Roger of Lauria
| Ruggerio di Lauria i d'Amichi | |
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Statue of Roger of Lauria in Barcelona
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| Born | 1245 Lauria or Scalea, Kingdom of Sicily |
| Died | January 19, 1305 Valencia, Kingdom of Valencia |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of Sicily |
| Years of service | 1283-1302 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles/wars | War of the Sicilian Vespers |
Roger of Lauria (c. 1245 – 17 January 1305) was an Italian admiral in Aragonese service, who was the commander of the fleet of the Crown of Aragon during the War of the Sicilian Vespers. He was probably the most successful and talented naval tactician of the medieval period. He is known as Ruggero or Ruggiero di Lauria in Italian and Roger de Llúria in Catalan.
Roger of Lauria was born at Lauria or Scalea in southern Italy, the son of Richard of Lauria, Great Justiciar of the Kingdom of Sicily, and Donna Bella, a nurse of Constance of Sicily. His father had served under King Manfred of Sicily, a Hohenstaufen; when the last member of that family, Conradin of Swabia, was beheaded at Naples in 1268, he took refuge with other Ghibelline exiles at Barcelona (Principality of Catalonia), part of the Crown of Aragón with his mother.
Later King Peter III of Aragon, who had married Constance of Hohenstaufen, made him knight together with Corrado Lancia, who was to be a comrade of Roger in many of his enterprises. In 1282 Roger was named commander of the Aragonese fleet, keeping this charge under Peter's successors James II and Frederick III.
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