Roger I, monument of modern epoch

(Mileto, town garden)

Roger I, Tancredi of Altavilla’s youngest son, joined his brother, Roberto il Guiscardo, in Italy in the middle of the eleventh centhury. He fought by his brother’s side in order to conquerer Southern Italy and obtained Mileto’s castle (in Calabria) in 1062, taken from the Byzantines, were he established his residence. A conflict arose between Roger and his brother Robert owing to the failure of dividing the conquered territories and (he) obtained part of Calabria in 1062. He married at Christmas (1061) Judith d’Evreux in Mileto. In 1071 he conquered Palermo taking it from the Arabs and assumed the title of Great Count of Calabria and Sicily as a vassal of this brother Robert, a duke of Apulia. Upon Robert’s death (1085), he became the real sovereign of the Norman Kingdom. He gave Brunone of Colonia the grounds on wich the Saint, in 1091, founded the Certosa di S. Stefano del Bosco (Serra S. Bruno). A very determined ruler in the administration of his kingdom, he obtained, in 1098, from the Pope Urban II " the Apostolica legatia" that is the power to appoint biscops. He died on june the 22, in 1101 at Mileto and had himself buried in the abbazia of the S.S. Trinità were his second wife Eremburga was buried too.

With regard to his external politics, he (maintened) entertained good relations, even commercial ones with the African countries and with the powers which operated in the Mediterranean.

His kingdom was consolidated and enlarged by his son Roger II (born from his marriage wit Adelaide of Vast) favoured in that by his paternal politics.