King of Sicily from 1130, the second son of Count Roger I of Sicily (10311101). By the time he was crowned king on the authority of Pope Innocent II (died 1143), he had achieved mastery over the whole of Norman Italy. He used his navy to conquer Malta and territories in north Africa, and to harass Byzantine possessions in the eastern Mediterranean. His Palermo court was a cultural centre where Latin, Greek, and Arab scholars mixed freely.
© RM 2009. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.