Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Stilo

Battle of Stilo was a battle fought on 14 July AD 982 at Capo Colonna, in what is now Italy. It was part of Muslim invasions of Italy, which ran from AD 700 to 1100. The recorded result: Fatimid-Sicilian victory. Recorded strength: 2,100+ armored cavalry, the rest unknown against Unknown.

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Fought14 July AD 982
WhereCapo Colonna, Italy39.025N, 17.202E
OutcomeFatimid-Sicilian victory
BelligerentsHoly Roman Empire; Principality of BeneventoagainstFatimid Caliphate; Emirate of Sicily
Casualties and losses4,000 killed; including many noblesandFewer than Imperial army
Part ofMuslim invasions of ItalyAD 700 to 1100

Where it sits in Muslim invasions of Italy

Battle of Licosa, AD 846Louis II's campaign against Bari, AD 866Siege of Salerno, AD 871Battle of Garigliano, AD 915Battle of Stilo, AD 982AD 846AD 982Battle of Stilo, AD 982
5 placed engagements of Muslim invasions of Italy in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date14 July AD 982
PlaceCapo Colonna, Italy
39.025N, 17.202E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength2,100+ armored cavalry, the rest unknownUnknown
Casualties and losses4,000 killed; including many noblesFewer than Imperial army
Commanders
  • Emperor Otto II
  • Landulf IV of Benevento
  • Pandulf II of Salerno
  • Abu'l-Qasim Ali ibn al-Hasan al-Kalbi
Battle of StiloBattle of StiloBattle of CrotonaBattle of Le CastellaBattle of PeteliaSiege of PeteliaBattle of CatanzaroBattle of CrotonaBattle of Le CastellaBattle of PeteliaSiege of PeteliaBattle of CatanzaroMessinaVibo Valentia100 km39.025N, 17.202E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Stilo
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Stilo today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-07-13. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 17 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -1 to 169 m, 170 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 85% water, 8% cropland, 5% grassland.

water: 85%cropland: 8%grassland: 5%water 85%cropland 8%grassland 5%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 161 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 18 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in AD 982

Battle of Stilo is one of 186 engagements of the 10th century in the atlas and one of 1,038 in present-day Italy.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q703523, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Stilo, revision 1383454793, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.