The Kingdom of Sicily 1130-1860

Publisher: Trinacria Editions LLC

Covering seven eventful centuries, this is the first complete history of the Kingdom of Sicily ever published.

The lively narrative traces the history of Sicily from the foundation of its multicultural kingdom under the Normans in the twelfth century to the end of its baroque monarchy in the nineteenth, with framing chapters covering the periods before and afterward. Here, in a text dripping with eloquence, passion and fact after fact, a leading historian tells the complex yet fascinating story of the world's most conquered, most contested island.

Accompanied by 14 pages of maps, 5 pages of pedigree charts, 10 pages reproducing historical documents, and a 20-page chronology, it is a rare journey into understanding. Few histories of Sicily have ever been presented so clearly.

This volume is a nearly complete overview of Sicilian history from the Bronze Age to around 1950. It begins by laying the groundwork of what was to come, recounting the experience of Sicily under its indigenous peoples, followed by the Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans. A chapter about the society of the Arabs and Byzantines the Normans found in 1061 sets the stage for a plunge into the next seven centuries, through dynasties from Germany, France, Spain and - finally - Italy.

With erudition and focus, Mendola explains how the last monarchies ended in 1860 and 1946. Here the emphasis is not just kings and queens but an entire society and its identity. This volume is complementary to the author's previous entry, The Peoples of Sicily.

Among the appendices are a list of the kings of Sicily, a list of the Sicilian peerage, and information on the knightly orders, details that make this an excellent book to consult. There are 35 pages of informative notes, with dozens of sources cited, including many scholarly (academic) articles published in Italy and Britain. The casual reader will find this work highly informative, while the university student will find it useful as a springboard for further study.

Many books seek to recount history. This one touches it. The author explains how we are all Sicilians, and why it matters.

About Louis Mendola

Louis Mendola is one of Sicily’s foremost medievalists, and one of the very few whose work is known beyond Italian borders. His first scholarly paper (on the Battle of Benevento of 1266) was published in 1985; others consider such topics as the history of the medieval Normans in Sicily. He wrote the first book covering the entire seven-century history of the Kingdom of Sicily, and the first English translations of two chronicles of the thirteenth century. Having researched in Italy, Britain, Spain, Germany, France and the Vatican, he has been consulted by The History Channel, the BBC and The New York Times. Read by millions internationally, his online articles have made him one of the most popular Sicilian historians of the present century.

detail

Binding EAN ISBN-10 Pub Date PAGES Language Size Price
Paperback 9780991588671 0991588673 2015-11-23 440 0.00 x 5.21 x 7.99 in $38.00

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The Battle of Benevento according to Andrew of Hungary and Saba Malaspina

The Battle of Benevento according to Andrew of Hungary and Saba Malaspina

by Mendola, Louis

This is the first English translation of several original Latin texts describing the Battle of Benevento of 1266 that led to the demise of the Hohenstaufen dynasty and the rise of the House of Anjou in Italy...

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The Ferraris Chronicle

The Ferraris Chronicle

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Every once in a while a long-forgotten work emerges from the shadows of the Middle Ages to be published in English for the first time.This is the first complete English translation of the prose chronicle named for the abbey of Santa Maria della Ferraria...

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Queens of Sicily 1061-1266

Queens of Sicily 1061-1266

by Alio, Jacqueline

Eighteen women. Eighteen stories. Each one unique. Some never told before.They are the semi-forgotten women of European medieval history...

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The Time Traveler's Guide to Norman-Arab-Byzantine Palermo, Monreale and Cefalù

The Time Traveler's Guide to Norman-Arab-Byzantine Palermo, Monreale and Cefalù

by Mendola, Louis

Some travel books transport you over distance. This one takes you back in time.It's the perfect book to read before you get to Sicily, and to consult when you're there.This is the first guide written in English dedicated to the polyglot medieval heritage of three Sicilian cities where Europe met Africa and Asia for three magical centuries...

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The Time Traveler's Guide to Sicily

The Time Traveler's Guide to Sicily

by Mendola, Louis

A popular travel guide book for Sicily is a great choice for ninety percent of those planning a visit to this fascinating island. This book was written for the other ten percent...

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Frederick, Conrad and Manfred of Hohenstaufen, Kings of Sicily

Frederick, Conrad and Manfred of Hohenstaufen, Kings of Sicily

by Mendola, Louis

In the decade following the death of Frederick II in 1250, his sons Conrad and Manfred had to defend the Kingdom of Sicily against covetous popes and traitorous barons. This is the only contemporary chronicle to recount these events from the point of view of the Hohenstaufen dynasty and their Ghibelline supporters...

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Knighthood and Feudalism in Medieval Sicily

Knighthood and Feudalism in Medieval Sicily

by Mendola, Louis

This is the first book ever published in English to consider Sicily's complex knightly and feudal environment from its inception under the Normans around 1060 until the end of Aragonese rule in 1410...

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Sicily's Rebellion Against King Charles

Sicily's Rebellion Against King Charles

by Mendola, Louis

This is a translation of the memoir of John of Procida written as a chronicle in Middle Sicilian around 1290 as Lu Rebellamentu di Sichilia contra Re Carlu, with accompanying commentary by one of Sicily's leading historians.The chronicle of John of Procida brings us the spy story, the swashbuckler, the wartime saga and the morality play in a work that transcends any single genre...

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The Kingdom of Sicily 1130-1860

The Kingdom of Sicily 1130-1860

by Mendola, Louis

Covering seven eventful centuries, this is the first complete history of the Kingdom of Sicily ever published. The lively narrative traces the history of Sicily from the foundation of its multicultural kingdom under the Normans in the twelfth century to the end of its baroque monarchy in the nineteenth, with framing chapters covering the periods before and afterward...

read more
Margaret, Queen of Sicily

Margaret, Queen of Sicily

by Alio, Jacqueline

Sometimes it takes just one strong woman to tame a pack of zealous men. Meet Margaret of Sicily.For five years during the twelfth century, Margaret of Navarre, Queen of Sicily, was the most powerful woman in Europe and the Mediterranean. Her life and times make for the compelling story of a wife, sister, mother and leader...

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Women of Sicily

Women of Sicily

by Alio, Jacqueline

Rarely have women found their place in the chronicles of Sicily's thirty-century history. Here one of Sicily's most popular historians introduces seventeen women of varied backgrounds who defied convention to make their mark in the annals of the complex history of the world's most conquered island...

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Sicilian Genealogy and Heraldry

Sicilian Genealogy and Heraldry

by Mendola, Louis

In Sicilian genealogy, a generation by generation lineage to the Late Middle Ages isn't unusual. This long-awaited, definitive guide shows you how to do it. Sicily boasts the world's best genealogical records, revealing the deep roots of a Sicilian identity and facilitating the construction of many pedigrees into the fifteenth century...

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The Peoples of Sicily

The Peoples of Sicily

by Mendola, Louis

Can the eclectic medieval history of the world's most conquered island be a lesson for our times?Home to Normans, Byzantines, Arabs, Germans and Jews, 12th-century Sicily was a crossroads of cultures and faiths, the epitome of diversity. Here Europe, Asia and Africa met, with magical results. Bilingualism was the norm, women's rights were defended, and the environment was protected...

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