Margaritus of Brindisi

Margaritus of Brindisi (also Margarito; Italian: Margaritone, Greek: Megareites or Margaritoni [Μαργαριτώνη]; c. 1149 – 1197), called "the new Neptune", was the last great ammiratus ammiratorum (Grand Admiral) of the Kingdom of Sicily. Following in the footsteps of Christodulus, George of Antioch, and Maio of Bari, Margaritus commanded the kingdom's fleets during the reigns of William II (1166–1189) and Tancred (1189–1194). He probably began as a Greek pirate and gradually rose to the rank of privateer before becoming a permanent admiral of the navy. In 1185, he became the first count palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos (or Zante). In 1192, he became the first Count of Malta. He also held the titles of Prince of Taranto and Duke of Durazzo. Biography Margaritus first appears in the historical record as a leader of the Sicilian fleet alongside Tancred, then Count of Lecce, which took Cephalonia and the Ionian Islands in 1185 and then harassed the fleet of Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos at Cyprus and captured many of his ships, taking them back to Sicily. In autumn 1187, King William II sent Margaritus with a fleet to the Holy Land, where, on 2 October, Saladin had captured Jerusalem. Margaritus, with 60 ships and 200 knights, patrolled the Palestine coast constantly, preventing Saladin from taking any of the vital seaports of the Latin crusader kingdom. In July 1188, he arrived at Tripoli and forced Saladin to raise the siege of Krak des Chevaliers. Similar episodes happened at Marqab, Latakia, and Tyre in the following year. On 11 November 1189, William II died and his fleet returned. On 4 October 1190, Margaritus, the strategos Jordan du Pin, and many other nobles of Messina were forced to flee when the English king Richard the Lionheart sacked the city and burnt it. Margaritus took little part thereafter in the Third Crusade. Margaritus was a staunch supporter of Tancred against Henry VI, King of Germany, who had married Constance, the aunt of both Tancred and William II. Henry thereby claimed the Kingdom of Sicily and besieged Naples in 1191. Margaritus came to the city's defence, harassing Henry's Pisan navy, nearly destroying the late-arriving Genoese contingent, and keeping the harbour approaches open.