Elvira, daughter of Alfonso VI and Isabella, married Roger II, then Count of Sicily, around 1117. From this marriage, five sons and one daughter were born: Roger (III), Tancred, Alfonso, William, Henry. The daughter's name is unknown. Only William, born between 1120 and 1121, survived to become king...

The Norman kingdom of Sicily was born with Roger II of Hauteville on 25 December 1130, when he was crowned King of Sicily, Apulia, Calabria and Capua in the city of Palermo. From this moment on, the city of Palermo had three titles: Prima Sedes, Corona Regis et Regni Caput, i.e. the first seat of th...

Successor of the Grand Count Roger I of Hauteville, Roger II was born in Mileto on 22 December 1095. When Duke William died without an heir, he was appointed Duke of Salerno and, despite the hostility of Pope Honorius II, he obtained important victories in Calabria and Apulia in a short space of tim...

Successor of the Grand Count Roger I of Hauteville, Roger II was born in Mileto on 22 December 1095. When Duke William died without an heir, he was appointed Duke of Salerno and, despite the hostility of Pope Honorius II, he obtained important victories in Calabria and Apulia in a short space of tim...

Successor of the Grand Count Roger I of Hauteville, Roger II was born in Mileto on 22 December 1095. When Duke William died without an heir, he was appointed Duke of Salerno and, despite the hostility of Pope Honorius II, he obtained important victories in Calabria and Apulia in a short space of tim...

The Byzantine Church of Santa Domenica Kiriaca was dedicated to Saint Kyriaki, or Santa Domenica di Tropea, and stood in the western countryside, near the village of Rocca. Later donated to the monastery of Santa Maria Nuova, it was probably the seat of the diocese of Palermo during the Arab dominat...

During the Islamic domination, Bishop Nicodemus kept the Greek episcopal tradition alive in Palermo. The bishop moved to the Church of Santa Domenica Ciriaca, in the Monreale area, which became the last Christian stronghold. When the Normans arrived, Nicodemus was brought back to Palermo to convert ...

The Gami Mosque, built on the site of an early Byzantine settlement, was a large building open for worship, as its name suggests, on Fridays. Re-adapted by the Aghlabid dynasty, sources say that it could accommodate seven thousand people and was distinguished by its size and magnificence. The quadra...

The Hautevilles is a family of Norman origin. Descendants of Tancred, Lord of Hauteville-la-Guichard, they succeeded in creating the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria in the 11th century, headed by Robert Guiscard, and the County of Sicily under Roger I. Roger, known as the Great Count, was responsible f...

Born about 980, he became Pope under the name Nicholas II in December 1058. Having banished the antipope Benedict X, Nicholas II carried out numerous reforms, including the Lateran Council, according to which the election of the new pope was the prerogative of the cardinals, to the detriment of the ...