Roger III, Duke Of Apulia
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Roger III (1118 – 2 or 12 May 1148) was the eldest son of King
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 ...
and Elvira of Castile. He was the Duke of Apulia from 1134 until his death. Roger's first public act took place at
Melfi Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Geography On a ...
in 1129, where, though still a child, he accepted the fealty of some rebellious barons along with his father and his younger brother Tancred. His father was crowned king of Sicily the next year on 25 December. It is possible that Roger received the Duchy of Apulia at this time. He had certainly received it from his father by 1134. He was perhaps put under the tutelage or guardianship of Robert of Selby. He took part in his father's campaigns beginning in 1137, when he distinguished himself in the campaign against Ranulf of Alife, whom
Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II (; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as Pope was controversial, and the first eight years o ...
and the 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 Sergius VII (died 30 October 1137) was the thirty-ninth and last duke (or ''magister militum'') of Naples. He succeeded his father John VI on the Neapolitan throne in 1122 at a time when Roger II of Sicily was rising rapidly in power. When Roger ...
, 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 Robert II of Capua, marched on Melfi. At
Galluccio Galluccio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about northwest of Naples and about northwest of Caserta. It is at the feet of the southern slopes of Monte Camino. History Prehistoric ...
, Roger ambushed the papal troops with only a thousand knights and captured the pope and his entourage. Three days later, on July 25 at Mignano, Innocent confirmed the elder Roger as king, the younger as duke, and the third son,
Alfonso Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...
, as prince of Capua—officially severing Robert from his support. Next, Duke Roger took the city of
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
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 Assizes of Ariano, the first ''
ducat The ducat ( ) coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages to the 19th century. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wide inter ...
s'' were minted bearing an effigy of the young duke in battledress beside his father, with their hands on the Cross. The ''ducat'' was named after the duchy of Apulia. Roger and Alfonso, the second son Tancred being dead, then moved into the
Abruzzi Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...
to harass papal lands. At that time, late in 1140, Roger's bride to be, Elizabeth, arrived from the court of her father, Theobald II of Champagne. 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, later king, and * William (after 1137 – 1167/68). In 1149, barely thirty, Duke Roger died an unknown death in an unknown location. He was mourned by the Arab poet Abu ed-Daw, who said, "the arms of the brave have fallen . . . and the eloquent seek for words in vain."While it is common attribute this lament to the death of Roger, it is in fact more likely one of his younger brothers. Roger was buried in the chapel of Saint Mary Magdalene next to the old
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 pr ...
. He was later transferred to an eponymous chapel now in the barracks of San Giacomo. His successor was his only surviving brother,
William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
, later King of Sicily.


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* * * * * * * {{Authority control 1118 births 1148 deaths Sicilian people of Norman descent Italo-Normans Norman warriors Roger 3 12th-century Italian nobility Hauteville family Heirs apparent who never acceded Sons of kings Children of Roger II of Sicily