Roger III (Italian: Ruggero III, Sicilian: Ruggeru III; 1175 – 24 December 1193), of the House of Hauteville, was the eldest son and heir of King Tancred of Sicily and Queen Sibylla. He was made Duke of Apulia (as Roger V),[1] probably in 1189, shortly after his father's accession. In the summer of 1192 he was crowned co-king with his father.[2] Follari were minted at Messina bearing both Tancred's and Roger's names as kings.[3]
In 1193, Tancred arranged for Roger to marry Irene Angelina, daughter of the Byzantine emperor Isaac II Angelos.[4] Roger died on 24 December 1193, however, upsetting his father's plans. Tancred quickly had Roger's younger brother, William III, crowned as co-king, but Tancred himself died on 20 February 1194.[4] On 20 November 1194, Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI entered Palermo and William was deposed on 25 December. In 1197 Roger's widow, Irene, married Henry VI's brother, Duke Philip of Swabia.