King Roger of Sicily sat on the imposing granite throne facing the large hall of the palace that he had inherited from his father, Count Roger I. True to the customs of the Hauteville family, the king energetically pursued greatness for his country just as he pursued splendor and riches for himself. This palace, rising from the foundations of a Phoenician villa and on the walls erected by Muslims, was now the grandest feature of his kingdom.
As king of Sicily he controlled the entire island, and his province included the mainland regions of southern Italy from the “toe” of Calabria to the “heel” of Apulia. Since these regions were separated by another region, Lucania – in the instep of the boot – Roger commandeered that area too so that he controlled everything from Trapani and Palermo on
