The monograph, based on Greek, Latin and Old French primary sources (especially Anna Komnene's "Alexiad" and William of Apulia's "Gesta Roberti Wiscardi"), as well as on a wide range of secondary material available in several languages, attempts a detailed description of the first century of Byzantine-Norman relations, namely from the early 11th to the early 12th century, focusing on the first two Norman expeditions against Byzantium's Ionian and Helladic possessions (1081-1085 and 1107-1108). The diplomatic background related to the intricacies of Byzantium's external affairs in one of its most perplexed historical periods, is discussed throughout in detail, making use of pertinent research from recent decades when studies on Byzantine diplomatic history have progressed considerably.Of particular interest in this book is the prosopography of the period (both Byzantine and Western), while special attention is also given to matters of chronology as well as to the historical geography and topography of the locations involved in the Ionian Sea (Septinsular area), southern Albania and northwestern Hellas (especially Epeiros and western Macedonia).
The background of the first two Norman invasions, delineating Byzantine-Norman contacts since the late 1030s until the eve of the first Norman campaign of 1080/81, is also treated by describing some interesting terms and connotations encountered in both Byzantine and Western sources.