Simon, Prince Of Taranto
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Simon, bastard son of
Roger II of Sicily Roger II or Roger the Great (, , Greek language, Greek: Ρογέριος; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Kingdom of Sicily, Sicily and Kingdom of Africa, Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon, C ...
, was declared
Prince of Taranto The Principality of Taranto () was a state in southern Italy created in 1088 for Bohemond I, eldest son of Robert Guiscard, as part of the peace between him and his younger brother Roger Borsa after a dispute over the succession to the Duchy o ...
by his father in 1148, on the death of
Roger III, Duke of Apulia Roger III (1118 – 2 or 12 May 1148) was the eldest son of King Roger II of Sicily and Elvira of Castile. He was the Duke of Apulia from 1134 until his death. Roger's first public act took place at Melfi in 1129, where, though still a child, ...
, the eldest legitimate son of Roger II. In 1154, Roger II died and the
kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily (; ; ) was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula, Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in Kingdom of Africa, Northern Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was ...
passed to his fourth son,
William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...
. William dispossessed his half-brother Simon immediately, claiming that Taranto was too important a
fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
to go to an illegitimate son. Simon held a grudge against the king and was called upon by Matthew Bonnellus to lead the revolt in the capital city of
Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
in 1161. This Simon did, with his nephew,
Tancred of Lecce Tancred (; 113820 February 1194) was King of Sicily from 1189 to 1194. He was born in Lecce, an illegitimate son of Roger III, Duke of Apulia (the eldest son of King Roger II) by his mistress Emma, a daughter of Achard II, Count of Lecce. H ...
, the bastard son of Roger of Apulia, on 9 March. Simon and Tancred invaded the palace, detained King William, Queen Margaret, and their two sons, and incited a massacre of Muslims. Originally, the older of the king's sons, Roger IV, Duke of Apulia, was destined to be crowned in place of William, but soon the populace supported the accession of Simon himself. Before Simon could put himself forward as a candidate, however, the rebellion had broken down and the people were restless. The insurrectionists were forced to free the king and retreat to their castles. Pardon was given them on condition of exile and many, including Simon, took the offer. Simon did not try to seize the crown on William's death in 1166, as had been feared. Instead, the new king's uncle, Henry, Count of Montescaglioso, laid claim to Taranto and all of Simon's former territories.


References

* Norwich, John Julius. ''The Kingdom in the Sun 1130–1194''. Longmans: London, 1970. {{Authority control Italo-Normans Princes of Taranto Hauteville family Sons of kings Children of Roger II of Sicily