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→The Italian Peninsula and the Papacy
===The Italian Peninsula and the Papacy===
===The Italian Peninsula and the Papacy===
As the Holy Roman Empire started to fall due to rot from within and attacks from without, Italy weakened. In 826, a group of Arab pirates from Crete seized Sicily from the Byzantines. Using this as a base, they attacked southern Italy and seized the town of Bari. From Bari, they plundered Naples in 837. In 846 they plundered Rome and wrecked St. Peter's, among other beautiful churches. Pope
Leo IV built a wall to defend Rome. Some Holy Roman Emperors were Italians. Later, papal armies retook Bari. In around 1000, the Normans seized Sicily from the Muslims.
==The Transition to the High Middle Ages (843-1000)==
==The Transition to the High Middle Ages (843-1000)==