A Brief History of Sicily
- -50000 evidence of Neanderthal activity in Sicily
- -c2750 San Cono-Diana culture (Western Mediterranian Neolithc -- pre Indo-
European)
- -c2250 Serraferlichio culture (Western Mediterranian)
- -c1850 Celto-Ligurian band of Western Indo Europeans travelled the
mediterranian at this time and landed in Western Sicily
- -1500 Scians (considered Aboriginal)
- -c1000 Italic Sicels depart from the toe for Sicily and begin to displace the
aboriginals, the Scians (theorized to be Ligurian Celts, earlier Italics,
Iberians or a combination of all three)
- -c800 Phonecians found a permanent station on western tip
- -750 first Greek colonies on the East coast
- -c600 eastern half is Greek
- -c550 founding of the Phoenician leauge under Carthage including
a tiny western tip of Sicily
- -481 Carthage lands on Sicily to attempt to conqure the entire island
- -479 Syracuse defeats Carthage at Himera takes all but the western tip
of the island (which Carthage retains until Rome conqures in -241)
- -431 Sicily split between Athens and Sparta ????
- -415 Athens attacks, but Syracuse holds out
- -410 Syracuce conqures the last of the native Italic tribes in the center of
the island
- -406 Carthage takes most of the island
- -392 Peace treat between Carthage & Syracuse returns borders to -406 point
- -375 Syracuse inculdes parts of the sole of the boot
- -278 Sicilan greeks appealed to Pyrrhus, king of Epirus (Albania) for help
against Carthage and he took over the island and briefly ruled it as
his second kingdom
- -277 Sicilan greeks revolt agains Epirus and return to independnce (Syracuse)
- -264 1st Punic war begins - Rome & Carthage fight with Sicily in between
- -241 Rome defeats Carthage and wins Sicily (independent Syracuse)
- *311 The Roman Empire adopts Christianity
- 406 The Roman Empire splits, Sicily is in the Western Empire
- *412 Alaric the Visigothic King (from Bulgaria by way of Bosnia) made it to
the toe, but couldn't make it to Sicily [Arian Christian]
- 413 The Western Empire
- 453 Vandal King Gaiseric (from Romania by way of NW Spain & North Africa)
w/Carthage's fleet conquers Sicily & much of Western Mediterranean
[Arian Christian]
- 476 German General Odoacer becomes king of Italy upon the administrative end
of the Western Empire & takes all but the western tip of Sicily from
the Vandals [Arian Christian]
- 511 Theodoric the Ostrogoth (from Bulgaria by way of Bosnia) conquers
Odoacer and soon pushes Vandals off of their toe-hold of the Island.
[Arian Christian]
- *527 Ostrogoths allow Eastern Emperor Justinian to use Sicily as a base for
fighting the Vandals in the Western Mediterranean [Eastern Orthodox
Christian]
- 540 Ostrogoths surrender to the Eastern Empire [Eastern Orthodox Christian]
- *629 As of this point historians begin calling the Eastern Roman Empire the
Byzantine Empire (named after the old Greek city, Byzantion, that
Constantinople was built upon) because the population, and royalty were
far more Greek than Roman. At the time, no name changed occurred, the
Empire was called Roman until the end.
- 827 Islam comes to Sicily as the Aghlabid dynasty of Emirs in Tunisia who
gently moved away from the control Abbasid Caliphate and considered
themselves sovereign took the western quarter of the island. [Islam]
- c835 Aghlabid Emirate conquers all but the Northeastern coast of the Island.
[Islam] (Byzantium has the NE coastline.)
- c911 Fatimid Caliphate (from Syria by way of Morocco) conquered the Aghlabids
of Tunisia, thereby gaining Sicily. [Islam]
- c960 Fatimids gain the rest of the Island. [Islam]
- c1000 Fatimids move their headquarters to Egypt and the Zirid line of
governors at Kairoan {south of Tunis} become independent, thus
inheriting Sicily. [Islam]
- *1049 Zirids are beaten back and moved their headquarters to Mahdiya on the
coast. [Islam]
- c1065 A French/Viking mercenary named Robert the Cunning of Normandy who
conquered southern Italy creating the Duchy of Apulia which recovers
the Northeastern quarter of Sicily. [Christian]
- 1091 Roger of Normandy (Robert's youngest brother) completes the conquest of
the island (& Malta) creating the County of Sicily which owed loyalty
to the Duchy of Apulia. [Christian]
- 1127 Roger acquires the entire Duchy of Apulia, takes the title of King and
"ruled from Palermo, where his court, with its black servants, its
Saracen guards, its harem and its pleasure-domes became the scandal and
the envy of Christendom." [Christian]
- c1180 Crown of Sicily is combined by marriage with that of the Holy Roman
Emperor in Henry IV of Germany. [Christian]
- c1240 Frederick II, Emperor of Germany & King of Sicily (& all of southern
Italy) battles with the Pope.
- 1266 The connection with Germany is severed when a usurper takes the throne
from the infant heir. The Pope offers the throne of Sicily to the King
of France (Louis IX) who offers it to his brother Charles of Anjou who
then invades and kills the claimant (Manfred). [Christian]
- *1278 Charles, King of Sicily has possessions from northern France (Anjou),
southern France (Provence), Albania, Corfu, the Balkans and the Aegean
islands.
- 1282 Sicilian Vespers -- Sicily revolted against Charles.
- 1302 Revolt ends, Two kingdoms of Sicily result, mainland under Charles's
house and the Island under a junior branch of the Aragonese (Spanish)
house due to their support (excused by a minor claim on the throne
dating to 1266) in the war. Sicily retained a portion of mainland
Greece. [Christian]
- *1347 Bubonic Plague, Black Death, returns to Sicily after an absence of
600 years. The Island was very very hard hit with perhaps 75%
mortality.
- 1409 Sicily becomes a part of Aragon {Naples (the mainland part of the
former kingdom of Sicily) also joins Aragon in 1442 although it is
separated off in 1458 to give a Kingdom to the illegitimate son of the
King.}
- 1469 Aragon and Castile are joined in principle, by the marriage of
Ferdinand & Isabella {of Columbus fame} to eventually become Spain.
- 1515 Ferdinand & Isabella's grandson Charles V inherits Sicily (and all of
the Spanish AND Austrian possesions! including most of Italy and the
Netherlands).
- 1530? Charles V's son, Phillip II inherits only the Spanish possesions.
- 1640 Aragon (which holds Sicily) revolts against Castillian rule and is
put down, but with difficulty.
- 1700 Austria and France attempt to politically carve up Spain before the
childless king dies, enraging the Spanish. The Spanish king wills
everything to the French family, effectivly uniting all of Italy and
Spain under French rule.
- 1713 Sicily is given to Savoy in the Treaty of Utrecht which ends the War
of Spanish Succession. Louis XIV's grandson gets Spain but is excluded
from French succession.
- 1717 The Spanish invade Sicily, the Austrians defeat them and then trade
Sardina to Savoy for Sicily which becomes part of the Austrian kingdom
of Naples.
- 1733 The Spanish overrun Sicily during the war of Polish succession and
after the peace, Sicily along with Naples, is awarded to the non-royal
spanish prince Don Carlos.
- 1806 The British Navy held Napoleon out of Sicily, which was given to the
exiled (Bourbon) king of Naples.
- 1814 With the final defeat of Napoleon the king of Naples returned to
Naples and Sicily returned to it's status as a dependent of Naples.
- 1872 Sicily becomes part of Italy as the country is unified by the house
of Savoy.
- c1914 .... WWI ...
- c1935 ... Mussolini...
- 1945 Republic of Italy is formed at the end of WWII.
- 1998 The 58th government since the war collapses.