History of Sicily

The history of Sicily traces the island’s peoples, political powers, and societies from prehistoric settlement through Greek and Roman rule, medieval kingdoms, and incorporation into modern Italy.

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Siculi: An ancient people who lived in eastern Sicily before and during Greek colonization. Their settlement gives the island its name and predates Greek expansion.
Roman Sicily: The Roman province established in Sicily after Rome defeated Carthage in the First Punic War. Roman rule made Sicily a major grain-producing province.
Roger II of Sicily: The Norman king who ruled Sicily from 1130 to 1154 and consolidated a powerful Mediterranean kingdom. His reign established the island as the center of a diverse, centralized monarchy.
Sicilian language: A Romance language spoken in Sicily and neighboring areas, shaped by centuries of contact and rule. Its vocabulary and history preserve traces of the island’s successive cultures.
Phoenicians: A maritime people from the Levant who founded trading settlements across the Mediterranean. Phoenician communities occupied western Sicily alongside Greek colonies.
Byzantine Sicily: The period when Sicily formed part of the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire. Byzantine authority followed Roman rule and preceded the Arab conquest.
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor: A thirteenth-century ruler of the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Sicily. His court made Sicily a center of imperial politics and scholarship.
Sicilian Baroque: A regional form of Baroque architecture and art that flourished in southeastern Sicily after the 1693 earthquake. Its rebuilding displays how catastrophe and Spanish-era culture reshaped Sicilian cities.
Greek colonization: The establishment of Greek settlements around the Mediterranean from the eighth century BCE onward. Greek colonists founded powerful Sicilian cities, including Syracuse.
Muslim conquest of Sicily: The ninth-century conquest of Sicily by Muslim forces from North Africa. It brought new rulers, agricultural practices, and Arabic influence to the island.