Ruggiero di Lauria

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Ruggiero di Lauria (German also Roger Loria , Catalan Roger de Llúria , French Roger de Lauria ) (* around 1250 in Scalea in Calabria , † 1305 in Valencia ) came from a Staufer- Sicilian environment and was an admiral in the service of the Aragonese crown . He fought primarily in connection with the uprising of the Sicilian Vespers against Charles I and Charles II of Anjou , who ruled Sicily after the fall of the Hohenstaufen. He achieved a number of significant sea victories.

not contemporary statue in Barcelona

Life

He was the son of the father of the same name and Bella d'Amichi. This was the nurse and lady-in-waiting of Konstanze of Sicily . Together with his mother he accompanied Konstanze in 1262 to the court of Jacob I of Aragon to marry the Infante Peter .

Especially after Manfred's death in 1266, the farm became a gathering point for the Sicilian Hohenstaufen and their supporters. The king donated properties to Lauria and his mother, and the Infante Peter arranged the marriage between Rogers and Margarida Lancia. In 1273 he was knighted and the king appointed him governor of Cocentaina in 1276 . After Peter ascended the throne, he gave Roger other offices. In 1282 he accompanied the king on his campaigns to Africa and Sicily in connection with the revolt against the rule of the Anjou, known as the Sicilian Vespers.

In 1283 Lauria was appointed admiral of the Catalan fleet and returned to Sicily with Queen Constanze and her children. In the same year he was victorious on July 6th in a great sea battle near Malta , which lasted half a day, against the fleet of Anjou. This victory established his fame as a sea hero. A year later the Anjous offered two fleets. The one under Charles I was supposed to drive from Provence towards Sicily. In southern Italy the Crown Prince equipped a second fleet. Together they should defeat Roger. The prince had instructions not to act alone. To prevent the two fleets from merging, Lauria led his fleet in the direction of Naples and offered battle to the Crown Prince. This accepted the battle, possibly because there was a danger that it could be blocked. At the island of Nisida, Lauria completely defeated the enemy fleet. In doing so, Prince Karl fell into captivity. He sent this to Catalonia. Charles I, who had in the meantime appeared on the scene, began to besiege Reggio , which was held by the Sicilians . Because of the threat that Lauria could cut off the sea connection, he had to withdraw. His army disbanded and the opponents were able to invade Calabria. Loria also obtained the release of Beatrix of Sicily , the sister of Queen Constanze.

He continued to fight in Italy with the Infante Jakob and led an expedition to the island of Djerba . He had a fort built on the island. When fighting the French in Catalonia during the Aragonese Crusade , Peter III called him. to help and Roger managed another naval victory. As a result, Rosas and Cadaqués were taken. On land he defeated the French in 1285 at the Panissars pass.

He was present at the coronation of Jacob as King of Sicily in 1286. He was commissioned to defend his empire against any attacker. Lauria undertook an expedition against Provence and a series of sea operations around Sicily. In 1287 Augusta could be conquered. He won again at Naples, which led to an agreement between Aragon and the French. The Sicilians continued to fight. Lauria sailed with his fleet along the coast of Calabria, taking city after city. King Jacob himself landed at Gaeta and besieged the city. Charles II marched up and besieged the besiegers. This was followed by a two-year armistice in 1289.

After forays into North Africa he returned to Catalonia, where shortly before in 1291 King Alfonso III. had died. He married Saurina d'Entença for the second time and got various possessions as an allod . Serious conflicts arose with Bernat de Sarrià, who owned property in the neighborhood. James II sent him to Sicily to defend the island. After that he waged war against the Greek islands, instigated by Catalan merchants in Constantinople.

The Sicilian problem seemed to be resolved in 1293. A contract was concluded between Charles II and King Jacob. In it he was recognized as King of Aragon and promised to marry a daughter of Charles. For this he would evacuate Calabria and hand Sicily over to the Pope after three years. He could then enfeoff Karl with the island. The negotiations were difficult and finally the approval of the Infante Friedrich was necessary, who had to be compensated. In particular, his main followers among them Loria had to be convinced. In 1295 there was a meeting with Boniface VIII. Friedrich was promised , among other things, the imperial crown of Constantinople by marrying the heiress of the title. The latter left while Loria and the other leading fighters stayed behind and negotiated the Peace of Anagni . Loria, however, was against ceding Sicily to the Holy See. Ultimately, peace was of little value because the French did not approve the heiress of the imperial title. In 1296 Frederick was elected King of Sicily.

Lauria fought for Frederick in Calabria before a dispute arose between the two. He even instigated conspiracies and riots. The king had him captured, but Roger escaped. In Rome he met James II. There he was appointed Vice Admiral of the Church in 1297. After his nephew Johann Loria had been captured and executed by the Sicilians, he started a new war and defeated the enemy in 1299 at Capo d'Orlando and Ponza on June 14, 1300. He was able to capture the opposing Admiral Konrad Doria. In 1302 he signed the Peace of Caltabellotta . At the same time, his confiscated property was returned to him.

After his return to Valencia he planned, among other things, a less successful crusade to the Holy Land.

He is buried in the Santes Creus monastery . He is mentioned in the Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio . A class of Italian ironclad ships was named after him in the 19th century.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Johannes Haller: The papacy. Idea and reality. Volume 5. Stuttgart 1956, p. 57.
  2. ↑ Johannes Haller: The papacy. Idea and reality. Volume 5. Stuttgart 1956, p. 54.
  3. ↑ Johannes Haller: The papacy. Idea and reality. Volume 5. Stuttgart 1956, p. 56.
  4. ↑ Johannes Haller: The papacy. Idea and reality. Volume 5. Stuttgart 1956, p. 63.
  5. ↑ Johannes Haller: The papacy. Idea and reality. Volume 5, Stuttgart 1956, p. 78 f.
  6. ↑ Johannes Haller: The papacy. Idea and reality. Volume 5. Stuttgart 1956, p. 97.

literature

Web links

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personal data
SURNAME Ruggiero di Lauria
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Aragonese admiral
DATE OF BIRTH around 1250
PLACE OF BIRTH Scalea
DATE OF DEATH 1305
Place of death Valencia