Roger Of Loria

Related Category: Italian History: Biographies

c.1245–1304, Sicilian-Aragonese admiral. An adherent of Manfred, last Hohenstaufen king of Sicily, he left Sicily for Aragón after Manfred's defeat (1266) by the Angevin claimant to the throne. There he held posts under Manfred's son-in-law, King Peter III. Peter was chosen king of Sicily after the Sicilian Vespers (1282), and in his service Roger commanded the Aragonese fleet in the long war against the Angevin rulers of Naples for possession of Sicily. He defeated the Angevins at Malta (1283) and in the Bay of Naples (1284), and in 1285 he triumphed over the French fleet off Catalonia. Roger also served James (later James II of Aragón), Peter's successor in Sicily. In 1295, James reversed his policy, ceding Sicily to the pope, who bestowed it on Charles II of Naples; James agreed to help Charles to gain possession of the island. Devoted to Aragón, Roger fought with the Angevins against the Sicilians. In 1302 he retired to Catalonia. Loria is also spelled as Lauria or Luria.