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absorbed into the Latin Christian Kingdom of Naples, never independent again and

stripped of its unique cosmopolitan character.

Why was Roger of Sicily important?
Roger has been called “a Renaissance prince 200 years before the Renaissance”. This
is misleading. The origins of his secular outlook and that of the Renaissance were
very different. Roger’s owed much to his Viking heritage, to ancestors who raided,
traded and sold their services to the highest bidder, regardless of background. To
create a viable kingdom of Sicily with its mixture of races, cultures and faiths required

a pragmatism that came naturally to a Viking. Roger’s exceptional education in
Palermo fitted him perfectly to the role. Renaissance secularism arose to the north
on mainland Italy, in the emerging city-sates like Pisa and Florence. It sprang from a
very different source, basically a revival of interest in ancient Greek and Roman
literature and history as a standard for intellectual and artistic value. The secular
kingdom of Sicily failed to put down roots; the Renaissance did. However in a
practical way Norman Sicily did contribute to the Renaissance, by acting as a centre

of cultural transmission where scholars could study Islamic and Byzantine texts,
including copies of the ancient Greek and Roman writings that would inspire the
Renaissance.

Roger of Sicily well illustrates the contribution of barbarian restlessness to European
history. As historian Richard Cavendish writes, “it was said of him that he
accomplished more in his sleep than other people did when awake.” He seized his
moment in the sun, and his achievements continue to dazzle. We are rightly

fascinated by the contribution of great individuals to history. But history is also about
something greater than individuals. Roger was part of a growing secular confidence
in Europe. The tectonic plates of Christendom had been shifting for centuries.
Earthquakes were approaching.

Additional items:
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1.Viking archaeological finds, 9 and 10 Centuries
2.Roger of Sicily’s Coronation Mantle 1143
3.The Book of Roger (“Tabula Rogeria”) 1154
4.The Viking Legacy: Peter Street shares his remarkable personal story
5.Peter Street discusses King Magnus and another theory of Viking success

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1.Viking links: archaeological finds, 9 and 10 Centuries
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In 9 and 10 century Viking boat and chamber graves in Birka and Gamla Uppsala in
Sweden, archaeologists have found burial costumes with patterns woven with silk
and silver thread which include Arabic characters: ‘Ali’, the fourth caliph of Islam, and