Rogation Days
the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Holy Thursday or Ascension Day, so called from the supplications or litanies which are appointed in the Roman Catholic Church to be sung or recited in public procession by the clergy and people. In England, after the Reformation, this practice was discontinued, but it survives in the custom (observed in some places) of perambulating the parish boundaries. ROGER I., Count of Sicily, the youngest of the 12 sons of Tancred de Hauteville of Normandy; born in that duchy in 1031. When 27 years of age he joined his famous brother Robert Guiscard in ROGERS south Italy; but at first he seems to have fought against Robert more than he helped him. At length they became reconciled, and Roger helped Robert to complete the conquest of Calabria. In 1060 Roger was invited to Sicily to fight against the Saracens: he took Messina and settled a garrison there. Everywhere the Normans were welcomed by the Christians of Sicily as their deliverers from the Moslem yoke, and they won town after town, till in 1072 the Saracen capital, Palermo, was captured. Robert then invested Roger with the the countship of Sicily. Count Roger spent the rest of his lif life, apart from his numerous expeditions undertaken for the support of his brother, in completing the conquest of Sicily, which was finally effected in 1090.
Already as early as 1060 Duke Robert had given his brother the half of Calabria, with the title of count. After Robert's death (1085) Roger succeeded to his Italian possessions, and became the head of the Norman power in southern Europe. Pope Urban II. granted him special ecclesiastical privileges, such as the power to appoint the bishops, and made him papal legate of Sicily (1098).
Roger died in Mileto, Calabria, in June, 1101.
ROGER II., King of Sicily, second son of the preceding; born in 1093. When he came of age he executed his task of governing Sicily with great ability and courage, and his sway was gradually extended over a great part of southern Italy. By the Anti-Pope Anacletus in 1130 he was honored with the title of king. In spite of repeated revolts of the barons, and though the German Emperor Lothair and the Greek Emperor Emmanuel were leagued against him, and Innocent II. excommunicated him, he defended himself with success and defeated the Pope's forces at Galluzzo, taking Innocent prisoner. Peace was made, the Pope annulled all excommunication against Roger, and recognized his title of king. Roger Roger afterward fought with success against the Greeks, took Corfu, and gained part of the N. coast of Africa.
He died in 1154, and was succeeded by a son and a grandson.