Roger I (1031 – June 22, 1101), called
Bosso and
the Great Count, was the Norman Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101. He was the last great leader of the
Norman conquest of southern ItalyThe Norman conquest of southern Italy spanned most of the eleventh century, involving many battles and many independent players conquering territories of their own...
.
Conquest of Calabria and Sicily
Roger was the youngest son of
Tancred of HautevilleTancred of Hauteville was an eleventh-century Norman petty lord about whom little is known. His historical importance comes entirely from the accomplishments of his sons and later descendants. He was a minor noble near Coutances in the Cotentin, but it is not even certain which of the three...
by his second wife Fredisenda. He arrived in Southern Italy soon after 1055. Geoffrey Malaterra, who compares
Robert GuiscardRobert Guiscard, from Latin Viscardus and Old French Viscart, often rendered the Resourceful, the Cunning, the Wily, or the Fox, was a Norman adventurer conspicuous in the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily...
and his brother to "
JosephJoseph or Yosef , was the eleventh son of Jacob and first son of Rachel according to the Hebrew Bible...
and
BenjaminBenjamin in the Book of Genesis, is a son of Jacob, the second son of Rachel, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Benjamin; in the Biblical account, unlike Rachel's first son – Joseph, the father of Ephraim and Manasseh – Benjamin was born after Jacob and Rachel arrived in Canaan...
of old," says of Roger: "He was a youth of the greatest beauty, of lofty stature, of graceful shape, most eloquent in speech and cool in counsel. He was far-seeing in arranging all his actions, pleasant and merry all with men; strong and brave, and furious in battle." Roger shared the conquest of
CalabriaCalabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian peninsula. It is bounded to the north by the region of Basilicata, to the south-west by the region of Sicily, to the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and to the east by the...
with Robert, and in a treaty of 1062 the brothers in dividing the conquest apparently made a kind of "condominium" by which either was to have half of every castle and town in Calabria.
Robert now resolved to employ Roger's genius in reducing
SicilySicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is an autonomous region of Italy. Several much smaller islands surrounding it are considered to be part of Sicily....
, which contained, besides the Muslims, numerous Greek Christians subject to Arab princes who had become all but independent of the sultan of
TunisTunis is the capital of the Tunisian Republic and also the Tunis Governorate, with a population of 1,200,000 in 2008 and over 3,980,500 in the greater Tunis area...
. In May 1061 the brothers crossed from
ReggioReggio is the name of two Italian towns:* Reggio Calabria, in the South, also called Reggio di Calabria or, in ancient times, Pallantion, Rhegion, Febea, Regium, Rhegium Julium, Risa, Rivah...
and captured Messina. After
PalermoPalermo is a historic city in Southern Italy, the capital of the autonomous region Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its rich history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
had been taken in January 1072, Robert Guiscard, as suzerain, invested Roger as Count of Sicily, but he retained Palermo, half of Messina, and the north-east portion (the Val Demone). Not till 1085, however, was Roger able to undertake a systematic conquest.
In March 1086
SyracuseSyracuse is a historic city in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is famous for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture and association to Archimedes, playing an important role in ancient times as one of the top powers of the Mediterranean world;...
surrendered, and when in February 1091
NotoNoto is a city in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily . Its located 32 km southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains and gives its name to the surrounding valley, Val di Noto...
yielded, the conquest was complete. Much of Robert's success had been due to Roger's support. Similarly, when the leadership of the Hautevilles passed to Roger, he supported his nephew
Duke RogerRoger Borsa was the son and successor of Robert Guiscard, the Norman conqueror of Southern Italy and Sicily. His mother was Sikelgaita, an imposing warrior Lombard noblewoman. Roger was not as adept as Robert Guiscard, and most of his reign was spent in feudal anarchy...
against
BohemundBohemond I, also spelled Bohemund or Boamund, , Prince of Taranto and Prince of Antioch, was one of the leaders of the First Crusade as he led the whole Crusader army until the conquest of Antioch.-Early life:...
, Capua, and other rebels. In return for his aid against Bohemund and the rebels, the duke surrendered his share in the castles of Calabria to his uncle in 1085, and in 1091 his inheritance in Palermo. Roger's rule in Sicily was more absolute than Robert Guiscard's in Italy. At the enfeoffments of 1072 and 1092 no great undivided fiefs were created, so the mixed Norman, French and Italian vassals all owed their benefices to the count. No feudal revolt of importance therefore troubled Roger.
Rule of Sicily
In 1091 Roger, in order to avoid an attack from North Africa, set sail with a fleet to conquer
MaltaMalta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed European country in the European Union. The Southern European island nation is an archipelago that includes the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, along with a number of smaller, uninhabited islands...
. His ship reached the island before the rest. On landing, the few defenders the Normans encountered retreated and the following day Roger marched to
MdinaMdina, Città Vecchia, or Città Notabile, is the old capital of Malta. Mdina is a medieval walled town situated on a hill in the centre of the island. Punic remains uncovered beyond the city’s walls suggest the importance of the general region to Malta’s Phoenician settlers. Mdina is commonly...
. Terms were discussed with the Maltese
qadiQadi is a judge ruling in accordance with the sharia, Islamic religious law. Because Islam makes no distinction between religious and secular domains, qadis traditionally have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims...
. It was agreed that the islands would become
tributariesA tribute is wealth one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance...
of the count himself and that the
qadi should continue to administer the islands. With the treaty many Greek and other Christian prisoners were released, who chanted to Roger the
Kyrie eleison (
Mulej Hniena). He left the islands with many who wished to join him and so many were on his ship that it nearly sunk, according to Geoffrey Malaterra. Roger repatriated Malta to Christian Europe.
Politically supreme, the count also became master of the insular church. The Papacy, favouring a prince who had recovered Sicily from Greeks and Muslims, in 1098 granted Roger and his heirs the
Apostolic LegateshipNuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word, Nuntius, meaning "envoy." This article addresses this title as well as derived similar titles, all within the structure of the Roman Catholic Church....
of the island. Roger created new Latin bishoprics at
SyracuseSyracuse is a historic city in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is famous for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture and association to Archimedes, playing an important role in ancient times as one of the top powers of the Mediterranean world;...
,
GirgentiAgrigento , is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy, and capital of the province of Agrigento. It is renowned as the site of the ancient Greek city of Akragas , one of the leading cities of Magna Graecia during the golden age of...
and elsewhere, nominating the bishops personally, while he turned the archbishopric of Palermo into a
CatholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
see. Roger practised general toleration towards Arabs and Greeks, allowing to each race the expansion of its own civilization. In the cities, the Muslims, who had generally secured such rights in their terms of surrender, retained their mosques, their kadis, and freedom of trade; in the country, however, they became serfs. Roger drew the mass of his infantry from the Muslims.
Saint AnselmAnselm of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk, an Italian medieval philosopher, theologian, and church official who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109. Called the founder of scholasticism, he is famous in the West as the originator of the ontological argument for the...
, visiting him at the
siege of CapuaThe Siege of Capua was a military operation involving the states of medieval southern Italy, beginning in May 1098 and lasting forty days. It was an interesting siege historically for the assemblage of great persons it saw and militarily for the cooperation of Norman and Saracen forces which it...
, 1098, found "the brown tents of the Arabs innumerable". Nevertheless, the Latin element began to prevail, as Lombards and other Italians flocked to the island in the wake of the conquest, and the conquest of Sicily proved decisive in the steady decline of Muslim power in the western Mediterranean from this time.
Roger died on June 22 1101, in his seventieth year and was buried in S. Trinità of
MiletoMileto is a comune in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about 60 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 6 km south of Vibo Valentia...
.
Family
Roger's eldest son was a bastard named
JordanJordan of Hauteville was the eldest son and bastard of Roger I of Sicily. A fighter, he took part, from an early age, in the conquests of his father in Sicily....
, who predeceased him. His second son,
GeoffreyGeoffrey or Godfrey was the second eldest son of Roger I of Sicily. He was probably a bastard, like his elder brother Jordan, but he may have been legitimate, either the son of Judith of Évreux or Eremburga of Mortain. Either way, he stood no chance of inheriting, for he had leprosy , or some...
, may have been a bastard, but may also have been a son of his first or second wife. Whatever the case, he was a leper with no chance of inheriting.
Roger's first marriage took place in 1061, to Judith, daughter of William, Count of Évreux and Hawisa of Échauffour. She died in 1076, leaving all daughters:
- A daughter, married Hugh of Gircea (died 1075/6), the first count of Paternò
Paternò is a town in the Province of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy.-History:The site of Paternò was settled before 3500 BCE. Its inhabitants were probably the Sicani, although it was located in mainly Sicel territory; its initial name was Inessa. The modern name derives form the Greek Paeter...
- Matilda (1062 – before 1094) married firstly (repudiated before 1080) as his second wife, Robert, Count of Eu married secondly (1080, divorced 1088) as his second wife, Raymond IV of Toulouse
Raymond IV of Toulouse sometimes called Raymond of St Gilles was Count of Toulouse, Duke of Narbonne, and Margrave of Provence and one of the leaders of the First Crusade. He was a son of Pons of Toulouse and Almodis de La Marche...
- Adelisa (died 1096), married in 1083 to Henry, Count of Monte Sant'Angelo
Henry was the Count of Monte Sant'Angelo, with his seat at Foggia, from November 1081.He was the second son of Robert, Count of Lucera, and Gaitelgrima, daughter of Guaimar IV of Salerno. The identity of his father is disputable...
- Emma (died 1120), briefly engaged to Philip I of France
Philip I , called the Amorous, was King of France from 1060 to his death. His reign, like that of most of the early Direct Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time...
; married firstly William VI of AuvergneWilliam VI of Auvergne was a French count of the historically independent region of Auvergne, today in central France.He was married to Emma, daughter of Roger I of Sicily in 1086/1087, they had issue:* Robert III d.1145....
and secondly Rudolf, Count of MontescagliosoRudolf , called Maccabeus, Maccabeo, or Maccabees, was the second count of Montescaglioso from the death of his father Robert in 1080....
.
In 1077, Roger married a second time, to Eremburga of Mortain, daughter of "William, Count of Mortain" (probably William Warlenc).
Their children were:
- Mauger, Count of Troina
Mauger was the third eldest and probably eldest legitimate son of Roger I of Sicily. He was the son of his second wife, Eremburga of Mortain. His father made him count of Troina, but little else of him is known. He died after 1098, but when is uncertain and if he outlived his father he made no...
- Matilda, married Guigues III, Count of Albon
- Muriel (died 1119), married Josbert de Lucy
de Lucy or de Luci is the surname of an old Norman noble family originating from Lucé in Normandy , one of the great baronial Anglo-Norman families which became rooted in England after the Norman conquest. The first records are about Adrian de Luci who went into England after William the Conqueror...
- Constancia
-Family:She was a daughter of Roger I of Sicily and Eremburga of Mortain. Her maternal grandfather was "William, Count of Mortain" ....
, married Conrad of ItalyConrad II was the second son of Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. As such, he was King of Germany from 1087 to 1098 and also King of Italy from 1093 to 1098.-Overview:...
- Felicia
Felicia of Sicily was a Queen Consort of Hungary.Felicia was the eldest daughter of Count Roger I of Sicily, and his second wife, Eremburga of Mortain...
, married King Coloman of HungaryColoman I the Book-lover , also spelled Koloman , King of Hungary...
- Violante, married Robert of Burgundy, son of Robert I of Burgundy
Robert I Capet or Robert I of Burgundy, known as Robert the Old was duke of Burgundy between 1032 to his death...
- Flandina, married Henry del Vasto
Henry del Vasto was a son of Manfred del Vasto, margrave of Western Liguria, and brother of Adelaide, countess of Sicily and Jerusalem ....
- Judith (died 1136), married Robert I of Bassunvilla
Roger's third and last wife was
Adelaide del VastoAdelaide del Vasto was the third wife of Roger I of Sicily and mother of Roger II of Sicily, as well as Queen consort of Jerusalem due to her later marriage to Baldwin I of Jerusalem, as his third wife.-Family:She was the daughter of Manfred del Vasto Adelaide del Vasto (Adelasia, Azalaïs) (c....
, niece of
BonifaceBoniface del Vasto was the margrave of Western Liguria from 1084 to 1125, the son and successor of Otto. He was of the Aleramici family, which also furnished the margraves of Montferrat. His capital was Savona....
, Lord of Savona. They married in 1087. Their children were:
- Simon, Count of Sicily
Simon of Hauteville , called Simon de Hauteville in French and Simone D'Altavilla in Italian, was the eldest son and successor of Roger the Great Count, count of Sicily, and Adelaide del Vasto, under whose regency he reigned....
- Matilda, married Ranulf II, Count of Alife
Ranulf II was the count of Alife and Caiazzo, and for a contested period, Duke of Apulia. He was a member of the Norman Drengot clan which ruled Aversa and Capua for most of the century between 1050 and 1150. As the third Ranulf in his family he is sometimes called Ranulf III...
- Roger II, Count, later King, of Sicily
Roger II 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, later became Duke of Apulia and Calabria , then King of Sicily...
- Maximilla, married Hildebrand VI (of the Aldobrandeschi family)