Kingdom of Sicily

The kingdom of Sicily is created in 1130 by the Antipape Anaclet II for the benefit of the king Roger II on the island of Sicily, the Calabria, the Pouilles, and Naples. This kingdom crosses several phases marked by the successive dominations of the Normands, of the Souabes (another name for the dynasty of the Hohenstaufen, descendants of Frederic de Souabe), of the Angevins and the Aragonese.

Conquest and domination Norman

Sicily, conquered 1060 with 1091 by the “Large Count”, Roger I {{er}}, is before this date only one county. These Norman mercenaries had been called for the aid by the Byzantine which wished to drive out the Sarrasins of Italy. Under Roger II, the pope invests the king of Sicily and becomes his suzerain, which will pose a political problem when the Hohenstaufen seize the power in the kingdom of Sicily. The descendants of Roger II reign on Sicily of its death in 1154 with 1189: Guillaume I, then Guillaume II. This last not having wire, a question of succession is posed and allowed the come to power of Henri VI. The heiress of Guillaume II is her aunt, Constance of Hauteville (Hauteville is the name of the Normande dynasty). She marries Henri, wire of Frederic Barberousse, Germanic Roman Emperor. Henri, who will become emperor under the name of Henri VI, claims with the crown of Sicily. The pope Clément III opposes this situation.

the Souabe phase

The pope Clément III feared to see the grounds of churches encircled by the Hohenstaufen, which dominated the north of Italy. He calls upon his suzerainty on the kingdom of Sicily to claim an oath of vassalage of Henri VI. This refusing last, the pope decides to support Tancrède, bastard Hauteville, which dies in 1194. Henri VI then becomes king de Sicile, on December 25th, with Palermo. Its reign will be brutal and short, since he dies in 1197. Between 1197 and 1220, papacy seeks to break the surrounding of the Hohenstaufen. The kingdom of Sicily is left without central capacity extremely, of the cities like Naples or Gaète develops communal institutions. Barons and bishops usurp the royal prerogatives. Dice 1220, Frederic II; wire of Henri VI is emperor. To sat of Capoue in December, he recalls the law Norman and cancels the later concessions at 1189, to punish those which misused the vacancy of the capacity. In 1230, the Constitutions of Melfi, inspired by the Roman law, give laws to the kingdom. It is in this context of recovery in hand that the kingdom of Sicily passes under the domination Angevine. (*)

phase angevine

Clement V, pope, asks for the assistance of Charles of Anjou to fight the domination Hohenstaufen. Charles of Anjou beats the son of Frederic II, Manfred with the Bataille of Bénévent and becomes king de Sicile in Rome in 1266. The policy of Angevins does not completely satisfy the pope, who finds his ally too heavy. Under Charles of Anjou, which is helped of his/her son Charles II, north is privileged in the south. The capital passes from Palermo to Naples. The central capacity is not present enough. This situation leads to the sicilian Vêpres, which lead to the division of the kingdom of Sicily in a “Royaume of Naples”, term unsuitable but become current, which remains with the angevins, and a kingdom of Sicily, under Aragonese domination .

Aragonese domination in Sicily

The girl of Manfred was married with Pierre III, king d' Aragon. The sicilian Vêpres represent a double rupture: against the angevins, whose tax pressure was too strong, against the heritage of Frederic II, a central capacity of which they dispute it stings. It is a claim of autonomy. To face the angevins, the Sicilians call upon Pierre III, which leads to separation in two kingdoms.

The two kingdoms remain separate until in 1442, where the king Alphonse V of Aragon conquers the “kingdom of Naples” and gives rise to the Royaume of Deux-Siciles.

In 1713, the duke of Savoy Victor-Amédée II receives with the Traité of Utrecht Sicily, which it exchanges in 1720 against the Sardinia.

See too

List of the kings de Sicile

Bibliogaphy

Pierre Paddle, Norman empires of the East , ED. Perrin, coll tempus.

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