History of Sicily
A timeline of the history of Sicily
Over 2,500 years at the strategic crossroads of the western world have left Sicily with an unparalleled historical legacy.
Nowhere else have Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, French, Germans, Spanish, Italians and even the British left such an indelible impression.
Whether you are more attracted by Greek temples, Roman villas and aqueducts, Norman cathedrals or Baroque churches, Sicily offers a range of historical sites that are not easily matched.
20,000 - 750 BCE: Pre-Greek History
20,000-10,000: paleolithic settlements. What's left to see: cave paintings at Levanzo and Addaura
4,000-3,000: neolithic settlements in the east, pottery and tools found. What's left to see: remains displayed in the museum on Lipari
3,000-2,000: the Copper Age: more settlers arrive from the Aegean. Evidence of cultivation, animal husbandry and trade.
2,000-1,000: the Bronze Age, with significant Mycenaean influence. What's left to see: Capo Graziano and Punta Milazzese in the Aeolian Islands.
1250 approx: Ausonians move to the Aeolian Islands and the Sikels occupy the east and begin moving inland. Sicans (from North Africa) and Elymians (Trojan refugees) settle in West. What's left to see: Sikel necropolis in Pantalica.
900-700: Carthaginians (Phoenicians settling in the western Mediterranean) replace the Mycenaeans and found Panormus (Palermo), Solunto and Mothya
750 - 215 BCE: the Greeks
734: colonisation of Naxos (near Taormina). Greeks begin to arrive in search of land in the development of a wealthy “Magna Graecia”. Naxians followed by Megarians at Megara Hyblaea, Corinthians at Ortygia (Syracuse), Rhodians, Cretans and Cnidians at Gela. What's left to see: Taormina, Ortygia, Megara Hyblaea, Erice.
Mother Colonies start to form dependent city states. What's left to see: Agrigento, Selinunte, Segesta, Eraclea Minoa.
Sicily proves extremely fertile and olives and vines are introduced. Trade intensifies and Sicilian Magna Graecia becomes extremely rich. Internal rivalries lead to bloody war.
480: the Battle of Himera - a rare alliance of Gela, Agrigento and Syracuse defeats the Carthaginians heralding the beginning of a “Golden Age”.
450: rebellion led by Ducetius (a Hellenised Sikel), quashed by Syracuse, confirming their power.
415-413: Athenian invasion (the Great Expedition) of Syracuse in support of Segesta against the Syracusan tyrants fails, leaving thousands of Athenian soldiers in slavery.
211 BCE - 468 CE: the Romans
211: the Romans defeat the Greeks at Syracuse, thus bringing to an end nearly 500 years of Sicily's role at the centre of Magna Graecia
468 - 476: the Vandals
468: Vandals (of Germanic origin) invade from North Africa and oust the Romans.
476 - 535: the Ostrogoths
535 - 827: the Byzantines
535: the Byzantines (under Belisario) occupy Sicily and are embraced by a still very strong Greek culture.
663: Syracuse briefly replaces Constantinople as the capital of the Byzantine empire.
700 approx: Pantelleria occupied by Moors
827 - 1061: the Arabs
827: the beginning of Arab invasion with the landing of 10,000 Arabs, Berbers and Spanish Muslims (collective term Saracens) at Mazara del Vallo
832: Arabs conquer Palermo making it their capital. Palermo becomes one of the most populous and cosmopolitan centres in the world. Trade flourishes, sophisticated irrigation systems built. Taxes reduce and an era of religious tolerance begins. What's left to see: Place names (Calta…., Gibil….), Citrus trees, Sugar Cane. Thermal Baths at Cefala' Diana.
878: Arabs conquer Syracuse.
1038: Byzantines attempt to exploit Arab feuding as General George Maniakes tries to bring Sicily back under the influence of Constantinople.
1060 - 1194: the Normans
1059: Pope Nicolo' II authorises the Hauteville family of Normans (present in Calabria and Puglia) to occupy any area of Southern Italy as long as they don’t recognise the power of Constantinople.
1064: Norman Roger Hauteville invades Messina in response to a call for help from the Arabs against the Byzantines.
1071: Normans take Palermo following a six-month naval blockade
1071 onwards: the Normans take possession of Sicily, but they are few so have to accept and integrate Arab administration and justice systems. They make use of Arab and Byzantine craftsmen and architects provoking a fusion of talent and leaving an incredible legacy of art and architecture. Arabic is replaced by French and Italian and the clerical hierarchy is Latinised bringing 1,500 years of Greek influence to an end. What's left to see: Norman Palace and Palatine Chapel in Palermo. Fortifications all over the Island. The castle at Erice.
1130-1154: King Roger II extends huge influence over the Mediterranean region. What's left to see: Cefalu Cathedral; S.Giovanni degli Eremiti, Martorana and Magione churches in Palermo.
1154-1166: King William I (William the Bad) exploits his position and fails to control barons. Englishman Walter of the Mill became archbishop of Palermo. What's left to see: Palermo Cathedral; La Zisa (palace in Palermo).
1166-1189: King William II (William the Good) establishes the second archbishopric at Monreale
1189-1194: the fast decline of Norman power following divisions after the death of William II (age 36). Roger II’s aunt marries Hohenstaufen Henry
1190: Richard I of England (Richard the Lion-Heart) stops in Messina on his way to the Third Crusade, sacking the city.
1194 - 1266: the Hohenstaufen (Swabians)
1194: the Hohenstaufen arrive to little opposition and Henry VI is crowned King of Sicily. He is succeeded by Frederick II (Stupor Mundi) under whose reign poetry, science, law and medicine advance. After his death, the Pope sells Sicily to the King of England, who gives it to his 8-year-old son Edmund of Lancaster.
1266 - 1282: the Angevin French
1266: the French Pope deposes Edmund and gives Sicily to Charles of Anjou (brother of Louis IX). The Angevins oppressed Sicily as no previous power has, (high taxes and division of baronial fiefs among French aristocrats), and are generally detested. 1282 - The Sicilian Vespers, a popular uprising killing thousands of French occupiers, paving the way for a new conqueror
1282 - 1516: the Aragonese
1282: Peter of Aragon lands in Trapani and is acclaimed king at Palermo. The arrival of the Aragonese means the beginning of five centuries of Spanish domination and isolation from Italy and consequently from Europe. 1282-1302 - War of the Vespers between Aragonese and Angevins fought mainly on mainland Italy and in Spain
1302: the Peace of Caltabellotta gives Sicily to the Aragonese and mainland territories in southern Italy to the French
14th century: ineffectual government with power in the hands of the nobility. The black death decimates the population
15th century: linked to Spain and cut off from Italian mainland (held by Angevins except for a brief period during the reign of Alphonse II 1416-1458), Sicily becomes more isolated. With the discovery of America in 1492 Spanish attention shifts for good from the Mediterranean. Sicily falls under the control of corrupt nobility and the inquisition brings religious tolerance to an end
1516 - 1713: the Spanish Habsburgs
leaving estates in the hands of Massari or Gabellotti, bailiffs charged with the collection of rent. Sicily is now essentially a source of funds for Spanish expansion. Discontent leads to a rise of brigandry supported by an oppressed population who find defence from prosecution in a code of silence, or “omertà”... the beginnings of the Mafia
17th century: repression is compounded by disease and disaster as Sicily’s misery deepens under continuing Spanish misrule. Insurrection in the big cities is effectively and violently quashed
1647: the revolt of Palermo
1669: a huge eruption of Etna destroys much around Catania
1674-78: the revolt of Messina
1693: a massive earthquake, followed by the plague, destroys much of the east coast and kills 5% of the population. The subsequent rebuilding programme includes some of the most spectacular baroque architecture in Europe, in particular in Noto, Ragusa, Scicli and Modica
1700: Charles II dies
1713 - 1720: the House of Savoy
1713: following the death of Charles II of Spain, the Treaty of Utrecht grants Sicily to the House of Savoy
1720 - 1734: the Austrian Habsburgs
1720: the House of Savoy trades Sicily to the Austrians, with Sardinia going the other way.
1734 - 1806: the Bourbons
18th century: the continuation of indirect Spanish rule through a pampered, parasitic and corrupt nobility results in increased oppression and virtual elimination of wealth production. Sicily is excluded from the revolutionary spirit of the French revolution
1734: Bourbon King Charles I (1734-59) reclaims Sicily for the Spanish
1740: John Woodhouse begins production and export of fortified wines at Marsala
1759: Charles I becomes Charles III of Spain, leaving Sicily to be governed indirectly by Ferdinand IV of Naples
1799: Napoleon invades Naples, forcing Ferdinand to flee to Palermo in Admiral Nelson’s flagship. Nelson is rewarded by the king with a large estate near Mount Etna as well as the title of the Duke of Bronte
1806 - 1815: British Administration
1812: Lord Bentinck (commander of British forces) forces the introduction of a two-chamber parliament based on the British model. Abolition of feudal privileges. Increase in Malvasia wine production to supply Nelson's fleet, based in Messina
1815: Napoleon is defeated and the British abandon Sicily to the Bourbons.
1815 - 1860: the Bourbons
1815: Ferdinand returns to Naples and declares himself Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. British designed constitution is abandoned. Next 45 years revolutionary spirit grows as Spanish rule becomes increasingly untenable
1832: a new island appears to the south of Sciacca and is simultaneously claimed by French, the British and the Bourbons. Named Ferdinandea by the Bourbons (after Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies) and Graham Island by the British (after Sir James Robert George Graham of the Admiralty) the island disappears before war can be declared between the contesting powers. It now lies 8 metres below the surface and presents a significant shipping hazard
1860 - 1946: a united Italy under a monarchy
1860: Garibaldi begins unification of Italy landing at Marsala on 11th May. The swift defeat of the Bourbons. Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy declared King. After unification, Sicily is once again in the hands of a distant government. Old aristocracy maintained most privileges. Misgovernment, few voting rights, increased taxation and conscription lead to more discontent
1866: the Revolt of Palermo quashed by Turin
1876 and 1915: nearly 1.4 million Sicilians emigrate to the USA, South America, Australia and northern Europe
1880: the phylloxera vine blight arrives in Sicily, decimating vineyards across the island
1886: Ernesto Basile builds the Teatro al Massimo opera house in Palermo and numerous Liberty Style buildings spring up in the island's capital and Mondello
1891-94: the Fasci Siciliani (workers organisations) achieve some improvements in land laws, but are quashed by 15,000 troop sent to Palermo by prime minister Francesco Crispi (a Sicilian)
1908: 80,000 killed in a vast earthquake in Messina
1914: repression leads to frustration and mass emigration of peasants. Wage increases due to labour shortage
1922-43: Mussolini becomes prime minister. Cesare Mori imprisons 1,000s of Mafia suspects pushing criminals underground
1930s: Sicily is of essential strategic importance during Mussolini’s colonisation attempts in North Africa
1943: following six weeks of bombing, the allies launch Operation Huskey land near Pozzallo, Gela Syracuse and Agrigento to begin the liberation of Europe from Hitler’s Germany. Heavy damage to much of old Palermo and Messina.
1946 - today: the Italian Republic
1946: Sicily becomes an autonomous region of Italy
1951-1971: 1.5 million people emigrate, mainly to northern Italy, Germany and the USA.
1958: Italy joins the European Union (then the Common Market)
1968: major earthquake in the Val di Belice destroys towns including Gibellina and Poggioreale
1986-1987: the maxiprocessi against over 500 Mafia members
1992: Giulio Andreotti steps down as Prime Minister
1992: the Mafia assassinate Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino two prominent investigative judges
1993: Salvatore Riina, the boss of bosses since 1993, is arrested in Palermo
1990s: the mayors of Palermo, Catania and Syracuse start an ongoing process of restoration of old town centres. The opening and maintaining of marine reserves and national parks to protect the rich flora and fauna. The formation of the Etna Valley industrial parks to promote the development of hi-tech and pharmaceutical companies
1994: Silvio Berlusconi’s first national government
1997: the Valley of the Temples and the Villa Romana del Casale become UNESCO World Heritage Sites
1997: the Teatro Massimo (the third largest opera house in Europe) reopens in Palermo after 25 years' closure
2000: the Aeolian Island listed as a UNESCO world heritage site
2001: Berlusconi returns as Prime Minister of Italy winning 100% of Sicilian seats
2002: the late baroque towns of the Noto Valley listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO
2012: Sicilians elect Rosario Crocetta, an openly gay man, as their regional president
2015: Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale are granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status
2015: Palermitan elder statesman, Sergio Mattarella becomes President of Italy
2018: Palermo is Italian Capital of Culture and hosts Manifesta, Europe's leading itinerant contemporary art exposition
