Fascinating post at Medieval Musings about the Norman Kingdom of Sicily, and especially the coronation mantle of the first King, Roger II. I always thought Robert Guiscard a fascinating character; he erased the distinction between nobleman and bandit and established a new realm in the wake of the Moorish retreat from southern Italy.

Well, actually it was his nephew who organized Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily into a Kingdom. Behold, his gear:

What followed was the standard story: Roger’s grandson William II spend his reign alternating indolence and invasions, and died childless. After a brief usurpation by his cousin Tancred, Sicily became the playground of the Holy Roman Emperors. Hilarity and Aragon ensues.