SICILY, King Ruggero II b. 22 Dec 1095 Mileto, Vibo Valentia, Calabria, Italy d. 26 Feb 1154 Palermo, Sicily, Italy

1095 - 1154 (58 years)

Name	SICILY, Ruggero
Prefix	King
Suffix	II
Nickname	Roger
Birth	22 Dec 1095	Mileto, Vibo Valentia, Calabria, Italy
Gender	Male
_TAG	Reviewed on FS
Death	26 Feb 1154	Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Burial	Mar 1154	Cathedral of Palermo, Palermo, Sicilia, Italy
Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
Person ID	I29086	Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith
Last Modified	19 Aug 2021

Family	CASTILE, Elvira Alfonsez , b. 1070, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spaind. 8 Feb 1136, Palermo, Sicily, Italy (Age 66 years)
Marriage	1118
Family ID	F16313	Group Sheet \| Family Chart
Last Modified	24 Jan 2022

Photos At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

Notes

Roger II af Sicilien, der var søn af greve Roger I af Sicilien og dennes tredie kone Adelaide del Vasto var endnu umyndig da faderen døde i 1101, og storebroderen Simon, der var første i arvefølgen til grevskabet, døde i 1105, så hans mor og gode embedsmænd - bl.a. den græske Christodolous - regerede reelt indtil Roger overtog magten på Sicilien i 1112.
Han samlede efter mange års splid med de andre normannere hele Syditalien og Sicilien under sit herredømme. I 1130 anerkendte paven Rogers stat som et kongedømme [anerkendelsen kom fra den såkaldte antipave Anacletus II. Han kaldtes "antipave" som følge af pavestriden mellem Anacletus II og Innocent III, der begge hævdede at være efterfølgere til pave Honorius], og Roger II blev juledag kronet i Palermo som konge af Sicilien.
Videreførslen af den stærke normannerstat med et kongeligt embedsmandskorps fik størst betydning, og det blev det første moderne alternativ til det decentrale europæiske feudalsystem.
Den 25. juli 1139 blev Rogers titel gjort officiel af pave Innocent III, idet paven da kronede ham til konge af Sicilien, hertug af Apulien og fyrste af Capua.
Under Roger II blomstrede Sicilien økonomisk og kulturelt takket være hans tolerante holdning over for de mange grækere, jøder og arabere.
Ved siden af sine krigsbedrifter var Roger II en stor velynder for kunst og videnskab. Han lod kirker udsmykke, og han samlede omkring sig videnskabsmænd fra både øst og vest. Han havde planer om at samle al tilgængelig viden fra alle sprog og udgive det i en bog kaldet Rogers Bog [al-Kitab ar-Rujari]. Bogen er blevet kaldt middelalderens største geografiske værk. Til udarbejdelsen havde han i sit hof den græske historiker Nilus Doxopatrius. Normannerne havde adgang til mange klassiske tekster på græsk og arabisk og fik dem samlet og oversat til latin, som nu i middelalderen var blevet det udbredte lærdomssprog. De mange nyopdagede tekster førte til revisioner i grundlaget for både kristendommens teologi og for mange andre videnskaber.
På kartografiens område beskæftigede han Al Idrisi, der tegnede et Mappa Mundi til kongen. Kortet kendes endnu.
Roger fornyede også lovgrundlaget i riget. Da han i november 1139 vendte tilbage efter sejrene på fastlandet, gik han i gang med at udarbejde landets konsstitution. Hans lovsamling kaldes på engelsk for The Assizes of Ariano, fordi den blev givet eller proklameret i 1140 i byen Ariano på fastlandet. Roger var da på rigsrejse for bl.a. at se, hvordan sønnen artede sig i hertugdømmet.
Roger regerede som konge frem til sin død i 1154 og blev så efterfulgt af sin søn William I.
Roger blev gift 3. gange. Først i 1117 med Elvira af Castilien, så i 1149 med Sibylla af Burgund og sidst i 1151 med Beatrice af Rethel.
Med Elvira fik han 6 børn, blandt dem Roger, Tancred, Alfonso og William. Han fik 2 børn med Sibylla og 1 barn med Beatrice, som hed Constance og blev den endelige arving til tronen, sammen med sin ægtefælle Henrik VI, der også var romersk kejser.

Billedet i mosaik viser Roger II, som bliver kronet af kristus i Santa Maria dell'Ammiragilie eller som blot kaldes Martorana kirken i Palermo. Der er en inskription på græsk med ordene Rogerios Rex.

BIO: from http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SICILY.htm#Tancreddied1194A as of 2/6/2016
ROGER of Sicily, son of ROGER I Count of Sicily & his third wife Adelaida di Savona [Monferrato] ([22 Dec 1095]-Palermo 26 Feb 1154, bur Palermo Cathedral). The Annals of Romoald name "frater eius [=Symonis] Rogerus comes" when recording that he succeeded his brother[476]. His birth date is calculated back from Romuald recording his date of death 27 Feb 1154, at the age of 58 years, two months and 5 days according to the chronicle of Romuald of Salerno[477]. He succeeded his brother in 1105 as ROGER II Count of Sicily, under the joint regency of his mother and his brother-in-law Robert de Bourgogne. The De Rebus Gestis Rogerii Siciliæ Regis of Alessandro Abbot of Telese records that "frater primogenitus…Simon" succeeded his father, but died and was succeeded by his brother Roger under the tutelage of "genitrix illius Adalasia"[478]. Declared of age after 12 Jun 1112, the date of the last document issued jointly with his mother[479]. "Rogerius Sicilie atque Calabrie comes" confirmed a judgment relating to Bagnara by charter dated [Oct] 1116 witnessed by "Henricus avunculus comitis, Robertus Avenellus, Rainaldus de Tirone"[480]. He strengthened the Sicilian navy, which became one of the most powerful in the Mediterranean. As the price for assisting Guillaume Duke of Apulia to crush the rebellion of Jordan Conte di Ariano in 1122, Roger insisted on retaking Guillaume's half share in the cities of Palermo and Messina along with the whole of Calabria. In revenge for the Almoravid attack on Nicotera, on the coast of Calabria, in 1122, a Sicilian fleet sailed in Jul 1123 with the aim of attacking Mahdia on the north African coast, but the expedition was defeated by the Zirid emir al-Hassan. He seized Montescaglioso in 1124, claiming to succeed to his deceased sister Emma. Duke Guillaume promised to recognise Roger II as his heir at Messina in 1125, and when the former died in 1127 Roger acted swiftly to assert his rights, laid siege to Salerno and had himself acclaimed as Duke of Apulia at Reggio, ignoring the fact that the dukedom should have reverted to the Papacy according to the legal rules of fiefdom[481]. Pope Honorius II, as rival claimant, formally forbade Roger from assuming the title of Duke. The crisis escalated, with the two sides mustering troops on the River Bradano in the eastern Basilicata in the summer of 1128. The Pope conceded faced with the strength of the Sicilian forces, investing Roger as Duke 22 Aug 1128 outside the walls of Benevento. In 1129, Roger II expanded his area of authority in Apulia, capturing Taranto, Nardò and Bari, though failing to take Brindisi. He had all counts, bishops and abbots swear allegiance to him at a solemn court at Melfi in Sep 1129. His conquest of southern Italy was completed in 1130 when Robert II Prince of Capua submitted to him. He claimed the principality of Antioch in 1130 as the nearest male heir of Bohémond II, but was unable to press this due to his preoccupations in southern Italy. Taking advantage of the further weakness of the Papacy following the schism of Feb 1130, he pressured anti-Pope Anacletus II to invest him (by Papal Bull at Benevento 27 Sep 1130) as ROGER II King of Sicily, justified on the fiction that Sicily had once been a kingdom[482]. He was crowned at Palermo 25 Dec 1130. The duchy of Naples submitted to him in 1131. However, he was faced with rebellion by barons in Apulia, led by his brother-in-law Rainulf Conte di Alife, who defeated him at Nocera 25 Jul 1132. In 1133, Roger II exacted his revenge, capturing Venosa, Montepeloso, Acerenza, Bisceglie, Trani and Troia. With the arrival of Emperor Lothar in Italy, allied with Pope Innocent II, Roger suffered reverses, Salerno surrendering to Imperial forces 8 Aug 1137. Emperor Lothar and Pope Innocent II jointly invested Rainulf Conte di Alife as Duke of Apulia. Roger II re-entered Salerno in Oct 1137, but was defeated by Rainulf at Rignano near Monte Gargano, 30 Oct 1137. He unsuccessfully attempted to conciliate with Pope Innocent II after the death of Anacletus II in Jan 1138. Innocent II announced Roger's excommunication at the Second Lateran Council in Apr 1139, but with the death of Rainulf later the same month Roger was able to reassert control over the whole of southern Italy. He captured Pope Innocent II at San Germano (now Cassino) and obliged the Pope to crown him again 25 Jul 1139. Able now to turn his attention to north Africa, Roger II's fleet began plundering coastal towns taking advantage of the weakness of the Zirid emir. The capture of Tripoli in 1146 marked the start of a period of conquest, with Mahdia, Susa and Sfax falling in 1148. The area was settled by Sicilian colonists, the local Muslim inhabitants treated with tolerance, but Sicily's north African expansion was short-lived, falling to the Almohads after Roger II's death. In the meantime relations with Germany and Byzantium had grown tense, in part through the negotiations between Emperor Konrad III and Emperor Manuel I for the latter's marriage with the German Emperor's sister-in-law Bertha von Sulzbach, part of whose dowry was confirmed under the Treaty of Thessaloniki 1348 as the duchy of Apulia. Roger II launched attacks against Byzantium in 1147, partly to forestall any action on the part of the Byzantine/German alliance, and captured Corfu, Corinth and Thebes, although the Byzantine/Venetian alliance defeated the Sicilian fleet off Cape Malea in 1149 and soon recaptured Corfu. Robert of Torigny records the death "1154 IV Kal Mar" as "Rogerius rex Sicilie"[483]. The Annales Siculi record the death in 1154 of "Rogerius rex Siciliæ, ducatus Apuliæ et principatus Capuæ"[484].

m firstly ([1117]) Infanta doña ELVIRA de Castilla y León, daughter of don ALFONSO VI King of Castile and León & his [fifth wife Isabel née Zaïda ---] ([1100/16 Mar 1104]-6 Feb 1135). The Chronicon Regum Legionensium names "Sancha the wife of count Rodrigo and Elvira who married Duke Roger of Sicily" as the daughters of King Alfonso and his fourth "legitimate wife…Elisabeth"[485]. Both daughters are named in a charter dated 16 Mar 1104[486]. In view of the dates of their marriages, it is unlikely that they were born much before this date. This suggests that their mother may have been King Alfonso's fifth wife, formerly known by her Muslim name Zaïda, although if their estimated birth dates are correct there would have been an interval of several years between their births and the birth of their older brother Sancho, which seems surprising. In the case of Elvira, there is another factor which suggests that Zaïda may have been her mother, which is discussed below. The Annals of Romoald name "Albiriam filiam regis Yspanie" as wife of "rex Rogerius…cum esset comes et iuvenis"[487]. According to Reilly, Elvira daughter of King Alfonso by "Elisabeth" married Fernando Fernández[488]. If this was correct, it would mean that King Roger's wife was King Alfonso's daughter by Jimena Muñoz (see below), which seems unlikely given the estimated birth date of the older Elvira. It would also mean that King Roger's wife was the widow of Raymond de Saint-Gilles Comte de Toulouse. However, if that was the case, it would be surprising that the fact was not mentioned in contemporary chronicles, considering how widely Raymond's crusading exploits were recorded. Assuming that Zaïda was the mother of King Roger's wife, her half-Muslim extraction may have been a factor which favoured the marriage, as King Roger's good relations with the largely Muslim population of Sicily was fundamental to the success of his dynasty in the island. The De Rebus Gestis Rogerii Siciliæ Regis of Alessandro Abbot of Telese records the death of "Alberia regina", dated to [1134/35] from the context[489]. The Chronicle of Romualdo Guarna records the deaths of "Albyria…regina…et filia eius…Tarentinus princeps et Anfusus Capuanorum princeps et Henricus", recorded in a section dealing with 1145 although the text appears to be recapitalitive of earlier events[490].

m secondly (1149) SIBYLLE de Bourgogne, daughter of HUGUES II "Borel/le Pacifique" Duke of Burgundy [Capet] & his wife Mathilde de Mayenne ([1126]-Salerno 16 Sep 1150, bur Monastery of the Trinity de la Cava de Tirreni). The Annals of Romoald name "Sibiliam sororem ducis Burgundie" as the second wife of "rex Rogerius", specifying that she died at Salerno soon after their marriage and was buried "apud Caveam"[491]. The Chronicle of Romualdo Guarna records that King Roger married "Sibiliam sororem ducis Burgundiæ" and that she died soon after at Salerno and was buried "apud Caveam", dated from the context to after the death of the king´s oldest son (in 1149)[492]. A short anonymous Chronicle of Cassino records the death of "Sybilla regina" in 1150[493]. The Annales Casinenses record the death in 1151 of "Sibilla regina"[494]. Chalandon s
tates that King Roger´s second wife died in childbirth, which he dates to 19 Sep 1151[495].
m thirdly (1151) BEATRICE de Rethel, daughter of ITHIER de Vitry Comte de Rethel & his wife Béatrice de Namur ([1130/32]-30 Mar 1185). The Annals of Romoald name "Beatricem filiam comitis de Reteste" as the third wife of "rex Rogerius"[496]. The Chronicle of Romualdo Guarna names "Beatricem filiam comitis de Reteste" as the third wife of King Roger and mother of "filiam…Constantiam"[497]. The Genealogiæ Scriptoris Fusniacensis names "Hugonem et Manassem cum aliis filiis et filiabus" children of "comitis Witeri de Retest", specifying that one daughter married "Rogerus rex Sicilie"[498]. The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines names (in order) "Albertum Sancti Lamberti Leodiensis prepositum, comitem de Reytest Manasserum, castellanum Vitriaci Henricum et Hugonem et Balduinum…et tres sorores" as the children of "comiti Guithero Reytestensi" & his wife, naming the first daughter "regina Sicilie Beatrix"[499]. The Chronicon Hanoniense refers to the two daughters of "comitissa Retensis [filiam Godefridi comitis Namurcensi]", specifying that "rex Sicilie Rogerus" married one as his second wife[500].

Mistress (1): --- di Molise, daughter of [HUGUES [I] Conte di Molise & his wife ---]. The Ignoti Monachi Chronica records that in 1141 King Roger married "sororem comitis Ugonis de Molisio" by whom he had "filium Symonem, quem constituit principem Capue"[501]. Houben assumes that she was the mistress of King Roger[502], but assuming the date quoted in the Ignoti Monachi Chronica is correct, it is not impossible that the couple married as it is after his first wife´s death and well before his marriage with his known second wife.

Mistresses (2) and (-): ---. The names of King Roger's other mistresses are not known.

King Roger II & his first wife had six children:
1. ROGER of Sicily ([1118]-12 May 1148). m ([1140/43]) as her first husband, ISABELLE de Blois, daughter of THIBAUT IV Comte de Blois & his wife Mathilde von Sponheim [Carinthia] (1130-13 Aug after 1168). Mistress (1): (before [1138]) --- di Lecce, daughter of ACCARDO Conte di Lecce & his wife Matilia ---.
2. TANCRED of Sicily ([1119]-[1135/45]). Principe di Bari 1135.
3. ALPHONSE of Sicily ([1120/21]-10 Oct 1144).
4. daughter (-[1135]).
5. GUILLAUME of Sicily ([1131]-7 or 15 May 1166). He succeeded his brother Alphonse as Prince of Capua[531] and Duke of Naples in 1144. He succeeded his brother Roger as Duke of Apulia in 1148[532]. Crowned as joint King of Sicily by his father at Easter 1151. He succeeded his father in 1154 as GUILLAUME I "le Mauvais"[533] King of Sicily, crowned at Palermo at Easter 1154.
6. HENRI of Sicily (before Aug 1135-[1135/45]).

King Roger II & his second wife had two children:
7. HENRI of Sicily (29 Aug 1149-young).
8. child (stillborn [16] Sep 1150).

King Roger II & his third wife had two children:
9. child (-young).
10. CONSTANCE of Sicily (posthumously 2 Nov 1154-Palermo 28 Nov 1198, bur Palermo Cathedral). m (Betrothed Salerno 1185, Milan, Santo Ambrosio 27 Jan 1186) HEINRICH VI King of Germany, son of Emperor FRIEDRICH I "Barbarossa" King of Germany & his second wife Béatrice de Bourgogne (Nijmegen Nov 1165-castilo Favara, near Messina 28 Sep 1197, bur Palermo Cathedral). Crowned King of Sicily at Palermo cathedral 25 Dec 1194, a brutal repression of Tancredo's supported followed.

King Roger II had one illegitimate child by Mistress (1):
11. SIMON "Tancredi" (-after 1156).

King Roger II had illegitimate children by his other mistresses:
12. [daughter . m (before [1134/35]) ADAM, son of --- (-after [1134/35]).]
13. daughter . m (1167) don RODRIGO Garcés de Navarra, illegitimate son of don GARCÍA VI "el Restaurador" King of Navarre & his mistress --- (-after Jan 1172).
14. daughter . m as his first wife, HUGO Conte di Molise, son of [HUGO I Conte di Molise & his wife ---] (-29 Oct or 28 Dec [1156]).
15. ADELISA of Sicily (-after [1184/87]). Ctss di Florenzia. m firstly (separated) JOSCELIN [Iozzelino] Conte di Loreto, son of RAMBOTUS Conte di Loreto & his wife --- (-1189). m secondly ROBERT Conte di Loritello, son of ROBERT de Bassonville Conte di Conversano & his wife Judith of Sicily (-15 Sep 1182).

** from The World of the Middle Ages (John L. LaMonte) p 279+
Roger left a secure throne to his son Simeon. On Simeon's premature death, the county passed to his younger brother Roger, under the regency of his mother Adelaide (1103-12).

In 1127, Roger, taking advantange of the death of William of Apulia and the absence in the East of the proper heir Bohemond II, seized the control over the continental possession of his house, uniting Apulia to Sicily. Then in 1130 he secured from Anacletus II, whom he supported for the papacy, the investiture with the royal title making Sicily into a kingdom, held from the papacy. Roger had already ruled for twenty-seven years as count when he assumed the royal title, and for the last seventeen years it had been a personal rule. He was one of the ablest rulers in a century of great kings, and under him Sicily became one of the most powerful states of Europe.

The first event of his reign as king was a war with the papacy. As he had supported Anacletus and been crowned by him, Innocent II refused to recognize the title and attacked the usurper. Roger defeated the pope at the battle of Garigliano in 1130 and forced the legitimate pope to approve the title conferred by his rival. Then occurred a period of intricate three-cornered diplomatic intrigue between the German emperors, the Byzantine emperors, and the Silician king, all of whom sought to dominate Italy. Resentful of royal control and abetted by Innocent II, the Norman barons revolted in 1131-34 but were put down by Roger. Then in 1136 when Lothaire made his Italian expedition there was another general revolt, the barons giving assistance to the German emperor, so that he was able to occupy temporarily Bari and Salerno. Although Roger had inherited from Robert Guiscard a generally anti-Byzantine policy, he modified it to meet the meance of the German attack and we find him negotiating with both John and Manuel Comnenus against the German emperors. When Conrad and Manuel allied in spite of Roger, the Sicilian king made a naval attack on Greece in which he destroyed the cities of Corinth and Thebes (1147); and to offset the German-Byzantine alliance, Roger allied with the Welfs against Conrad and stirred up Louis VII of France against the Greeks.

Although he played an active role in the wars and diplomacy of Italy, Roger was always more concerned with the development of Sicilian sea power. His main policy was to secure control of the mouth of the Adriatic and of the passage between Tunis and Sicily so that his fleets could command completely all shipping in the western Mediterranean. In pursuance of this policy, Roger began sending expeditions to North Africa as early as 1118 but attempts to establish Norman colonies in Africa, which were repeatedly made in the years 1118-27 generally failed. In 1134 Roger interfered in North African affairs as the ally of the sultan of Madiyah over whom he secured an hegemony. Then in 1146 he captured Tripoli to the east, a conquest which he followed up two years later by the capture of Gabes, Sus, and Madiyah. The Normans increased their control in North Africa until they held the whole coast from Tripoli to Tunis and advanced into the interior as far as Kairowan. As he had at the same time secured the control of the mouth of the Adriatic, this gave Roger his desired predominance in the western Mediterranean and made Sicily easily the greatest Western naval power of the time. It also brought him the active enmity of Venice, Genoa, Pisa, and the other Italian commercial republics.

The culture of his court also showed Roger's cosmopolitanism. Roger II was one of the great patrons of learning in the twenth century Renaissance. His special interest was in geography; he had a great silver map made on the wall of his palace, and the most honored scholar at his court was the geographer, Idrisi. It was at Palermo that Aristippus translated Plato and Aristotle from the Greek, and it was there that Eugene the Emir wrote his treatises on mathematics and astronomy. Men came from all over the world to the court of Palermo, and Sicily ranked second only to Spain as the great center for translations of the Arabic and transmission of the oriental culture.

When Roger II died in 1154 he was succeeded by his son William I (1154-66) called the Bad...

***From the Norman Kingdom of Sicily (Donald Matthew) p. 9--
The Norman kingdom of Italy created in 1130 for Roger II comprised the lands he had inherited in Calabria and Sicily from this father, Count Roger I, the mainland terrotories ruled by his cousin, Duke William of Apulia, until his death in 1127, and the lands of these great men of southern Italy who were or became Roger's vassals.

** from Wikipedia listing for Roger II of Sicily as of 2/6/2016
Roger II (Mileto, Calabria 22 December 1095[1] – Palermo, Sicily 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became Duke of Apulia and Calabria in 1127, and then King of Sicily in 1130. By the time of his death at the age of 58, Roger had succeeded in uniting all the Norman conquests in Italy into one kingdom with a strong centralized government.

Background
By 999, Norman adventurers had arrived in southern Italy.[2] By 1016, they were involved in the complex local politics where Lombards were fighting against the Byzantine Empire. These mercenaries fought the enemies of the Italian city-states, but in the following century they gradually became the rulers of the major polities south of Rome.

Roger I ruled the County of Sicily at the time of the birth of his youngest son, Roger, at Mileto, Calabria, in 1095.[3] Roger I's nephew, Roger Borsa, was the Duke of Apulia and Calabria, and his great nephew, Richard II of Capua, was the Prince of Capua. Alongside these three major rulers were a large number of minor counts, who effectively exercised sovereign power in their own localities. These counts at least nominally owed allegiance to one of these three Norman rulers, but such allegiance was usually weak and often ignored.[4]

When Roger I died in 1101, his young son, Simon of Hauteville, became Count, with his mother Adelaide del Vasto as regent. Simon died four years later in 1105, at the age of 12. Adelaide continued as regent to her younger son Roger, who was just nine years old.[5]

Reign
Rise to power in Sicily
Upon the death of his elder brother, Simon of Hauteville, in 1105, Roger inherited the County of Sicily under the regency of his mother, Adelaide del Vasto. His mother was assisted by such notables as Christodulus, the emir of Palermo. In 1109, Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, bestowed upon him the title of protonobilissimos, in recognition of his knowledge of the Byzantine court.[6] In the summer of 1110, Roger was visited by the Norwegian king Sigurd Jorsalfare, who was on his way to Jerusalem.[7] The story suggests that Sigurd gave Roger the name King of Sicily, twenty years before he actually obtained this title.

In 1112, at the age of sixteen, Roger began his personal rule, being named "now knight, now Count of Sicily and Calabria" in a charter document dated 12 June 1112.[1] In 1117, his mother, who had married Baldwin I of Jerusalem, returned to Sicily, since the Patriarch of Jerusalem had declared the marriage invalid. Roger seems to have felt the slight, and this might explain his later reluctance to go crusading.[8] Roger married his first wife, Elvira, daughter of Alfonso VI of Castile, and his fourth queen, Isabella, who may be identical to his former concubine, the converted Moor, Zaida, baptised Isabella.

In 1122, William II the Duke of Apulia, who was fighting with Count Jordan of Ariano, offered to renounce his remaining claims to Sicily as well as part of Calabria.[9] Roger, in exchange, provided William with 600 knights and access to money for his campaign.[9]

Rise to power in southern Italy[edit]
When William II of Apulia died childless in July 1127, Roger claimed all Hauteville family possessions in the peninsula as well as the overlordship of the Principality of Capua, which had been nominally given to Apulia almost thirty years earlier. However, the union of Sicily and Apulia was resisted by Pope Honorius II and by the subjects of the duchy itself.

Royal investiture
The popes had long been suspicious of the growth of Norman power in southern Italy, and at Capua in December, the pope preached a crusade against Roger, setting Robert II of Capua and Ranulf II of Alife (his own brother-in-law) against him. After this coalition failed, in August 1128 Honorius invested Roger at Benevento as Duke of Apulia.[10] The baronial resistance, backed by Naples, Bari, Salerno, and other cities whose aim was civic freedom, gave way. In September 1129 Roger was generally recognized as duke of Apulia by Sergius VII of Naples, Robert of Capua, and the rest. He began at once to enforce order in the duchy, where ducal power had long been fading.

On the death of Pope Honorius in February 1130 there were two claimants to the papal throne. Roger supported Antipope Anacletus II against Innocent II.[10] The reward was a crown,[10] and, on 27 September 1130, Anacletus' papal bull made Roger king of Sicily.[11] He was crowned in Palermo on Christmas Day 1130. Roger II's elaborate royal mantle bears the date 528 of the Islamic calendar (1133–34), therefore it could not be used for his coronation.[12][13] It was later used as coronation cloak by the Holy Roman Emperors and is now in the Imperial Treasury (Schatzkammer) in Vienna.

Peninsular rebellions[edit]
This plunged Roger into a ten-year war. The famous Bernard of Clairvaux, Innocent's champion, organized a coalition against Anacletus and his "half-heathen king." He was joined by Louis VI of France, Henry I of England, and the Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor. Meanwhile, southern Italy revolted.

In 1130, the Duchy of Amalfi revolted and in 1131, Roger sent John of Palermo across the Strait of Messina to join up with a royal troop from Apulia and Calabria and march on Amalfi by land while George of Antioch blockaded the town by sea and set up a base on Capri.[14] Amalfi soon capitulated.

In 1132, Roger sent Robert II of Capua and Ranulf II of Alife to Rome in a show of force in support of Anacletus. While they were away, Roger's half-sister Matilda, Ranulf's wife, fled to Roger claiming abuse. Simultaneously, Roger annexed Ranulf's brother's County of Avellino. Ranulf demanded the restitution of both wife and countship. Both were denied, and Ranulf left Rome against orders, with Robert following.

First Roger dealt with a rebellion in Apulia, where he defeated and deposed Grimoald, Prince of Bari, replacing him with his second son Tancred. Meanwhile, Robert and Ranulf took papal Benevento. Roger went to meet them but was defeated at the Battle of Nocera on 25 July 1132. Roger retreated to Salerno.

The next year, Lothair III came down to Rome for his imperial coronation. The rebel leaders met him there, but they were refused help because Lothair's force was too small.[15] With the emperor's departure, divisions in his opponents' ranks allowed Roger to reverse his fortunes. By July 1134, Roger's troops had forced Ranulf, Sergius, and the other ringleaders to submit. Robert was expelled from Capua and Roger installed his third son, Alfonso of Hauteville as Prince of Capua. Roger II's eldest son Roger was given the title of Duke of Apulia.

Meanwhile, Lothair's contemplated attack upon Roger had gained the backing of Pisa, Genoa, and the Byzantine emperor John II, each of whom feared the growth of a powerful Norman kingdom. A Pisan fleet led by the exiled prince of Capua dropped anchor off Naples in 1135. Ranulf joined Robert and Sergius there, encouraged by news coming from Sicily that Roger was fatally ill or even already dead. The important fortress of Aversa, among others, passed to the rebels and only Capua resisted, under the royal chancellor, Guarin. On June 5, however, Roger disembarked in Salerno, much to the surprise of all the mainland provinces. The royal army, split into several forces, easily conquered Aversa and even Alife, the base of the natural rebel leader, Ranulf. Most of the rebels took refuge in Naples, which was besieged in July, but despite poor health conditions within the city, Roger was not able to take it, and returned to Messina late in the year.

Imperial invasion
In 1136, the long-awaited imperial army, led by Lothair and the duke of Bavaria, Henry the Proud, descended the peninsula to support the three rebels. Henry, Robert, and Ranulf took a large contingent of troops to besiege the peninsular capital of the kingdom, Salerno. Roger remained in Sicily, leaving its mainland garrisons helpless under the chancellor Robert of Selby, while even the Byzantine emperor John II Comnenus sent subsidies to Lothair. Salerno surrendered, and the large army of Germans and Normans marched to the very south of Apulia. There, in June 1137, Lothair besieged and took Bari. At San Severino, after the victorious campaign, he and the pope jointly invested Ranulf as duke of Apulia (August 1137), and the emperor then retired to Germany. Roger, freed from the utmost danger, immediately disembarked in Calabria, at Tropea, with 400 knights and other troops, probably mostly Muslims. After having been welcomed by the Salernitans, he recovered ground in Campania, sacking Pozzuoli, Alife, Capua, and Avellino. Sergius, terrified, was forced to acknowledge him as overlord of Naples and switch his allegiance to Anacletus: that moment marked the fall of an independent Neapolitan duchy, and thereafter the ancient city was fully integrated into the Norman realm.

From there Roger moved to Benevento and northern Apulia, where Duke Ranulf, although steadily losing his bases of power, had some German troops plus some 1,500 knight from the cities of Melfi, Trani, Troia, and Bari, who were "ready to die rather than lead a miserable life." On 30 October 1137, at the Battle of Rignano (next to Monte Gargano), the younger Roger and his father, with Sergius of Naples, met the defensive army of Duke Ranulf. It was the greatest defeat of Roger II's career. His son fought with courage, and Sergius died honourably in battle, but Roger himself fled the field to Salerno. It capped Ranulf's meteoric career: twice victor over Roger. Anacletus II died in January 1138, but Innocent II refused to reconcile with the King.

In spring 1138, the royal army invaded the Principality of Capua, with the precise intent of avoiding a pitched battle and of dispersing Ranulf's army with a series of marches through difficult terrain. While the count of Alife hesitated, Roger, now supported by Benevento, destroyed all the rebels' castles in the region, capturing an immense booty. Ranulf himself, who had taken refuge in his capital Troia, died of malaric fever on 30 April 1139. Later, Roger exhumed his body from his grave in Troia cathedral and threw it in a ditch, only to repent subsequently and rebury him decently.

At this time, Sergius being dead, Alfonso was elected to replace him and together with his brother Roger went off to conquer the Abruzzi.

Consolidation of kingship
After the death of Anacletus in January 1138, Roger had sought the confirmation of his title from Innocent. However, the pope wanted an independent Principality of Capua as a buffer state between the Kingdom of Sicily and the Papal States, something Roger would not accept.[16] In the summer of 1139, Innocent II invaded the kingdom with a large army, but was ambushed at Galluccio on (22 July 1139),[17] southeast of present-day Cassino, by Roger's son and was captured. Three days later, by the Treaty of Mignano, the pope proclaimed Roger II rex Siciliae ducatus Apuliae et principatus Capuae (king of Sicily, duke of Apulia and commander of Capua). The boundaries of his regno were only later fixed by a truce with the pope in October 1144. These lands were for the next seven centuries to constitute the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily.

In 1139, Bari, the 50,000 inhabitants of which had remained unscathed behind its massive walls during the wars of the past year, decided to surrender. The excellentissimus princeps Jaquintus, who had led the rebellion of the city, was hanged together with many of his followers but the city avoided being sacked. Roger's execution of the prince and his counsellors was perhaps the most violent act of his life.

While his sons overcame pockets of resistance on the mainland, on 5 November 1139 Roger returned to Palermo to plan a great act of legislation: the Assizes of Ariano, an attempt to establish his dominions in southern Italy as a coherent state. He returned to check on his sons' progress in 1140 and then went to Ariano, a town central to the peninsular possessions (and a centre of rebellion under his predecessors). There he promulgated the great law regulating all Sicilian affairs. It invested the king and his bureaucracy with absolute powers and reduced the authority of the often rebellious vassals. While there, centralising his kingdom, Roger declared a new standard coinage, named after the duchy of Apulia: the ducat.

Economy
Roger’s reforms in laws and administration not only aimed to strengthen his rule but also to improve the economic standing of Sicily and southern Italy. He was "very concerned to gain money, but hardly very prodigal in expending it."[18]

In 1140 at his assembly at Ariano he introduced new coinage to make it easier to trade with the rest of the Mediterranean, as there were smaller denominations of the previous coins, to allow more accurate and efficient trading. However, although this new coinage made long distance trade easier it was very detrimental to local trade which spread "hatred throughout Italy."[18] By the 1150s most of this coinage was no longer in use and soon after, it disappeared all together.

Nevertheless, the controversy over the coinage did not hinder the Kingdom’s prosperity. Roger II had not only acquired large wealth through his royal patrimony but also through his military campaigns and their financial rewards. For example, gold and silver were gained through the campaigns in Apulia in 1133 and Greece in 1147.[19]

Sicily's geographic situation at the centre of Mediterranean made it a brilliant location for trade with Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Its primary export was durum wheat; others included foods like cheese and vine fruits. Unlike other states, Sicily also had a strong political and military standing so its merchants were supported and to some extent protected.[20] This standing allowed for an increase in internal trade and a stronger market which led to noticeable developments in agriculture.[21]

Later reign
Roger had now become one of the greatest kings in Europe. At Palermo, he gathered round him distinguished men of various races, such as the famous Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi and the Greek historian Nilus Doxopatrius. The king welcomed the learned and practised toleration towards the several creeds, races and languages of his realm. To administer his domain he hired many Greeks and Arabs, who were trained in long-established traditions of centralized government.[22] He was served by men of diverse nationality, such as the Englishman Thomas Brun, a kaid of the Curia and, in the fleet, first by Christodulus and then George of Antioch, whom he made in 1132 ammiratus ammiratorum or "Emir of Emirs", in effect prime vizier. (This title later became the English word admiral). Roger made Sicily the leading maritime power in the Mediterranean.

A powerful fleet was built up under several admirals, or "emirs", of whom the greatest was George, formerly in the service of the Muslim prince of Mahdia. Mainly thanks to him, a series of conquests were made on the African coast (1146–1153). From 1135 Roger II started to conquer the coast of Tunisia and enlarge his dominions: Tripoli was captured in 1146 and Cape Bona in 1148. These conquests were lost in the reign of Roger's successor William, however, and never formed an integral part of the kingdom in southern Italy.

The Second Crusade (1147–1148) offered Roger an opportunity to revive attacks on the Byzantine Empire, the traditional Norman enemy to the East. It also afforded him an opportunity, through the agency of Theodwin, a cardinal ever-vigilant for Crusade supporters, to strike up a correspondence with Conrad III of Germany in an effort to break his alliance with Manuel I Comnenus. Roger himself never went on an expedition against Byzantium, instead handing command to the skillful George. In 1147, George set sail from Otranto with seventy galleys to attack Corfu. According to Nicetas Choniates, the island capitulated thanks to George's bribes (and the tax burden of the imperial government), welcoming the Normans as their liberators. Leaving a garrison of 1,000 men, George sailed on to the Peloponnesus. He sacked Athens and quickly moved on to the Aegean Islands. He ravaged the coast all along Euboea and the Gulf of Corinth and penetrated as far as Thebes, Greece, where he pillaged the silk factories and carried off the Jewish damask, brocade, and silk weavers, taking them back to Palermo where they formed the basis for the Sicilian silk industry. George capped the expedition with a sack of Corinth, in which the relics of Saint Theodore were stolen, and then returned to Sicily. In 1149, however, Corfu was retaken. George went on a punitive expedition against Constantinople, but could not land and instead defied the Byzantine emperor by firing arrows against the palace windows. Despite this act, his expedition left no enduring effects.

Roger died at Palermo on 26 February 1154 and was buried in the Cathedral of Palermo. He was succeeded by his fourth son, William. Roger is the subject of King Roger, a 1926 opera by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski. The last months of his life are also featured in Tariq Ali's book A Sultan in Palermo. Studiorum Universitas Ruggero II, a private non-traditional university connected to Accademia Normanna was incorporated in the U.S. on April 30, 2001 in honor of this king.[23]

Family
Roger's first marriage was in 1117 to Elvira of Castile, a daughter of King Alfonso VI of Castile. When she died, rumors flew that Roger had died as well, as his grief had made him a recluse.[24] They had six children:

Roger (b. 1118 – d. 12 May 1148), heir, Duke of Apulia (from 1135), possibly also Count of Lecce;
Tancred (b. 1119 – d. 1138), Prince of Bari (from 1135).
Alfonso (b. 1120/1121 – d. 10 October 1144), Prince of Capua (from 1135) and Duke of Naples;
A daughter (d. young, 1135);
William (b. 1131 – d. 7 May 1166), his successor, Duke of Apulia (from 1148);
Henry (b. 1135 – d. young).

Roger's second marriage was in 1149 to Sibylla of Burgundy, daughter of Hugh II, Duke of Burgundy.[25] They had two children:

Henry (b. 29 August 1149 – d. young);
Stillborn child (16 September 1150).[25]

Roger's third marriage was in 1151 to Beatrice of Rethel, a grandniece of King Baldwin II of Jerusalem.[25] They had one daughter:

Constance (b. posthumously, 2 November 1154 – d. 28 November 1198),[25] who married with the Emperor Henry VI, later King of Sicily in his right.[26]
Roger also had five known illegitimate children:

—By a daughter of Hugues I, Count of Molise:

Simon, who became Prince of Taranto in 1144.[25]

—With unknown mistresses:

A daughter, wife of Rodrigo Garcés (later Henry, Count of Montescaglioso)
A daughter, wife of the neapolitan nobleman Adam;
Clenenza, married Hugues II, Count of Molise;
Adelisa (d. aft. 1184/87) married firstly Joscelin, Count of Loreto, and secondly Robert of Bassonville, Count of Loritello;
Marina, married the great admiral Margaritus of Brindisi.

Notes--see Wikipedia listing

References
Alexander of Telese, The Deeds of Roger.
Aubé, Pierre. Roger II de Sicile. 2001.
Barber, Malcolm. The Two Cities: Medieval Europe, 1050-1320, Routledge, London, second edition 2004, chapter 9, The Kingdom of Sicily
Hamel, Pasquale L'invenzione del regno, dalla conquista normanna alla fondazione del Regnum Siciliae (1061/1154) (Palermo, 2009)
Holmes, George, The Oxford IllustratedHistory of Medieval Europe. OUP, 1988.
Houben, Hubert (translated by Graham A. Loud and Diane Milburn). Roger II of Sicily: Ruler between East and West. Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Matthew, Donald. The Norman Kingdom of Sicily (Cambridge Medieval Textbooks), 1992.
Alex Metcalfe The Muslims of Medieval Italy (Edinburgh, 2009)
Francois Neveux. The Normans, Constable & Robinson, London, 2008 (translated by Howard Curtis).
Norwich, John Julius. The Normans in the South 1016-1130. Longmans: London, 1967.
Norwich, John Julius. The Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194. Longman: London, 1970.
Rowe, John Gordon. "The Papacy and the Greeks (1122-1153) (Part II)." Church History, Vol. 28, No. 3. (Sep., 1959), pp 310–327.
Wieruszowski, Helen. "Roger II of Sicily, Rex-Tyrannus, In Twelfth-Century Political Thought." Speculum, Vol. 38, No. 1. (Jan., 1963), pp 46–78.

BIO: from http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SICILY.htm#RogerIIdied1154B, as of 11/18/2014
ROGER of Sicily, son of ROGER I Count of Sicily & his third wife Adelaida di Savona [Monferrato] ([22 Dec 1095]-Palermo 26 Feb 1154, bur Palermo Cathedral). The Annals of Romoald name "frater eius [=Symonis] Rogerus comes" when recording that he succeeded his brother[476]. His birth date is calculated back from Romuald recording his date of death 27 Feb 1154, at the age of 58 years, two months and 5 days according to the chronicle of Romuald of Salerno[477]. He succeeded his brother in 1105 as ROGER II Count of Sicily, under the joint regency of his mother and his brother-in-law Robert de Bourgogne. The De Rebus Gestis Rogerii Siciliæ Regis of Alessandro Abbot of Telese records that "frater primogenitus…Simon" succeeded his father, but died and was succeeded by his brother Roger under the tutelage of "genitrix illius Adalasia"[478]. Declared of age after 12 Jun 1112, the date of the last document issued jointly with his mother[479]. "Rogerius Sicilie atque Calabrie comes" confirmed a judgment relating to Bagnara by charter dated [Oct] 1116 witnessed by "Henricus avunculus comitis, Robertus Avenellus, Rainaldus de Tirone"[480]. He strengthened the Sicilian navy, which became one of the most powerful in the Mediterranean. As the price for assisting Guillaume Duke of Apulia to crush the rebellion of Jordan Conte di Ariano in 1122, Roger insisted on retaking Guillaume's half share in the cities of Palermo and Messina along with the whole of Calabria. In revenge for the Almoravid attack on Nicotera, on the coast of Calabria, in 1122, a Sicilian fleet sailed in Jul 1123 with the aim of attacking Mahdia on the north African coast, but the expedition was defeated by the Zirid emir al-Hassan. He seized Montescaglioso in 1124, claiming to succeed to his deceased sister Emma. Duke Guillaume promised to recognise Roger II as his heir at Messina in 1125, and when the former died in 1127 Roger acted swiftly to assert his rights, laid siege to Salerno and had himself acclaimed as Duke of Apulia at Reggio, ignoring the fact that the dukedom should have reverted to the Papacy according to the legal rules of fiefdom[481]. Pope Honorius II, as rival claimant, formally forbade Roger from assuming the title of Duke. The crisis escalated, with the two sides mustering troops on the River Bradano in the eastern Basilicata in the summer of 1128. The Pope conceded faced with the strength of the Sicilian forces, investing Roger as Duke 22 Aug 1128 outside the walls of Benevento. In 1129, Roger II expanded his area of authority in Apulia, capturing Taranto, Nardò and Bari, though failing to take Brindisi. He had all counts, bishops and abbots swear allegiance to him at a solemn court at Melfi in Sep 1129. His conquest of southern Italy was completed in 1130 when Robert II Prince of Capua submitted to him. He claimed the principality of Antioch in 1130 as the nearest male heir of Bohémond II, but was unable to press this due to his preoccupations in southern Italy. Taking advantage of the further weakness of the Papacy following the schism of Feb 1130, he pressured anti-Pope Anacletus II to invest him (by Papal Bull at Benevento 27 Sep 1130) as ROGER II King of Sicily, justified on the fiction that Sicily had once been a kingdom[482]. He was crowned at Palermo 25 Dec 1130. The duchy of Naples submitted to him in 1131. However, he was faced with rebellion by barons in Apulia, led by his brother-in-law Rainulf Conte di Alife, who defeated him at Nocera 25 Jul 1132. In 1133, Roger II exacted his revenge, capturing Venosa, Montepeloso, Acerenza, Bisceglie, Trani and Troia. With the arrival of Emperor Lothar in Italy, allied with Pope Innocent II, Roger suffered reverses, Salerno surrendering to Imperial forces 8 Aug 1137. Emperor Lothar and Pope Innocent II jointly invested Rainulf Conte di Alife as Duke of Apulia. Roger II re-entered Salerno in Oct 1137, but was defeated by Rainulf at Rignano near Monte Gargano, 30 Oct 1137. He unsuccessfully attempted to conciliate with Pope Innocent II after the death of Anacletus II in Jan 1138. Innocent II announced Roger's excommunication at the Second Lateran Council in Apr 1139, but with the death of Rainulf later the same month Roger was able to reassert control over the whole of southern Italy. He captured Pope Innocent II at San Germano (now Cassino) and obliged the Pope to crown him again 25 Jul 1139. Able now to turn his attention to north Africa, Roger II's fleet began plundering coastal towns taking advantage of the weakness of the Zirid emir. The capture of Tripoli in 1146 marked the start of a period of conquest, with Mahdia, Susa and Sfax falling in 1148. The area was settled by Sicilian colonists, the local Muslim inhabitants treated with tolerance, but Sicily's north African expansion was short-lived, falling to the Almohads after Roger II's death. In the meantime relations with Germany and Byzantium had grown tense, in part through the negotiations between Emperor Konrad III and Emperor Manuel I for the latter's marriage with the German Emperor's sister-in-law Bertha von Sulzbach, part of whose dowry was confirmed under the Treaty of Thessaloniki 1348 as the duchy of Apulia. Roger II launched attacks against Byzantium in 1147, partly to forestall any action on the part of the Byzantine/German alliance, and captured Corfu, Corinth and Thebes, although the Byzantine/Venetian alliance defeated the Sicilian fleet off Cape Malea in 1149 and soon recaptured Corfu. Robert of Torigny records the death "1154 IV Kal Mar" as "Rogerius rex Sicilie"[483]. The Annales Siculi record the death in 1154 of "Rogerius rex Siciliæ, ducatus Apuliæ et principatus Capuæ"[484].

m firstly ([1117]) Infanta doña ELVIRA de Castilla y León, daughter of don ALFONSO VI King of Castile and León & his [fifth wife Isabel née Zaïda ---] ([1100/16 Mar 1104]-6 Feb 1135). The Chronicon Regum Legionensium names "Sancha the wife of count Rodrigo and Elvira who married Duke Roger of Sicily" as the daughters of King Alfonso and his fourth "legitimate wife…Elisabeth"[485]. Both daughters are named in a charter dated 16 Mar 1104[486]. In view of the dates of their marriages, it is unlikely that they were born much before this date. This suggests that their mother may have been King Alfonso's fifth wife, formerly known by her Muslim name Zaïda, although if their estimated birth dates are correct there would have been an interval of several years between their births and the birth of their older brother Sancho, which seems surprising. In the case of Elvira, there is another factor which suggests that Zaïda may have been her mother, which is discussed below. The Annals of Romoald name "Albiriam filiam regis Yspanie" as wife of "rex Rogerius…cum esset comes et iuvenis"[487]. According to Reilly, Elvira daughter of King Alfonso by "Elisabeth" married Fernando Fernández[488]. If this was correct, it would mean that King Roger's wife was King Alfonso's daughter by Jimena Muñoz (see below), which seems unlikely given the estimated birth date of the older Elvira. It would also mean that King Roger's wife was the widow of Raymond de Saint-Gilles Comte de Toulouse. However, if that was the case, it would be surprising that the fact was not mentioned in contemporary chronicles, considering how widely Raymond's crusading exploits were recorded. Assuming that Zaïda was the mother of King Roger's wife, her half-Muslim extraction may have been a factor which favoured the marriage, as King Roger's good relations with the largely Muslim population of Sicily was fundamental to the success of his dynasty in the island. The De Rebus Gestis Rogerii Siciliæ Regis of Alessandro Abbot of Telese records the death of "Alberia regina", dated to [1134/35] from the context[489]. The Chronicle of Romualdo Guarna records the deaths of "Albyria…regina…et filia eius…Tarentinus princeps et Anfusus Capuanorum princeps et Henricus", recorded in a section dealing with 1145 although the text appears to be recapitalitive of earlier events[490].

m secondly (1149) SIBYLLE de Bourgogne, daughter of HUGUES II "Borel/le Pacifique" Duke of Burgundy [Capet] & his wife Mathilde de Mayenne ([1126]-Salerno 16 Sep 1150, bur Monastery of the Trinity de la Cava de Tirreni). The Annals of Romoald name "Sibiliam sororem ducis Burgundie" as the second wife of "rex Rogerius", specifying that she died at Salerno soon after their marriage and was buried "apud Caveam"[491]. The Chronicle of Romualdo Guarna records that King Roger married "Sibiliam sororem ducis Burgundiæ" and that she died soon after at Salerno and was buried "apud Caveam", dated from the context to after the death of the king´s oldest son (in 1149)[492]. A short anonymous Chronicle of Cassino records the death of "Sybilla regina" in 1150[493]. The Annales Casinenses record the death in 1151 of "Sibilla regina"[494]. Chalandon states that King Roger´s second wife died in childbirth, which he dates to 19 Sep 1151[495].

m thirdly (1151) BEATRICE de Rethel, daughter of ITHIER de Vitry Comte de Rethel & his wife Béatrice de Namur ([1130/32]-30 Mar 1185). The Annals of Romoald name "Beatricem filiam comitis de Reteste" as the third wife of "rex Rogerius"[496]. The Chronicle of Romualdo Guarna names "Beatricem filiam comitis de Reteste" as the third wife of King Roger and mother of "filiam…Constantiam"[497]. The Genealogiæ Scriptoris Fusniacensis names "Hugonem et Manassem cum aliis filiis et filiabus" children of "comitis Witeri de Retest", specifying that one daughter married "Rogerus rex Sicilie"[498]. The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines names (in order) "Albertum Sancti Lamberti Leodiensis prepositum, comitem de Reytest Manasserum, castellanum Vitriaci Henricum et Hugonem et Balduinum…et tres sorores" as the children of "comiti Guithero Reytestensi" & his wife, naming the first daughter "regina Sicilie Beatrix"[499]. The Chronicon Hanoniense refers to the two daughters of "comitissa Retensis [filiam Godefridi comitis Namurcensi]", specifying that "rex Sicilie Rogerus" married one as his second wife[500].

Mistress (1): --- di Molise, daughter of [HUGUES [I] Conte di Molise & his wife ---]. The Ignoti Monachi Chronica records that in 1141 King Roger married "sororem comitis Ugonis de Molisio" by whom he had "filium Symonem, quem constituit principem Capue"[501]. Houben assumes that she was the mistress of King Roger[502], but assuming the date quoted in the Ignoti Monachi Chronica is correct, it is not impossible that the couple married as it is after his first wife´s death and well before his marriage with his known second wife.

Mistresses (2) and (-): ---. The names of King Roger's other mistresses are not known.

King Roger II & his first wife had six children:
1. ROGER of Sicily ([1118]-12 May 1148). m ([1140/43]) as her first husband, ISABELLE de Blois, daughter of THIBAUT IV Comte de Blois & his wife Mathilde von Sponheim [Carinthia] (1130-13 Aug after 1168). She returned to France after her husband died and married secondly ([1150/55]) Guillaume [IV] Goët de Montmirail Baron du Perche-Goët.
2. TANCRED of Sicily ([1119]-[1135/45]). Principe di Bari 1135.
3. ALPHONSE of Sicily ([1120/21]-10 Oct 1144). He was invested as Prince of Capua in Aug 1135. Duke of Naples 1139.
4. daughter (-[1135]).
5. GUILLAUME of Sicily ([1131]-7 or 15 May 1166). His father created him Principe di Taranto in 1139. He succeeded his brother Alphonse as Prince of Capua[531] and Duke of Naples in 1144. He succeeded his brother Roger as Duke of Apulia in 1148[532]. Crowned as joint King of Sicily by his father at Easter 1151. He succeeded his father in 1154 as GUILLAUME I "le Mauvais"[533] King of Sicily, crowned at Palermo at Easter 1154.
6. HENRI of Sicily (before Aug 1135-[1135/45]).

King Roger II & his second wife had two children:
7. HENRI of Sicily (29 Aug 1149-young).
8. child (stillborn [16] Sep 1150).

King Roger II & his third wife had two children:
9. child (-young). The primary source which confirms the parentage of this child has not yet been identified.
10. CONSTANCE of Sicily (posthumously 2 Nov 1154-Palermo 28 Nov 1198, bur Palermo Cathedral). m (Betrothed Salerno 1185, Milan, Santo Ambrosio 27 Jan 1186) HEINRICH VI King of Germany, son of Emperor FRIEDRICH I "Barbarossa" King of Germany & his second wife Béatrice de Bourgogne (Nijmegen Nov 1165-castilo Favara, near Messina 28 Sep 1197, bur Palermo Cathedral). He was crowned Emperor at Rome 15 Apr 1191. Crowned King of Sicily at Palermo cathedral 25 Dec 1194.

King Roger II had one illegitimate child by Mistress (1):
11. SIMON "Tancredi" (-after 1156).

King Roger II had illegitimate children by his other mistresses:
12. [daughter . m (before [1134/35]) ADAM, son of --- (-after [1134/35]).]
13. daughter . m (1167) don RODRIGO Garcés de Navarra, illegitimate son of don GARCÍA VI "el Restaurador" King of Navarre & his mistress --- (-after Jan 1172).
14. daughter . m as his first wife, HUGO Conte di Molise, son of [HUGO I Conte di Molise & his wife ---] (-29 Oct or 28 Dec [1156]).
15. ADELISA of Sicily (-after [1184/87]). Ctss di Florenzia. m firstly (separated) JOSCELIN [Iozzelino] Conte di Loreto, son of RAMBOTUS Conte di Loreto & his wife --- (-1189). m secondly ROBERT Conte di Loritello, son of ROBERT de Bassonville Conte di Conversano & his wife Judith of Sicily (-15 Sep 1182).

** from The World of the Middle Ages (John L. LaMonte) p 279+
Roger left a secure throne to his son Simeon. On Simeon's premature death, the county passed to his younger brother Roger, under the regency of his mother Adelaide (1103-12).

In 1127, Roger, taking advantange of the death of William of Apulia and the absence in the East of the proper heir Bohemond II, seized the control over the continental possession of his house, uniting Apulia to Sicily. Then in 1130 he secured from Anacletus II, whom he supported for the papacy, the investiture with the royal title making Sicily into a kingdom, held from the papacy. Roger had already ruled for twenty-seven years as count when he assumed the royal title, and for the last seventeen years it had been a personal rule. He was one of the ablest rulers in a century of great kings, and under him Sicily became one of the most powerful states of Europe.

The first event of his reign as king was a war with the papacy. As he had supported Anacletus and been crowned by him, Innocent II refused to recognize the title and attacked the usurper. Roger defeated the pope at the battle of Garigliano in 1130 and forced the legitimate pope to approve the title conferred by his rival. Then occurred a period of intricate three-cornered diplomatic intrigue between the German emperors, the Byzantine emperors, and the Silician king, all of whom sought to dominate Italy. Resentful of royal control and abetted by Innocent II, the Norman barons revolted in 1131-34 but were put down by Roger. Then in 1136 when Lothaire made his Italian expedition there was another general revolt, the barons giving assistance to the German emperor, so that he was able to occupy temporarily Bari and Salerno. Although Roger had inherited from Robert Guiscard a generally anti-Byzantine policy, he modified it to meet the meance of the German attack and we find him negotiating with both John and Manuel Comnenus against the German emperors. When Conrad and Manuel allied in spite of Roger, the Sicilian king made a naval attack on Greece in which he destroyed the cities of Corinth and Thebes (1147); and to offset the German-Byzantine alliance, Roger allied with the Welfs against Conrad and stirred up Louis VII of France against the Greeks.

Although he played an active role in the wars and diplomacy of Italy, Roger was always more concerned with the development of Sicilian sea power. His main policy was to secure control of the mouth of the Adriatic and of the passage between Tunis and Sicily so that his fleets could command completely all shipping in the western Mediterranean. In pursuance of this policy, Roger began sending expeditions to North Africa as early as 1118 but attempts to establish Norman colonies in Africa, which were repeatedly made in the years 1118-27 generally failed. In 1134 Roger interfered in North African affairs as the ally of the sultan of Madiyah over whom he secured an hegemony. Then in 1146 he captured Tripoli to the east, a conquest which he followed up two years later by the capture of Gabes, Sus, and Madiyah. The Normans increased their control in North Africa until they held the whole coast from Tripoli to Tunis and advanced into the interior as far as Kairowan. As he had at the same time secured the control of the mouth of the Adriatic, this gave Roger his desired predominance in the western Mediterranean and made Sicily easily the greatest Western naval power of the time. It also brought him the active enmity of Venice, Genoa, Pisa, and the other Italian commercial republics.

The culture of his court also showed Roger's cosmopolitanism. Roger II was one of the great patrons of learning in the twenth century Renaissance. His special interest was in geography; he had a great silver map made on the wall of his palace, and the most honored scholar at his court was the geographer, Idrisi. It was at Palermo that Aristippus translated Plato and Aristotle from the Greek, and it was there that Eugene the Emir wrote his treatises on mathematics and astronomy. Men came from all over the world to the court of Palermo, and Sicily ranked second only to Spain as the great center for translations of the Arabic and transmission of the oriental culture.

When Roger II died in 1154 he was succeeded by his son William I (1154-66) called the Bad...

***From the Norman Kingdom of Sicily (Donald Matthew) p. 9--
The Norman kingdom of Italy created in 1130 for Roger II comprised the lands he had inherited in Calabria and Sicily from this father, Count Roger I, the mainland terrotories ruled by his cousin, Duke William of Apulia, until his death in 1127, and the lands of these great men of southern Italy who were or became Roger's vassals.

** from Wikipedia listing for Roger II of Sicily, as of 11/18/2014
Roger II (22 December 1095[1] – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became Duke of Apulia and Calabria in 1127, and then King of Sicily in 1130. By the time of his death at the age of 58, Roger had succeeded in uniting all the Norman conquests in Italy into one kingdom with a strong centralized government.

Background
By 999, Norman adventurers had arrived in southern Italy.[2] By 1016, they were involved in the complex local politics where Lombards were fighting against the Byzantine Empire. These mercenaries fought the enemies of the Italian city-states, but in the following century they gradually became the rulers of the major polities south of Rome.

Roger I ruled the County of Sicily at the time of the birth of his youngest son, Roger, at Mileto, Calabria, in 1095.[3] Roger I's nephew, Roger Borsa, was the Duke of Apulia and Calabria, and his great nephew, Richard II of Capua, was the Prince of Capua. Alongside these three major rulers were a large number of minor counts, who effectively exercised sovereign power in their own localities. These counts at least nominally owed allegiance to one of these three Norman rulers, but such allegiance was usually weak and often ignored.[4]

When Roger I died in 1101, his young son, Simon of Hauteville, became Count, with his mother Adelaide del Vasto as regent. Simon died four years later in 1105, at the age of 12. Adelaide continued as regent to her younger son Roger, who was just nine years old.[5]

Reign
Rise to power in Sicily
Upon the death of his elder brother, Simon of Hauteville, in 1105, Roger inherited the County of Sicily under the regency of his mother, Adelaide del Vasto. His mother was assisted by such notables as Christodulus, the emir of Palermo. In 1109, Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, bestowed upon him the title of protonobilissimos, in recognition of his knowledge of the Byzantine court.[6] In the summer of 1110, Roger was visited by the Norwegian king Sigurd Jorsalfare, who was on his way to Jerusalem.[7] The story suggests that Sigurd gave Roger the name King of Sicily, twenty years before he actually obtained this title.

In 1112, at the age of sixteen, Roger began his personal rule, being named "now knight, now Count of Sicily and Calabria" in a charter document dated June 12, 1112.[1] In 1117, his mother, who had married Baldwin I of Jerusalem, returned to Sicily, since the Patriarch of Jerusalem had declared the marriage invalid. Roger seems to have felt the slight, and this might explain his later reluctance to go crusading.[8] Roger married his first wife, Elvira, daughter of Alfonso VI of Castile, and his fourth queen, Isabella, who may be identical to his former concubine, the converted Moor, Zaida, baptised Isabella.

In 1122, William II, the Duke of Apulia and Roger's first cousin once removed, offered to renounce his remaining claims to Sicily as well as part of Calabria. Roger, in exchange, crossed the Straits of Messina to subjugate the duke's vassal, Count Jordan of Ariano. In doing so, he penetrated the Basilicata and took Montescaglioso.

Rise to power in southern Italy
When William II of Apulia died childless in July 1127, Roger claimed all Hauteville family possessions in the peninsula as well as the overlordship of the Principality of Capua, which had been nominally given to Apulia almost thirty years earlier. However, the union of Sicily and Apulia was resisted by Pope Honorius II and by the subjects of the duchy itself.

Royal investiture
The popes had long been suspicious of the growth of Norman power in southern Italy, and at Capua in December, the pope preached a crusade against Roger, setting Robert II of Capua and Ranulf II of Alife (his own brother-in-law) against him. After this coalition failed, in August 1128 Honorius invested Roger at Benevento as Duke of Apulia.[9] The baronial resistance, backed by Naples, Bari, Salerno, and other cities whose aim was civic freedom, gave way. In September 1129 Roger was generally recognized as duke of Apulia by Sergius VII of Naples, Robert of Capua, and the rest. He began at once to enforce order in the duchy, where the ducal power had long been fading.

Upon the death of Pope Honorius in February 1130 there were two claimants to the papal throne. Roger supported Antipope Anacletus II against Innocent II.[9] The reward was a crown,[9] and, on 27 September 1130, Anacletus' papal bull made Roger king of Sicily.[10] He was crowned in Palermo on the Christmas Day 1130. Roger II's elaborate royal mantle bears the date 528 of the Islamic calendar (1133–34), therefore it could not be used for his coronation.[11][12] It was later used as coronation cloak by the Holy Roman Emperors and is now in the Imperial Treasury (Schatzkammer) in Vi

Sources
[S72] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (TM), (June 1998 (c), data as of 5 JAN 1998).

SICILY, King Ruggero II[1]

SICILY, King Ruggero II^[1]