William II was called the Good, unlike his father who was called the Bad. Born in Palermo in 1153, he assumed the throne at the age of 12 after the death of William I, protected by his mother Margaret of Navarre. Crowned in 1171, he became of age and devoted himself to strengthening relations with the feudal lords, worn out by his predecessor, and with the Arabs.
With William II, Sicily also experienced a fruitful period from a cultural point of view. Interested in art, in addition to completing the Zisa, his greatest work is undoubtedly the Monreale Cathedral, where he rests after his death in Palermo in 1189.
