The Kingdom of Sicily

Southern Italy Series

-----The Kingdom of Sicily-----

In 1101 the Count of Sicily Roger Bosso en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_I_…. He was succeeded by his son Simon en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon,_C… . But Simon died in 1105 and was succeeded by his brother Roger II en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_II .

Then in 1127 William II en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_… Duke of Apulia and Calabria died with no heirs. As a distant cousin of William, Roger claimed the Duchy for himself. But the Pope, Honorius II, claimed that the Duchy now belonged to the Vatican and excommunicated Roger in November of that year. By year’s end Honorius called for a crusade against Roger, but few heeded the call. Honorius gathered his own army with his Capuan and Neapolitan allies to fight Roger. But Roger refused to fight and the Papal armies soon began to dwindle away. In 1128 Honorius relented and agreed to acknowledge Roger as Duke of Apulia.

On Feburary 13th 1130 Pope Honorius died. Due to a Roman conspiracy by the Frangipani family, Gregorio Papareschi was elevated to become Pope Innocent II en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Inn… the next day under dubious circumstances. A rival Roman family, the Pierleoni, were outraged and held their own papal election where they elevated their own Pietro Pierleoni to become Pope Anacletus II en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antipope… . People now began to ask who the real Pope was. Anacletus seized the initiative by taking command of Rome and the Vatican and forced Innocent to flee north into the Holy Roman Empire.

Because Roger had supported Anacletus, he was crowned King of Sicily on Christmas Day 1130. But Pope Innocent had made common cause with the Holy Roman Emperor Lothair III en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lothair_… , who in 1136 marched into southern Italy at the head of a great army.

The Imperial army failed to invade Sicily, but they did manage to overrun Apulia and Calabria which they handed over to allies of Pope Innocent, the Dukes of Alife, Capua and Naples. Roger II of Sicily was defeated, first at Nocera en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_o… and again at Rignano en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_o… . But in 1138 Roger recouped his losses and in 1139 added Naples to his realm. But Pope Innocent refused to end the war and marched south against Roger. On March 22, 1139 the Pope was ambushed and captured by Roger’s son, Roger III. At the Treaty of Mignano en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_o… three days later Innocent II agreed to recognize Roger II as King of Sicily.
After securing his realm Roger II began a conquest of Africa en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_A… , seizing Tripoli in 1143. By 1148 much of Tunis was secured under Norman rule. Roger II commissioned many works including a map of the world en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabula_R… before his death in 1154.

Roger II's conquests in Africa were lost by his son William I en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_… . He in turn was succeeded by William II en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_… . But William died with no heirs in 1189 and Tancred, the illegitimate grandson of Roger II took the throne. But before he died William II had organized the marriage of his aunt Constance to Henry, son of Fredrick I Barbarossa en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic… in 1186. In 1190 Frederick I died, and the next year Henry was crowned Holy Roman Emperor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VI… . Henry then used his wife Constance as claim that he should inherit the Kingdom of Sicily as well. Pope Celestine attempted to mediate and prevent the union of the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Sicily under one king because the greater empire would surround and engulf the Papal States. Then in February of 1194 Tancred died, leaving the kingdom to his son William III. In November Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI seized the Kingdom’s capital at Palermo and became King of Sicily.

Southern Italy Series

500 BC Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Origins
264 BC Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… The Punic Wars
115 AD Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… The Roman Empire
405 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… East and West
526 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Collapse of the West
565 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Reconquest
572 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Lombard Invasion
751 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Lombard Italy
814 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Charlemagne’s Empire
1000 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… The Holy Roman Empire
1095 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… The Norman Conquest
1154 The Kingdom of Sicily
1250 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Hohenstaufen Italy
1280 hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Anjou Sicily
1300 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… War of the Vespers
1400 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Black Death
1492 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Renaissance Italy
1559 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Italian Wars
1715 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Habsburg Italy
1780 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Bourbon Italy
1799 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Revolutionary Italy
1812 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… Napoleonic Italy
1860 Hillfighter.deviantart.com/art… United Italy

2/19/12 EDIT:
map base source commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fil…
map base created by Citypeek commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Use…