Table Of ContentROGER OF LAURIA
(c.1250–1305)
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ROGER OF LAURIA
(c.1250–1305)
‘ADMIRAL OF ADMIRALS’
Charles D. Stanton
THE BOYDELL PRESS
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© Charles D. Stanton 2019
All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under current legislation
no part of this work may be photocopied, stored in a retrieval system,
published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast,
transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission of the copyright owner
The right of Charles D. Stanton to be identified
as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
First published 2019
The Boydell Press, Woodbridge
ISBN 978-1-78327-453-6
The Boydell Press is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd
PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK
and of Boydell & Brewer Inc.
668 Mt Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620–2731, USA
website: www.boydellandbrewer.com
A catalogue record of this publication is available
from the British Library
The publisher has no responsibility for the continued existence or
accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred
to in this book, and does not guarantee that any content on such
websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate
This publication is printed on acid-free paper
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To a modern-day ‘Admiral of Admirals’:
Adm. William J. Crowe USN
PhD, Political Science, Princeton
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1985–1989)
US Ambassador to the United Kingdom (1994–1997)
‘Sailor, Scholar, Statesman’
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CONTENTS
List of Illustrations viii
Prologue 1
1 Battle of Benevento (26 February 1266) 9
2 A Calabrian Exile in the Court of Aragon (1262–1282) 25
3 Battle of Tagliacozzo (23 August 1268) 36
4 Aragonese Expansion (1229–1282) 48
5 Angevin Consolidation and Aggrandizement (1268–1282) 66
6 Revolt of the Vespers (30 March 1282) 79
7 Aragonese Intervention (August–October 1282) 90
8 Stalemate (November 1282–March 1283) 104
9 Admiral of Aragon (20 April 1283) 115
10 The Opposing Fleets (1282–1302) 126
11 Battle of Malta (8 June 1283) 147
12 Anjou’s Dreams of Empire Dashed (June–November 1284) 160
13 France’s Crusade against Aragon (May–November 1285) 177
14 Battle of the Counts (23 June 1287) 198
15 Truces and Treaties (June 1287–November 1291) 210
16 Raid on Romania (Summer 1292) 223
17 Switching Sides (December 1293–April 1297) 236
18 Aragon’s Invasion of Sicily at Anjou’s Bidding (1298/1299) 256
19 Lauria’s Last Great Campaign (Summer 1299–Spring 1300) 271
20 Endgame (Spring 1301–Summer 1302) 289
Epilogue 302
Bibliography 309
Index 316
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ILLUSTRATIONS
Figures
1 Charles I of Anjou, Musei Capitolini, Rome (Credit: Kristy
Stanton/Musei Capitolini, Rome) 16
2 Castello di Lauria in the Basilicata Region of Southern Italy
(Credit: Kristy Stanton) 29
3 Almugavars and Balistarii catalane, Palau Reial Major,
Barcelona (Credit: Alamy Stock Photo/Saló del Tinell of the
Palau Reial Major, Barcelona) 64
4 La Chiesa dello Spirito Santo (Church of the Holy Spirit),
Palermo (Credit: Kristy Stanton) 80
5 Roger of Lauria, Barcelona (Credit: Kristy Stanton) 118
6 Byzantine Dromōn (Credit: John H. Pryor, copyrighted with
all rights reserved) 127
7 Sicilian Galea, Codex 120 II, Burgerbibliothek, Bern (Credit:
Burgerbibliothek Bern, copyrighted with all rights reserved) 132
8 Catalan Galea, Museu Nacional d’arte de Catalunya,
Barcelona (Credit: Kristy Stanton/Museu Nacional d’Arte
de Catalunya, Barcelona) 134
9 Angevin war galley (Credit: Kristy Stanton) 142
10 Drassanes Reials de Barcelona (Royal Arsenal of Barcelona)
(Credit: Kristy Stanton) 145
11 Castrum Maris (Fort St Angelo), Grand Harbour of Malta
(Credit: Kristy Stanton) 150
12 Castel dell’Ovo, Naples (Credit: Kristy Stanton) 169
13 Palais des Rois de Majorque (Palace of the Kings of
Majorca), Perpignan (Credit: Kristy Stanton) 181
14 City walls of Girona, Catalonia (Credit: Kristy Stanton) 183
15 Gaeta, in Lazio north of Naples (Credit: Kristy Stanton) 215
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illustrations ix
16 Qalat de Ayyub (Castel of Ayyub) at Calatayud in Aragon
(Credit: Kristy Stanton) 226
17 Palazzo Bonifacio VIII, Anagni (Credit: Kristy Stanton) 241
18 Aci Castello, Catania (Credit: Kristy Stanton) 250
19 Castello Maniace, Syracuse (Credit: Kristy Stanton) 259
20 Roger of Lauria’s Tomb, Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de
Santes Creus, Aiguamúrcia (Credit: Kristy Stanton) 305
The author and publisher are grateful to all the institutions and individuals
listed for permission to reproduce the materials in which they hold copyright.
Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders; apologies are offered
for any omission, and the publisher will be pleased to add any necessary
acknowledgement in subsequent editions.
Maps
1 The Mediterranean (late thirteenth century) 8
2 Battle of Benevento 20
3 Kingdom of Sicily (The Regno) 40
4 Battle of Tagliacozzo 42
5 The Western Mediterranean 49
6 Sicily (‘Trinacria’) 82
7 Battle of Nicotera 101
8 Battle of Malta 155
9 Battle of the Gulf of Naples 167
10 Battle of Les Formigues 188
11 Battle of the Counts 205
12 Raid on Romania 229
13 Battle of Capo d’Orlando 267
14 Battle of Falconaria 276
15 Battle of Ponza 285
All maps produced by Kristy Stanton
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