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Roger I 1031-1101
Norman ruler in Sicily

The brother of Robert Guiscard, he helped to conquer Calabria (1060). He supported Sicily against the Saracens, and took Messina (1061). In 1071 the Saracen capital Palermo was captured, and Robert made Roger Count of Sicily and Calabria. After Robert's death (1085), Roger succeeded to his Italian possessions, and became the head of Norman power in southern Europe. He created an efficient centralized government and gave religious freedom to Greek Christians, Jews and Muslims.