as the residence of those who laid claim to the ducal rank. There, indeed, having persevered, he had gathered considerable forces and a very large mercenary contingent from foreign lands. But the king of Germany, in accordance with his promises to the emperor, was already hastening to occupy Lombardy. Learning this, Robert hurried to seize Rome, both to unite with the pope and to prevent the German from his intended purpose. And since the pope did not refuse this, they both set out against the German. 5.3.7 The king, however, while hastening to besiege Lombardy, when he learned what had happened to the emperor—that he had suffered a great defeat, with some of his army having become food for swords and others scattered everywhere, and that he himself, having been placed in many dangers while fighting bravely, was wounded at critical moments in various parts of his body and was miraculously saved by his courage and nobility of spirit—turned his reins and proceeded toward his native land, considering it a victory not to have exposed himself to dangers for no necessary reason. He, therefore, kept to the road leading home; but Robert, having reached the king's camp, did not wish to pursue further himself, but detaching a considerable portion of his own regiments, urged them to pursue the German. He himself, taking all the booty, departed with the pope for Rome. And having established him on his own throne, he again received acclamations from him and then returned to Salerno to recover from the hardship of his many toils.

5.4.1 Not long after, Bohemond came to him, bearing on his face the news of the defeat that had befallen him. How the fortunes of battle befell him, the account will now make clear. For, mindful of his father's instructions and being otherwise a man fond of war and most eager for danger, he held fast to the battle against the emperor. And taking up his own forces, having with him also as many as were more distinguished and chosen Roman soldiers and leaders from the regions and cities seized by Robert (for having completely despaired of the emperor, they had wholly adopted Bohemond's view), he occupied Ioannina by way of Vagenetia and, having first made a trench around the vineyards situated outside, and at the same time having positioned all his heavy infantry in strategic places, he himself pitched his tents within. And having surveyed the walls and judged the citadel of the castle to be insecure, he not only hastened to restore it as far as was possible, but also built another very strong one in another part of the walls where it seemed more advantageous to him, at the same time plundering the neighboring cities and regions. 5.4.2 When the emperor learned these things, he immediately, without any delay at all, gathered all his forces and hastily marched out of the city of Constantine in the month of May. Therefore, upon reaching Ioannina, since the time for war and battle was now at hand, observing that his own troops were not even a fraction of Bohemond’s forces, and knowing besides from the previous battle with Robert that the initial cavalry charge of the Celts against their opponents was irresistible, he judged it necessary first to engage in skirmishes with a number of picked and elite men, so that from this he might get some indication of the strategic skill inherent in Bohemond and, through partial attacks, come to have knowledge of the whole, and from there, with knowledge, more surely against the Celt

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Ῥογέρην ἐπὶ τῆς δοθείσης αὐτῷ ἐξουσίας ἑδράσαι.» 5.3.6 Οὕτω μὲν οὖν συνταξάμενος αὐτῷ εἰσεληλυθὼς εἰς μονῆρες τὴν περαίαν τῆς Λογγιβαρδίας κατέλαβε· καὶ ὀξέως εἰς τὸ Σαλερηνὸν ἐκεῖθεν παραγίνεται, ὅπερ πάλαι ποτὲ εἰς κατοικίαν τῶν τῆς δουκικῆς ἀξίας ἀντιποιου μένων ἀφώριστο. Κεῖθι γοῦν ἐγκαρτερήσας ἱκανὰς συν ειλόχει δυνάμεις καὶ μισθοφορικὸν ἐξ ἀλλοδαπῶν ὅτι πλεῖ στον. Ὁ δὲ ῥὴξ Ἀλαμανίας κατὰ τὰς πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα ὑποσχέσεις καταλαμβάνειν ἤδη τὴν Λογγιβαρδίαν ἠπείγετο. Τοῦτο μεμαθηκὼς ὁ Ῥομπέρτος ἔσπευδε τὴν Ῥώμην καταλαβεῖν ἑνωθησόμενός τε τῷ πάπᾳ καὶ τὸν Ἀλαμανίας ἀπείρξων τοῦ προκειμένου σκοποῦ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐδ' ὁ πάπας πρὸς τοῦτο ἀνένευεν, ἄμφω κατὰ τοῦ Ἀλα μανίας ἐξώρμησαν. 5.3.7 Ὁ μέντοι ῥὴξ πολιορκῆσαι τὴν Λογγιβαρδίαν ἐπειγόμενος, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν αὐτο κράτορα μεμαθήκοι καὶ ὅτι μεγάλην ἥτταν ἡττηθείς, τῶν μὲν τοῦ στρατεύματος ξιφῶν παρανάλωμα γεγονότων, τῶν δὲ ἑκασταχοῦ διασπαρέντων, αὐτὸς εἰς πολλοὺς καταστὰς κινδύνους ἐν τῷ γενναίως μάχεσθαι καιρίως ἐν διαφόροις τοῦ σώματος πληγεὶς μέρεσι τόλμῃ καὶ γενναιότητι γνώμης παραδόξως ἐρρύσθη, στρέψας τὰς ἡνίας πρὸς τὴν ἐνεγκαμένην ἐχώρει τοῦτο νίκην λογισάμενος τὸ μὴ κιν δύνοις ἑαυτὸν ὑποβαλεῖν ἐπὶ μηδενὶ δέοντι. Οὗτος μὲν οὖν εἴχετο τῆς πρὸς τὰ οἴκοι φερούσης· ὁ δὲ Ῥομπέρτος φθάσας εἰς τὴν τοῦ ῥηγὸς παρεμβολὴν αὐτὸς μὲν προσω τέρω διώκειν οὐκ ἤθελεν, ἀπόμοιραν δὲ ἱκανὴν τῶν αὐτοῦ ταγμάτων διελὼν διώκειν τὸν Ἀλαμανίας προὐτρέψατο. Αὐτὸς δὲ τὴν λείαν πᾶσαν ἀναλαβόμενος μετὰ τοῦ πάπα πρὸς Ῥώμην ἀπένευσε. Καὶ τοῦτον ἐπὶ τοῦ ἰδίου θρόνου ἑδράσας εὐφημίας αὖθις παρ' ἐκείνου τυγχάνει κἄπειτα πρὸς τὸ Σαλερηνὸν ἐπανέρχεται τῆς ἐκ τῶν πολλῶν μόθων κακοπαθείας ἑαυτὸν ἀνακτησόμενος.

5.4.1 Μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ καταλαμβάνει τοῦτον ὁ Βαϊμοῦν τος τὴν ἀγγελίαν τῆς ἐπισυμβάσης αὐτῷ ἥττης ἐπὶ τοῦ προσώπου φέρων. Ὅπως δὲ ξυνέπεσε τὰ τῆς τύχης αὐτῷ, ὁ λόγος ἤδη δηλώσει. Καὶ γὰρ τῶν ἐκείνου μεμνη μένος παραγγελμάτων καὶ ἄλλως δὲ ἀρηΐφιλος ὢν ἀνὴρ καὶ φιλοκινδυνότατος ἀπρὶξ τῆς κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως μάχης εἴχετο. Καὶ τὰς ἰδίας δυνάμεις ἀναλαβόμενος συνεφεπο μένους ἔχων καὶ ὁπόσοι ἐλλογιμώτεροι καὶ λογάδες Ῥωμαίων στρατιῶται καὶ ἡγεμόνες τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Ῥομπέρτου κατασχεθεισῶν χωρῶν καὶ πόλεων (ἀπεγνωκότες γὰρ καθάπαξ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ὅλοι τῆς τοῦ Βαϊμούντου γεγόνασι γνώμης) καταλαμβάνει διὰ τῆς Βαγενητίας τὰ Ἰωάννινα καὶ τάφρον κατὰ τοὺς ἔξωθεν διακειμένους ἀμπελῶνας ποιήσας πρότερον, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸ ὁπλιτικὸν ἅπαν ἐν ἐπικαίροις τόποις καταθέμενος αὐτὸς ἐντὸς τὰς σκηνὰς ἐπήξατο. Τὰ δὲ τείχη περιαθρήσας καὶ τὴν τοῦ κάστρου ἀκρόπολιν ἐπισφαλῆ διαγνοὺς οὐ μόνον αὐτὴν ἀνορθοῦν ὡς ἐνὸν ἠπείγετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέραν ἐν ἄλλῳ μέρει τῶν τειχῶν οὗ μᾶλλον συνοῖσον αὐτῷ δέδοκτο ἐρυμνο τάτην ἀνῳκοδόμει, λῃζόμενος ἅμα καὶ τὰς παρακειμένας πόλεις καὶ χώρας. 5.4.2 Ταῦτα μεμαθηκὼς ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ εὐθὺς μηδὲ μελλήσας ὅλως τὰς δυνάμεις ἁπάσας συναγα γὼν τῆς Κωνσταντίνου σπεύσας ἔξεισι κατὰ μῆνα Μάϊον. Τοιγαροῦν τὰ Ἰωάννινα καταλαβών, ἐπεὶ ὁ τοῦ πολέμου καὶ τῆς μάχης καιρὸς ἤδη παρῆν, τὰ οἰκεῖα στρατεύματα μηδὲ τὸ πολλοστὸν τῶν τοῦ Βαϊμούντου δυνάμεων ὄντα κατανοῶν καὶ ἄλλως δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς μετὰ τοῦ Ῥομπέρτου προηγησαμένης μάχης γινώσκων τὴν πρώτην κατὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἱππασίαν τῶν Κελτῶν ἀνύποιστον δέον ἔκρινε πρῶτον μὲν διὰ πολλοστῶν μετρητῶν τινων καὶ ἐκκρίτων ἀκροβολισμοὺς ποιήσασθαι, ἵν' ἐντεῦθεν ἔνδειξίν τινα καὶ τῆς τῷ Βαϊμούντῳ ἐνυπαρχούσης στρατηγικῆς ἐπιστήμης σχοίη καὶ γένηταί οἱ διὰ τῶν μερικῶν προσβολῶν τὴν τοῦ ὅλου γνῶσιν ἐσχηκέναι κἀντεῦθεν ξὺν ἐπιστήμῃ βεβαιό τερον πρὸς τὸν Κελτὸν