Roger of Hauteville (1095 - Palermo, 1154) is the second wire of the “Large count” Roger de Hauteville, first Norman count of Sicily and Adélaïde de Montferrat. He is the founder of the kingdom of Sicily (1130), often described of Sicily Norman or Norman Kingdom of Sicily.

Biography

Death of Roger Ier (1101) at the end of the regency of the queen Adelaide (1112), Pouille, Calabria and Sicily know a relative stability, which must much with the work achieved by the “large count”. The capital is then transferred from Mileto to Palermo. With died of Guillaume de Pouille, in 1127, the principality Norman is however marked by a relative political disorganization. Left without direct heir, it is taken by the force by Roger II. In a preoccupation with a legitimacy, this last is made crown prince de Salerne then large duke of Pouille in 1128. Expressing a direction acute of the right, it joins together an assembly of the laic and ecclesiastical princes with Melfi where Robert Guiscard had already lent oath to Nicolas II in 1059. These large lords recognize the capacity of the new duke. The capacity of justice is confiscated and of measurements are taken against the wars privées.
Extremely of this support, Roger adapts the Italy South before being made crown in Palermo on December 25th, 1130, by the antipape Anaclet II, which finds in the Norman prince one of his rare supports. But this support for the antipape, which is in addition his/her brother-in-law, fact of Roger one of the enemies of the pope | Innocent II which calls against him the Germanic emperor Lothaire II. This conflict with papacy was to mark most of sound règne.
Roger knows a series of reverse then. A few days after its sacring, a general revolt of the Norman barons who support the Innocent pope, in particular with Bari, bursts on the continent. It is put in failure by Robert II of Capoue and Rainolf d' Alife.
In 1135, Roger II as Anaclet II are excommunicated. The following year, to the favor of a forwarding of Lothaire II, Bari is delivered to the emperor and Salerno is taken. However, the events turn to the favor of Roger II, when, in 1139, Innocent II is captured on the edges of the Garigliano. By the bubble of the July 27th 1139 this one must be acknowledged overcome and definitively recognize Roger II, Rex Siciliae, ducatus Apuliae and principatus Capuae . This episode marks the one century result of adventure Norman in the South of Italy.

A pacificatory and unifying king

It is in Roger II that returns the task to unify the possessions Normans in a kingdom, from Sicily. For the first time, the political unit of all the possessions Normans in Italy is carried out behind a Norman prince of Palermo with Ancône. With this title, Roger II can be regarded as the promoter of a new political model. Synthesis of Norman feudal elements, italo-lombards and Arabic, the capacity of Roger II takes as a starting point Eastern forms and more particularly by monarchy and the Byzantine administration. Roger II also draws from the traditions Fatimide S which prevailed then in Sicily. This kingdom has a decentred center, Sicily which is at the same time an island of refuge and command, qualified in the sources of “secret garden of the kings”.
The capital, Palermo - Al Madina in Arabic - is largely occupied until about 1140 by many Moslems. About 1140, in exchange of the recognition of Roger II, the pope Innocent II obtains his homage. A right which is expressed at the time of all the crises of monarchy. The same year, at the time of the sitted of Ariano, a code remelted laws, inspired of the Roman law, is born. Behind the bureaucratic apparatus which is set up remains a very feudal monarchy. One could speak for this reason about modern State, but the kingdom of Sicily remains registers in a feudal Pyramide whose Roger II is the top. Four years later, in 1144, are promulgated the “laws on the revisions of the privileges” which seek a balance between the apparatus of State and the prerogatives of large the baron S.

A conquering king

The kingdom of Sicily can be regarded rightly as a " State of conquête" and Roger II was an main actor of this movement. In testifies, the reason for the cape of crowning of the sovereign, image of an unquestionable imperialism with respect to the South of the Mediterranean.
Sicily was as of the reign of Roger Ier, a bridge towards the North Africa, formidable reserve of mercenaries and carries towards the Saharan caravan roads. But with died of the Large Count, it remains with Mahdia only commercial links. Since 1116, Ifriqiya knows a series of dynastic crises. In this context and as of before its crowning, in 1117, 1118 and 1223, Roger launches raids on the African coasts, without succès.
As of the years 1140, inaugurating a policy of prestige on the international scene, the king of Sicily starts again the conquest towards the Ifriqiya, conquest which the policy of good neighborhood facilitates maintained with the Fatimide S Egypt. A correspondence between the Norman sovereign and the Caliph Al-Hafiz, in 1135, proves this agreement in fact. Thus, the caliph expresses his support for the king at the time of the catch of the island of Jerba.
This company was carried out by a high-ranking person of the court of Roger II, the admiral Georges of Antioche (deceased about 1152), Greek of Syria qualified in the sources of Emir of the emir S. Roger II thus faces prince de Mahdiya (1148) and his Almoravides allies. Held a time in failure, it is resulted in being combined with the Count de Barcelone against Almoravides, alliance which inaugurates a Mediterranean policy, reinforced by matrimonial alliances, which was to make it possible to king d' Aragon to take possession of Sicily at the end of XIIIe century. About 1150, Sicily control all the Tunisian littoral of Sfax to Gabès as well as the island of Jerba. From 1147 to 1149, Roger II threatens also the Byzantine coasts , seizes a time Corfou and razzie the Greek coasts; but the fleet of Venice puts an end to the adventure after a vigorous naval campaign in front of Corfou. This episode marks the end of the " Thalassocratie normande" who loses his counters with the Maghreb and his privileged relations with Egypt.

A benevolent and enlightened prince

He is the patron of large the cartographer Al-Idrisi which writes for him the “ Kitâb Rudjâr ” or “ Livre of Roger ” (completed in 1153/1154).

He dies in his capital, Palermo, in 1154.

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