Unknown (Rogers) FitzRoger (abt. 1235 - 1270)

Born about 1235 in Rome, Italy

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1270 at about age 35 in London, England

Biography

Aaron FitzRoger is a name of convenience sometimes given to the grandfather of Aaron FitzRoger in his purported descent from Tancred, King of Sicily. There is little if any evidence that the grandson existed, far less that he was descended from the Norman Kings of Sicily. The grandson was first described by John Cox Underwood in about 1911.^[1] While it is unlikely that he was a complete fabrication by Underwood, Underwood cites no sources, so it is difficult to determine what if any historical truth underlies the lineage. Underwood says Tancred's family

… left a large number of descendants in Sicily, South Italy, Naples and Rome; and during three generations, the sons of Roger (called "Fitz Roger"), variously flourished in and about the papal city; and finally, one "Aaron or John Fitz Roger" (in England), alleged—a merchant of Rome, from fear of persecution by the Roman Church, fled with his family to London, and engaged in mercantile business there. And as evidence of Sicilian-Roger ancestry, the father and sons claimed the right to bear the coat of arms accredited to the Great Count Roger I of Sicily.^[1]

This is highly improbable on several grounds. The word "Fitz" meant "son of", so it's unlikely that a son of Tancred would have been named FitzRoger,^[2] and in any case the style seems not have been used in Italy; the use of first name "Aaron" would have been an exceptional in Italy at this time; and Roger I lived before coats of arms.^[3]

According to Underwood, this person was the son of Tancred, King of Sicily, though some recent online genealogies introduce additional generations to allow for Tancred having died in 1194. Underwood assigns no name or date to this person,^[1] but some recent online genealogies give him the name Aaron, born 1235 in Rome, and died 1270 in London.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Underwood, John Cox. Lineage of the Rogers Family, England — Embracing John Rogers the Martyr, p 10. New York, 1911.
2. ↑ Farmerie, Todd A. "Re: Tancred (1130-1192)", newsgroup post on soc.genealogy.medieval, 9 Nov 1999.
3. ↑ Farmerie, Todd A. "Re: ROGERS info", newsgroup post on soc.genealogy.medieval, 25 Sep 2001.
4. ↑ GEDCOM files imported into WikiTree:
   • Bryant, Willette. "Ancestor's that we lost, the Decendants they left behind_2011-08-28_01 (2).ged", imported 12 Sep 2011.
   • Marksman, Paula. "Paula's family 5-28-2011.GED", GEDCOM file imported 29 May 2011.