Background
Roger was born in Brindisi in the family of a German falconer in the service of the Sicilian rulers of the Staufen dynasty.
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Roger di Flor
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When he was eight years old was sent to sea in a galley belonging to the Knights Templars. He entered the order and became commander of a galley. At the siege of Acre by the Saracens in 1291 he was accused and denounced to the pope as a thief and an apostate, was degraded from his rank, and fled to Genoa, where he began to play the pirate. The struggle between the kings of Aragon and the French kings of Naples for the possession of Sicily was at this time going on; and Roger entered the service of Frederick, king of Sicily, who gave him the rank of vice-admiral. At the close of the war, in 1302, as Frederick was anxious to free the island from his mercenary troops (called Almúgavares), whom he had no longer the means of paying, Roger induced them under his leadership to seek new adventures in the East, in fighting against the Turks, who were ravaging the empire. The emperor Andronicus II accepted his offer of service and in September 1303 Roger with his fleet and army arrived at Constantinople. He was granted the title of great dux (and then Caesar). In 1304 the Catalans successfully operated against the Turks in Asia Minor, having won a number of cities lost by Byzantium. Roger, bent on advancing his own interests rather than those of the emperor, determined to found in the East a principality for himself. He sent his treasures to Magnesia, but the people slew his Catalans and seized the treasures. He then formed the siege of the town, but his attacks were repulsed, and he was compelled to retire. Being recalled to Europe, he settled his troops in Gallipoli and other towns, and visited Constantinople to demand pay for the Almúgavares. Dissatisfied with the small sum granted by the emperor, he plundered the country and carried on intrigues both with and against the emperor, receiving reinforcements all the while from all parts of southern Europe. During his stay in Gallipoli, Roger strengthened his army due to reinforcements from the Balkans, but was dragged into the whirlpool of court intrigues. Young Michael IX lured the Catalan squad to Adrianople, where Roger and his people were carved by Alan mercenaries. In retaliation, Roger's followers rebelled against the emperor and occupied not only Thessaly, but also adjacent areas.
Achievements
Connections
He was married the niece of the emperor (daughter of Ivan Asen III).
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Born
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Died
April 30, 1305 (aged 38) -
Nationality
Italian