This is a scholarly and up-to-date narrative of the epic reign of the "Norman" King Roger II, the founder of the kingdom of Sicily during the first half of the twelfth century. It is a thoughtful analysis of the kingdom's mixed east-west culture and the development of its royal government; the most advanced in twelfth-century Europe. Although many recent studies have addressed important aspects of medieval southern Italy, this is the first work in nearly ninety years to be devoted specifically to Roger's life and reign.