Salem on History | Sicilian-Byzantine Wars

At a glance:

Series: Magill’s Guide to Military History
Categories: Government and Politics, Royalty, Rulers, Nobility, Military History, Land Acquisition and Expansion, Territory Redistribution
Subcategories: Wars, Battles, Empires, Dynasties, Invasions, Raids, Conquests, Sieges, Byzantine Empire
Curriculum: Italian History, Medieval History/Middle Ages, Eastern European History
Geographical Location: Italy, Balkans, Greece, Albania
Date: Autumn, 1147-January, 1158; June, 1185-spring, 1186

Article abstract: At issue: The Sicilian kings’ desire to rule the Byzantine Empire; the Byzantine emperor’s desire to reconquer southern Italy. Result: Byzantines failed to reconquer southern Italy; Sicilians failed to retain any imperial territory.

Background

In the mid-twelfth century, the Byzantine Empire and Roger II’s kingdom of Sicily (southern Italy and Sicily) were the major rivals for power in the eastern Mediterranean. Though his ancestors had failed to seize Byzantium during the Norman- Byzantine Wars (1081-1108), Roger had much greater...

Salem on History | Sicilian-Byzantine Wars

At a glance:

Background

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