This thesis analyses the kin dynamics, patterns of behaviour, and models of alliance and conflict of Norman families in Southern Italy, Sicily and Syria between circa 1030 and circa 1140, and it establishes a methodological framework for this much under-studied theme. Through an examination of chronicles, charters, material culture and architectural evidence, it maps out the extent of the kin groups, identifies common trends, and investigates possible manifestations of a sense of reciprocal obligation and mutual identity. The main case study are the Hautevilles, as the most numerous and best documented family. The first five chapters are dedicated to them, exploring the reach, members, and modus operandi of the group, and the ways in which its evolution intersected with military, institutional, and political issues to achieve the expansion and maintenance of their dominions. The approach taken is both thematic and chronological: the first chapter examines relationships between Hauteville siblings; the second chapter looks at sons, ersatz sons such as nephews, and the question of inheritance; the third chapter looks at the Hauteville cadet branches; the fourth deals with Hauteville women, both born to the family and married into it, whose discussion as a separate thread of inquiry both highlights and explicits many themes encountered with the men of the family; the fifth chapter looks at the significant changes in kin relations which occurred under the rule of Roger II of Sicily. Chapter 6 contextualises and compares the Hautevilles to other similar Norman kin groups in the South, the princes of Capua and the sons of Amicus. Chapter 7 examines larger questions of Norman identity, contextualising Southern Norman kin relations with those of the Anglo-Normans in the North, and seeking alternative models of comparison with the nobility of imperial Germany and the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
