- Roger of Salerno
Roger of Salerno or Roger of the Principate (died
June 28 ,1119 ) was regent of thePrincipality of Antioch from 1112 to 1119.He was the son ofRichard of the Principate and the 2nd cousin ofTancred, Prince of Galilee , both participants on theFirst Crusade . He became regent of Antioch when Tancred died in 1112; the actual prince, Bohemund II, was still a child. Like Tancred, Roger was almost constantly at war with the nearby Muslim states such asAleppo . In 1114 there was anearthquake that destroyed many of the fortifications of the principality, and Roger took great care to rebuild them, especially those near the frontier.Roger defeated
Bursuq in 1114 at theBattle of Sarmin , and in 1115 at theBattle of Tell Danith . WithJoscelin I of Edessa , Roger put enough military pressure on Aleppo that the city allied withOrtoqid emirIlghazi in 1118. Ilghazi invaded the Principality in 1119, and despite the urging of the Patriarch, Roger did not wait for reinforcements from Jerusalem or Tripoli. At the ensuingBattle of Ager Sanguinis he had 700 knights and 3000 foot soldiers, including 500 Armenian cavalry, but nearly all were killed, including Roger himself. Ilghazi's forces scattered to plunder the surrounding land and did not attackAntioch itself.Baldwin II of Jerusalem came north to take over the regency of the principality.Roger's reign was chronicled by his chancellor Walter.
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