Sigurd the Crusader and Norman royal ambition

Sigurd the Crusader's stop in Sicily provides a glimpse of continuing ties between Norse rulers and the Norman descendants of Viking settlers. Sigurd is said to have called Roger king of Sicily roughly two decades before Roger's formal coronation. Whether the title was used exactly as later sources report or not, it fits the dynasty's movement from countship toward kingship. George's rise beside Roger belongs to that larger project of turning conquest, administration, and maritime power into recognized royal authority.