Roger IV (1152–1161) was the eldest son of

William I of Sicily William I (1120 or 1121May 7, 1166), called the Bad or the Wicked ( scn, Gugghiermu lu Malu), was the second king of Sicily, ruling from his father's death in 1154 to his own in 1166. He was the fourth son of Roger II and Elvira of Castile. Wil ...

and

Margaret of Navarre Margaret of Navarre (french: Marguerite, es, Margarita, it, Margherita) (c. 1135 – 12 August 1183) was Queen of Sicily as the wife of William I (1154–1166) and the regent during the minority of her son, William II. Queen consort Margaret ...

. Twice in his short life he was the object of the barons' intent to replace his father as king. When he was made the

duke of Apulia The County of Apulia and Calabria (), later the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria (), was a Norman state founded by William of Hauteville in 1042 in the territories of Gargano, Capitanata, Apulia, Vulture, and most of Campania. It became a duchy whe ...

is unknown, probably after his father's assumption of power in 1154. In 1156, barons opposed to

Maio of Bari Maio of Bari ( it, Maione da Bari) (died 10 November 1160) was the third of the great admirals of Sicily and the most important man in the Norman kingdom of Sicily during the reign of William I (1154–66). Lord Norwich calls him "one of the mos ...

began to consider removing not only the

emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

, but also the king, and putting Roger on the throne. While a minor, the barons would be free from meaningful royal control. In 1161, after the successful assassination of Maio, the rebels paraded Roger through the streets, announcing his succession and heralding his coming coronation in the

Cathedral of Palermo Palermo Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palermo, located in Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. As an architectural complex, it is characterized by the pre ...

. However, the populace instead supported the succession claims of Simon, erstwhile Prince of Taranto, the king's illegitimate half-brother. The people rebelled and the palace was stormed. In the ensuing battle, young Roger was killed, by a wayward arrow to the eye. An alternative theory, advanced by William's enemy Falcandus, is that Roger died after repeated kicking by his father, who was in a rage at having been betrayed by his son. Roger was interred in the cathedral with his brother

Henry, Prince of Capua Henry (''Arricus'' or ''Arrico'') (1160–1172) was the youngest and second surviving son of William I of Sicily by Margaret of Navarre. By his father's will he succeeded to the title Prince of Capua, an appanage to the throne, while his brother Wil ...

, but later was moved to the chapel of Saint Mary Magdalene in

Monreale Monreale (; ; Sicilian: ''Murriali'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, in Sicily, southern Italy. It is located on the slope of Monte Caputo, overlooking the very fertile valley called ''"La Conca d'oro"'' (the Gold ...

References

* Norwich, John Julius. ''The Kingdom in the Sun, 1130–1194''. London: Longmans, 1970. 1152 births 1161 deaths Sicilian people of Norman descent Italo-Normans Norman warriors Roger 4 Burials at Monreale Cathedral Hauteville family Heirs apparent who never acceded Sons of kings Royalty and nobility who died as children