Alexander of Telese: Ystoria Rogerii Regis

Alexander, abbot of the monastery of San Salvatore at Telese in Campania (d. c. 1143), wrote this history of Roger II, the Norman ruler who became the first king of Sicily, at the request of Roger’s sister Matilda. In the prologue he defends a monk’s decision to write about war: past deeds should be recorded so that what is to be followed or avoided may be known, and Scripture itself narrates the wars of Saul and David. The four books cover the years from 1127 to 1136, describing Roger’s struggle to impose his authority on the barons and cities of southern Italy, his coronation in 1130 and the wars against Prince Robert of Capua and his allies.

Alexander is one of the principal sources for the creation of the Norman kingdom of Sicily, and he writes as a strong supporter of Roger, presenting him as a ruler chosen by God to bring peace and justice to a land torn by faction. His narrative of sieges, campaigns and negotiations, as in the sample’s account of the fighting near the river Sarno, is detailed and close to events, though partisan.