Kingdom of Sicily
Learn about this topic in these articles:
ItalyThe Sicilian kingdomThe kingdom of Sicily was Frederick’s first priority. It had long suffered neglect from his absence and internal strife. The Constitutions of Melfi, or Liber Augustalis, promulgated by Frederick in 1231, was a model of the new legislation developing from the study of Roman and canon…
Read MoreThe kingdom of Sicily was Frederick’s first priority. It had long suffered neglect from his absence and internal strife. The Constitutions of Melfi, or Liber Augustalis, promulgated by Frederick in 1231, was a model of the new legislation developing from the study of Roman and canon…
Read More- ItalyEconomic developments
…the papacy, prospered in the kingdom of Sicily. The new wealth left an imprint on Italian cities. By the end of the century, the first mansions of the rich, although small by later standards, began to adorn the cities, alongside new municipal buildings and the churches of the mendicant orders,…
Read More…the papacy, prospered in the kingdom of Sicily. The new wealth left an imprint on Italian cities. By the end of the century, the first mansions of the rich, although small by later standards, began to adorn the cities, alongside new municipal buildings and the churches of the mendicant orders,…
Read More - ItalyThe southern kingdoms and the Papal States
…1282 separated the island of Sicily for more than 150 years from the rest of the kingdom of Sicily, which until then had consisted of both the island and the southern mainland. On the mainland thenceforth, the successors of King Charles of Anjou ruled as vassals of the papacy. Normally…
Read More…1282 separated the island of Sicily for more than 150 years from the rest of the kingdom of Sicily, which until then had consisted of both the island and the southern mainland. On the mainland thenceforth, the successors of King Charles of Anjou ruled as vassals of the papacy. Normally…
Read More - ItalyCharacteristics of the period
…and his successor kings of Sicily to dominate Italy in the course of the 13th century left the peninsula divided among a large number of effectively independent political units. The inability of rulers from beyond the Alps to impose their authority upon it was clearly and finally demonstrated by the…
Read More…and his successor kings of Sicily to dominate Italy in the course of the 13th century left the peninsula divided among a large number of effectively independent political units. The inability of rulers from beyond the Alps to impose their authority upon it was clearly and finally demonstrated by the…
Read More
Alexander IIILife…and inclined toward the Norman kingdom of Sicily as a means of redressing the balance of power. He participated in the drawing up of the Concordat of Benevento (1156) between the papacy and King William I of Sicily. He revealed his fear of the empire still further in the following…
Read More…and inclined toward the Norman kingdom of Sicily as a means of redressing the balance of power. He participated in the drawing up of the Concordat of Benevento (1156) between the papacy and King William I of Sicily. He revealed his fear of the empire still further in the following…
Read More
Frederick IIEarly years…May 1198 he was crowned king of Sicily. Before her death later that year, Constance loosened the bonds that joined Sicily to the empire and to Germany by appointing Pope Innocent III her son’s guardian as well as regent of the Kingdom of Sicily, which was already under papal suzerainty.…
Read More…May 1198 he was crowned king of Sicily. Before her death later that year, Constance loosened the bonds that joined Sicily to the empire and to Germany by appointing Pope Innocent III her son’s guardian as well as regent of the Kingdom of Sicily, which was already under papal suzerainty.…
Read More- ItalyThe kingdom of Jerusalem
…an army and invaded the kingdom of Sicily. Frederick returned from the East, defeated the papal forces, and reached an agreement with the pope at Ceprano in 1230 that did much to restore the basis for cooperation. He could at last devote his efforts to Italy.
Read More…an army and invaded the kingdom of Sicily. Frederick returned from the East, defeated the papal forces, and reached an agreement with the pope at Ceprano in 1230 that did much to restore the basis for cooperation. He could at last devote his efforts to Italy.
Read More - ItalyNaples and Sicily
Under Austrian Habsburg rule after 1707, Naples witnessed numerous reform plans but little concrete action. When Sicily came under Austrian rule in 1720, similar good intentions foundered in the face of local resistance, a worsening international economy, and the political exigencies and fiscal burdens…
Read MoreUnder Austrian Habsburg rule after 1707, Naples witnessed numerous reform plans but little concrete action. When Sicily came under Austrian rule in 1720, similar good intentions foundered in the face of local resistance, a worsening international economy, and the political exigencies and fiscal burdens…
Read More 
Henry VI…by his acquisition of the kingdom of Sicily through his marriage to Constance I, posthumous daughter of the Sicilian king Roger II. Although Henry failed in his objective of making the German crown hereditary, like the Sicilian crown, his son Frederick II, who became king of Sicily immediately after Henry…
Read More…by his acquisition of the kingdom of Sicily through his marriage to Constance I, posthumous daughter of the Sicilian king Roger II. Although Henry failed in his objective of making the German crown hereditary, like the Sicilian crown, his son Frederick II, who became king of Sicily immediately after Henry…
Read More- ItalyHenry VI
…both the German and the Sicilian crowns. In Germany the strength of Henry’s support and the prestige of his father made succession certain, the more so because he defeated his father’s enemy, Henry the Lion, and held his sons hostage. But the Sicilian inheritance of Constance was another matter. The…
Read More…both the German and the Sicilian crowns. In Germany the strength of Henry’s support and the prestige of his father made succession certain, the more so because he defeated his father’s enemy, Henry the Lion, and held his sons hostage. But the Sicilian inheritance of Constance was another matter. The…
Read More 
Innocent IVPontificate…whom he could entrust the Kingdom of Sicily as a fief. The Pope offered Sicily first to Richard of Cornwall, then to Charles of Anjou, both of whom refused, and later to Henry III of England, who accepted for his son Edmund. After the death of Conrad IV in May…
Read More…whom he could entrust the Kingdom of Sicily as a fief. The Pope offered Sicily first to Richard of Cornwall, then to Charles of Anjou, both of whom refused, and later to Henry III of England, who accepted for his son Edmund. After the death of Conrad IV in May…
Read More
Roger II…and king of the Norman kingdom of Sicily (1130–54). He also incorporated the mainland territories of Calabria in 1122 and Apulia in 1127.
Read More…and king of the Norman kingdom of Sicily (1130–54). He also incorporated the mainland territories of Calabria in 1122 and Apulia in 1127.
Read More
- ItalyThe southern kingdoms and the Papal States
Meanwhile, the island kingdom of Sicily—or Trinacria, as it was often called—was ruled from 1296 to 1409 by a cadet branch of the royal house of Aragon. This house, in rebellion against papal claims of suzerainty and engaged in constant war with the Kingdom of Naples, went through…
Read MoreMeanwhile, the island kingdom of Sicily—or Trinacria, as it was often called—was ruled from 1296 to 1409 by a cadet branch of the royal house of Aragon. This house, in rebellion against papal claims of suzerainty and engaged in constant war with the Kingdom of Naples, went through…
Read More - ItalyThe kingdom of Sicily
Sicily’s administration had existed apart from that of the mainland since 1282, when the island had revolted against Angevin rule and come under the Aragonese crown. In the 16th century Sicily remained the cornerstone of the Spanish Mediterranean policy against the Ottomans,…
Read MoreSicily’s administration had existed apart from that of the mainland since 1282, when the island had revolted against Angevin rule and come under the Aragonese crown. In the 16th century Sicily remained the cornerstone of the Spanish Mediterranean policy against the Ottomans,…
Read More