William II (1095 – July 1127) was the

Duke of Apulia and Calabria The County of Apulia and Calabria (), later the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria (), was a Norman people, Norman state founded by William Iron Arm, William of Hauteville in 1042 in the territories of Gargano, Province of Foggia, Capitanata, Apulia, V ...

from 1111 to 1127. He was the son and successor of

Roger Borsa Roger Borsa (1060/1061 – 22 February 1111) was the Norman Duke of Apulia and Calabria and effective ruler of southern Italy from 1085 until his death. Life Roger was the son of Robert Guiscard and Sikelgaita, a Lombard noblewoman. His ambiti ...

. His mother,

Adela of Flanders Adela of Flanders (also Ala and Alana in southern Italian sources) (c. 1064 – April 1115), was Queen consort of Denmark by marriage to King Canute IV and duchess of Apulia by marriage to Duke Roger Borsa, and then regent of Apulia from 1111 to ...

, had previously been queen of Denmark, and he was a half-brother of

Charles the Good Charles the Good (10842 March 1127) was Count of Flanders from 1119 to 1127. His murder and its aftermath were chronicled by Galbert of Bruges. He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1882 through ''cultus'' ''confirmation''. Early life Charles w ...

. He succeeded his father as duke in 1111, though Adela served as regent until William was of age. Like his father, he proved utterly inept at governing his Italian possessions. He could not avoid conflict with his first cousin once removed

Roger II of Sicily Roger II ( it, Ruggero II; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily Roger I ( it, Ruggero I, Arabic: ''رُجار'', ''Rujār''; Maltese: ''Ruġġieru'', – 22 June 1101), nicknamed Rog ...

, and in 1121

Pope Calixtus II Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...

personally intervened to make peace between the warring cousins. William and Roger came to an agreement, whereby Roger provided knights and a sum of gold to help William seize the county of one of his major vassals

Jordan of Ariano Jordan (died 12 August 1127), count of Ariano (from 1102), was the ruler of the county of Ariano in the eastern Campania during the reign of the Duke William II. He was the son and successor of Count Herbert and Altrude of Buonalbergo. In 1113� ...

, and in exchange, William abandoned his Sicilian and Calabrian lands. In 1114, William married a daughter of Count Robert of Carazzo, but they had no children. He died without legitimate posterity in July 1127, leaving the entire of the Norman

Mezzogiorno Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion A macroregion is a geopolitical subdivision that encompasses several traditionally or politically defined regions or countries. The meaning ...

to be seized by his first cousin once removed, Roger II of Sicily, his erstwhile ally. Considered an insignificant ruler by dated historiography, William was respected by his contemporaries, popular with his barons and subjects, and praised for his martial prowess.

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* * {{S-end 1095 births 1127 deaths Italo-Normans Norman warriors Dukes of Apulia