Stephen Pateranos was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

general who served as the final

Catepan of Italy The Catepanate of Italy (, ''Katepaníkion Italías'') was a province ('' theme'') of the Byzantine Empire, that existed from c. 965 until 1071. It was headed by a governor (''katepano'') with both civil and military powers. At its greatest exten ...

. By 1071, the Catepanate of Italy was severely reduced, with only a few holdings left and their capital besieged by the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

. According to the '' Anonymus Barensis'',

Romanos IV Romanos IV Diogenes (; – ) was Byzantine emperor from 1068 to 1071. Determined to halt the decline of the Byzantine military and to stop Turkish incursions into the empire, he is nevertheless best known for his defeat and capture in 1071 at ...

, the reigning Byzantine Emperor, sent twenty ships under command of Joscelin of Molfetta, a Norman rebel, along with Pateranos, to relieve Bari. However, the Normans intercepted and scattered the fleet off the coast of Bari, and captured the ship carrying Joscelin, though Stephen was able to reach the city. Stephen realized that defense of the city was impossible, and sent

Argyritzos Argyritzos (fl. 1071–81) was one of the leading citizens of Bari during the final years of Byzantine rule. He held the rank of ''protospatharios'' under the empire.Alessandro Pratesi"Argirizzo di Giovannacio" ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italian ...

, a local noble, to offer peace. The Normans accepted peace, and Bari surrendered. Stephen was imprisoned by the Normans, but was allowed later to return to Byzantium with other survivors.

Sources

* * 11th-century catepans of Italy Byzantine people of the Byzantine–Norman wars Byzantine prisoners of war {{Byzantine-mil-bio-stub