Roger III, Duke of Apulia
| Roger III | |
|---|---|
Hauteville | |
| Father | Roger II of Sicily |
| Mother | Elvira of Castile |
Roger III (1118 – 2 or 12 May 1148) was the eldest son of King
Duke of Apulia from 1134 until his death.[1]
Roger's first public act took place at
Emperor Lothair II had invested as rival duke of Apulia. His first major engagement was the Battle of Rignano on 30 October; a battle in which more experienced warriors, like his father, fled and some, like Duke Sergius VII of Naples
, died. Roger's bravery, and success in the first charge, at Rignano solidified his martial reputation early.
After Ranulf's death (1139), Apulia was secured, but Innocent and his ally, Prince
prince of Capua—officially severing Robert from his support. Next, Duke Roger took the city of Naples
into his possession and made it an integral part of the kingdom, ending the republican government which had continued after Sergius' death.
In 1140, after the promulgation of the king's
Theobald II of Champagne.[3] Roger's most famous consort, however, was his mistress, Emma, the daughter of Achard II, Count of Lecce
, with whom he had two illegitimate children,
- Tancred,[1]later king, and
- William (after 1137 – 1167/68).
In that same year (1140), Richard III of Gaeta died and his duchy was given to Roger.
In 1149, barely thirty, Duke Roger died an unknown death in an unknown location.Cathedral of Palermo. He was later transferred to an eponymous chapel now in the barracks of San Giacomo. His successor was his only surviving brother, William, later king.
References
- ^ a b c d Matthew 1992, p. 165.
- ^ Takayama 1993, p. 65.
- ^ Evergates 2016, p. x.
- ^ While it is common attribute this lament to the death of Roger, it is in fact more likely one of his younger brothers.
Sources
- Chalandon, Ferdinand (1907). Histoire de la domination normande en Italie et en Sicile. Vol. 2. Paris: Alphonse Picard.
- Evergates, Theodore (2016). Henry the Liberal: Count of Champagne, 1127-1181. University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Grierson, Philip; Blackburn, Mark A. S.; Travaini, Lucia (1998). Medieval European Coinage. Vol. 14: Italy (III) (South Italy, Sicily, Sardinia). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Houben, Hubert (2002). Roger II of Sicily: A Ruler Between East and West. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- S2CID 161057290.
- Matthew, Donald (1992). The Norman Kingdom of Sicily. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Takayama, Hiroshi (1993). The Administration of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
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