The War of the Sicilian Vespers was fought between the Crown of Aragon and the Angevins over control of Sicily from 1282 - 1302. The conflict was violent and involved literally every community in the Western Mediterranean. In explaining the war, one might first look at Charles I, the youngest brother of King Louis IX of France. After taking control of the island, his oppressive French rule is what kindled the flame that was the War of Sicilian Vespers. Charles I became a Senator of Rome after taking part in the crusades to Egypt and Tunisia. He also obtained Provence by marriage and extended his power to Piedmont. The papal had an agenda against Manfred in the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily, and Charles wanted to gain their support so he led …show more content…
Proved by his important winnings at Malta in 1283 and Naples in 1284. He was also getting a reputation for winning battles were he was incredibly outnumbered. He lead his fleets from the front and commanded with power. By leading by example definitely had an effect on the moral of his crews. After destroying the French in Catalonia in 1285, Rogers reputation as a fearless and powerful commander was set in stone. He was popular with the crews but also demanded hard work and could be at times considered ruthless. He one ordered the mutilation of a rower who stole the enlistment money and ran away. (Le Rebellamentu... …show more content…
However, Aragon experienced a lot less problems filling the ranks of the distant fleet rather than the fleet at home. The issues that Roger encountered trying to maintain his fleet was extensive and tedious. He was always lacking sufficient men. This resulted in the fleet being a mixture of Muslims and Christians from North Africa, Iberia, Sicily and Calabria. This would normally seem to be a power keg of an idea, fearing a separated fleet. Roger de Loria successfully mitigated the possible conflicts by his strong commanding presence. Roger knew how to control and command his fleets. He knew how to maintain their respect by using a combination of politics and self-interest in his speeches. The crews had undying faith that he would bring them to victory. By 1292 Roger had molded his mixed crews into a terrorizing force that could not be stopped. (Mott, Lawrence