Sicily had become an Islamic emirate in the ninth century, thriving until the Italo-Normans conquered it in the late eleventh century together with most of the Lombard and East Roman principalities of southern Italy.

…Roger regains control over Malta after a Muslim rebellion.

The maritime republic of Savona, inhabited in ancient times by Ligures tribes, had come under Roman influence in about 180 BCE, after the Punic wars in which the city had been allied to Carthage.

At the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it had passed under Lombard rule in 641 (being destroyed in the attack) after a short period as an Ostrogoth and then East Roman possession.

It had later recovered as county seat in the Carolingian Empire.

In the tenth century, its bishops were counts of Savona, but later the countship had passed to the marquesses of Monferrato (981) and afterwards to the marquesses Del Vasto (1084).

After a long struggle against the Saracens, Savona acquires independence in the eleventh century, becoming a free municipality allied with the Emperor.

King Roger of Sicily, to guaranty the security of the seas, also establishes a pact with Savona, probably following an Almoravid raid against his realm.

The first coalition of the Norman princes forms against Roger II of Sicily.

The same year, …

Bohemond’s rule will be marked from 1128 by conflicts with Joscelin I of Edessa and skirmishes in the northern border.

Both Bohemond and Joscelin attack Aleppo individually, but refuse to cooperate in a larger siege against the city.

Roger of Salerno had given away territory to Joscelin, but Bohemond does not consider these donations legitimate as they had been made without his authority, even though he had been a minor at the time.

The dispute comes to open conflict between Antioch and Edessa, with Joscelin allying with the Muslims against Bohemond.

The Latin Patriarch of Antioch places an interdict over the County of Edessa.

Bohemond’s cousin Roger II invades and conquers Taranto in 1128, claiming it as the heir of William II of Apulia.

Bohemond, being away, can do nothing to prevent this.

This year, Baldwin II marches north to mediate in the dispute, and Joscelin abandons his claims.

Meanwhile, the atabeg Zengi consolidates his power over Aleppo and Mosul and the crusaders will never again have a chance to impose their authority over Aleppo.

The Norman territories in southern Italy remain a fief of the papacy, but papal overlordship has become a mere formality, especially after 1127, when Roger II unites these lands with Sicily.

The powerful Norman ruler Roger II, having founded the kingdom of Sicily in 1130, had made Palermo his capital, in which Greeks, Arabs, Jews, and Normans work together with singular harmony in creating a cosmopolitan culture of remarkable vitality.

Drawing to his court distinguished men of various provenance, such as the famous Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi and the historian Nilus Doxopatrius, Archimandrite of Palermo, Roger welcomes the learned and maintains a complete toleration for the several creeds, races and languages of his realm.

He is served by men of nationality as dissimilar as the Englishman Thomas Brun, a kaid, or magister, of the Curia, and, in the fleet, by the late renegade Muslim Christodoulos, and his replacement, the Antiochene George, whom he creates amiratus amiratorum, in effect prime vizier, in 1132.

(This title, amiratus or emir, is the basis of the English word admiral.)

Grimoald, Prince of Bari, had joined with Tancred of Conversano, an old ally and renegade, to rise up in revolt in 1131 and capture the port of Brindisi at Christmastime.

It takes until May 1132, after astronomic omens and papal urgings, for Roger to leave comfortable Sicily to go and deal with insurrection in Apulia.

A brief siege convinces the Bariots to give up their prince and Grimoald and his whole family are given over on the city's surrender.

The deposed prince is brought with his family to prison in Sicily and Tancred is only forgiven on condition he leave on Crusade.

Grimoald is replaced by Roger's own son, Tancred.

Roger II of Sicily sends Robert II of Capua and Ranulf II of Alife to Rome in midsummer 1132 in a show of force in support of the antipope Anacletus.

While they are away, Roger's half-sister Matilda, the wife of Ranulf, flees to Roger, claiming abuse.

Simultaneously, Roger annexes Ranulf's brother's County of Avellino.

Ranulf demands the restitution of both wife and countship.

Both are denied, and Ranulf leaves Rome against orders, with Robert following.

The disaffected Ranulf II has mustered a large force with his ally, Robert II.

The rebels mass outside of Benevento and this city, usually faithful to Roger II, gives in.