Roger Borsa (1060/1061–February 22, 1111) was the son and successor of Robert Guiscard, the Norman conqueror of Southern Italy and Sicily. His mother was Sikelgaita, an imposing warrior Lombard noblewoman. His ambitious mother arranged for Roger to succeed his father in place of Robert Guiscard's eldest son by another wife, Bohemund of Taranto. According to John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich: Events May - The Norman leader Robert Guiscard conquers Taranto. ... Insert non-formatted text hereInsert non-formatted text here--217. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of every year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events The Synod of Rathbreasail marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan one Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Paschal II Baldwin VII becomes Count of Flanders Births Deaths March 3 - Bohemund I, prince of Antioch Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad... Robert Guiscard (i. ... Norman may refer to: the Normans, the Norman people. ... Southern Italy, often referred to in Italian as the Mezzogiorno (a term first used in 19th century in comparison with French Midi ) encompasses six of the countrys 20 autonomous regions: Basilicata Campania Calabria Molise Puglia Sicily (although Sicily is classified by the official Italian census organization, ISTAT, as Insular... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... Sikelgaita (1040-April 16, 1090) was a Lombard princess, the second wife of Robert Guiscard. ... Bohemund I of Antioch (c. ... John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich (born 15 September 1929), known as John Julius Norwich, is a British historian, travel writer and television personality and the son of the Conservative politician and diplomat Duff Cooper, who in 1952 was created Viscount Norwich, and of Lady Diana Cooper, a celebrated beauty...

"...Roger -- nicknamed Borsa, the purse, from his early-ingrained habit of counting and recounting his money. He was a weak and hesitant thirteen-year-old who gave the impression that a childhood spent with Robert and Sichelgaita had been too much for him."

His father died in 1085 at Corfu. It happened that when Robert Guiscard died, Bohemund was elsewhere in Italy, so Roger Borsa and his mother were able to seize power. His Lombard heritage also made him a more attractive candidate than his Norman half-brother. Roger was not as adept as Robert Guiscard, and most of his reign was spent in feudal anarchy. Bohemund contested lordship of Apulia with him, and actually seized Apulia in 1085. Though described as a powerful warrior (he took the cities of Benevento, Canosa, Capua, and Lucera by siege) Roger Borsa was never able to check Bohemund's power or bring him under his control. In 1089 Roger Borsa was officially invested with the duchy of Apulia by Pope Urban II. Events May 25 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo, Spain back from the Moors. ... Apulia (official Italian name: Puglia) is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Otranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. ... Events May 25 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo, Spain back from the Moors. ... Events Northumbria divided by the Normans into the counties of Northumberland, County Durham, Yorkshire, Westmorland and Lancashire August 11, powerful Britain Coronation of Rama Varma Kulasekhara in Kerala Synod of Melfi under Pope Urban II imposes slavery on the wives of priests Palmyra destroyed by earthquake Byzantine conquest of Crete... Urban II, né Otho of Lagery (or Otto or Odo) (1042 - July 29, 1099), was a pope from 1088 to July 29, 1099. ...

Roger Borsa married Adela of Flanders, the daughter of Robert I, Count of Flanders, and was succeeded by their son William. However William proved to be as weak a ruler as his father, and the domain was ultimately inherited by a cousin, Roger II of Sicily. Robert I of Flanders, known as Robert the Frisian, was count of Flanders from 1070 to 1092. ... Roger II. - from „Liber ad honorem Augusti“ of Petrus de Ebulo, 1196 Roger II (1093–February 26, 1154), son and successor of Roger I, began his rule in 1112. ...

Robert Guiscard (i. ... List of Counts of Apulia and Calabria in Southern Italy from the 11th century to the 12th century: Counts 1043-1059, Dukes 1059-1127 William I Iron Arm 1042-1046 Drogo 1046-1051 Humphrey 1051-1057 Robert Guiscard 1057-1085 Roger 1085-1111 William II 1111-1127 Categories: Lists of... Events May 25 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo, Spain back from the Moors. ... Events The Synod of Rathbreasail marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan one Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Paschal II Baldwin VII becomes Count of Flanders Births Deaths March 3 - Bohemund I, prince of Antioch Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad...

Sources

• Matthew, Donald. The Norman Kingdom of Sicily (Cambridge Medieval Textbooks),
• Norwich, John Julius. The Normans in Sicily, 1970.