Roger II of Sicily: A Ruler between East and West

by Hubert Houben , Translated by Graham A. Loud , Diane Milburn

• ISBN13: 9780521652087
• ISBN10: 0521652081
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-04-08
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Although many studies have addressed important aspects of medieval southern Italy, this was the first work for nearly ninety years to be devoted specifically to the life and reign of King Roger II, the founder of the kingdom of Sicily. The book provides a comprehensive introductory narrative of the reign and a clear, scholarly analysis of its culture and of the development of royal government. The kingdom created by the Norman Roger of Hautville in the first half of the twelfth century was a monarchy with highly developed absolutist ideas, an elaborate bureaucracy, a reasonably well-filled treasury, and a mixed cultural heritage reflected by the presence of Arabs and Greeks at court. Based on many years of research in archives and libraries across Europe, the book offers a valuable overview of one of the most striking periods in south Italian and European history.

Author Biography

Hubert Houben is Professor of Medieval History, Universita degli Studi di Lecce, Italy.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	vii
Foreword to the German edition	ix
Peter Herde
Preface to the German edition	xi
Preface to the English edition	xiii
List of abbreviations	xv
Chronology	xvii
Map 1 The Mediterranean in the time of Roger II	xx
Map 2 The Norman kingdom of Sicily	xxii
Table 1 Genealogy: Roger II of Sicily	xxiii
Table 2 Genealogy: the children of Roger I of Sicily	xxv
Introduction. Roger II: a controversial ruler	1	(7)
The inheritance	8	(22)
Roger I, the conqueror	8	(16)
Countess Adelaide as regent	24	(6)
From count to king	30	(30)
Count of Sicily and Calabria	30	(11)
Duke of Apulia, Calabria and Sicily	41	(9)
King of Sicily and southern Italy	50	(10)
The new Kingdom	60	(38)
Difficult beginnings	60	(16)
Mediterranean policy	76	(10)
European relations	86	(12)
Between east and west	98	(68)
Culture	98	(15)
Images of rule	113	(22)
Legislation	135	(12)
Administration	147	(12)
Economy	159	(7)
Epilogue: the kingdom of Sicily after Roger II	166	(10)
William 'the Bad' and William 'the Good'	166	(6)
The end of the dynasty	172	(4)
Conclusion. A multicultural ruler	176	(6)
Medieval authors	182	(2)
Bibliography	184	(36)
Index	220