Exultet - January 1072

January 1072


After having conquered big part of Sicily
with small battles and with use of a few soldiers,
the Norman headed at Panormus, but this time the attack was prepared
with a true army and a big naval fleet.
The first fight was naval, with extreme fury and numerous Moslem ships were sunk.
Norman Victory in sea was useful they forced the enemies to defend the bring,
weakening so the general defense of the city.
It was the first January of 1072.
To the dawn it was raised a dark noise, the Norman infantry was ready to attack
covered from a hail of arrows and boulders, when to surprise an gate was opened
and the Arabs they went out from there with impetus
facing the Norman infantrymen.
The Moslems, believing that all Norman attack arrived from the sea,
they forgot to defend south of the city.
And it was what the Guiscardo wanted.
Roberto, with three hundred knights, attacked the walls to south in Panormus.
The Norman, supported the stairs, were in an instant inside the city,
they killed the few guards that there were,
and opened the doors from the inside to Ruggero
and to the large one of the Norman army.
For great part of the night the combat infuriated body to body
and it seemed that the day after had to restart the battle,
instead to surprise arabs of surrendered.
Some moslem commanders presented to the brothers of Altavilla
and they arranged the surrender.
Treated the surrender with the saracens,
Ruggero and Roberto entered to Panormus with many knights.
Comes to the Cathedral they removed the Moslem symbols,
Sicily had returned Christian earth.