List of Sicilian monarchs facts for kids

Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sicily (14th century).

The monarchs of Sicily were the kings and queens who ruled the island of Sicily and sometimes other lands nearby. This rule began when the Kingdom of Sicily was created in 1130 and lasted until 1816. That's when Sicily joined with the Kingdom of Naples to form the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

The story of Sicily's kings started with the Normans, a group of people from northern Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, they took over southern Italy. Before the Normans, Sicily was ruled by an Islamic emirate for about 200 years. In 1071, the Norman House of Hauteville invaded Sicily, capturing Palermo and setting up a feudal area called the County of Sicily. By 1091, they had fully conquered the island.

In 1130, the County of Sicily and the County of Apulia (another Norman area) joined together. Count Roger II was crowned the first king of this new Kingdom of Sicily. Later, in 1282, after a rebellion known as the Sicilian Vespers, the kingdom split into two parts: "Ultra Sicily" (the island of Sicily) and "Hither Sicily" (which became known as the Kingdom of Naples on the mainland). The two parts finally reunited in 1816 when Ferdinand IV and III created the single Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Kings and Queens of Sicily
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Kings and Queens of Sicily

Roger II became king in 1130. His kingdom grew quickly to include not only Sicily but also the southern part of Italy, and even Malta. For a short time, it also included Mahdia in North Africa.

The Hauteville Family (1130–1198)

This was the first family to rule Sicily as kings. They were Normans who had conquered the island.

Name	Birth	Marriages	Death	Claim
Roger II 1130–1154	Born: 1095 Son of Roger I of Sicily	Married: Elvira of Castile, Sibyl of Burgundy, Beatrix of Rethel	Died: 1154 Aged 58	Crowned by Antipope Anacletus II
William I the Bad 1154–1166	Born: 1121 Son of Roger II	Married: Margaret of Navarre	Died: 1166 Aged 45	Son of Roger II
William II the Good 1166–1189	Born: 1155 Son of William I	Married: Joan of England	Died: 1189 Aged 34	Son of William I
Tancred I 1189–1194 (ruled jointly)	Born: 1138 Grandson of Roger II	Married: Sibylla of Acerra	Died: 1194 Aged 56	Grandson of Roger II
Roger III 1193 (ruled jointly)	Born: 1175 Son of Tancred of Sicily	Married: Irene Angelina	Died: 1193 Aged 18	Son of Tancred I
William III 1194	Born: 1190 Son of Tancred	Never married	Died: 1198 Aged 8	Son of Tancred I
Constance I 1194–1198	Born: 1154 Daughter of Roger II	Married: Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor	Died: 1198 Aged 44	Daughter of Roger II

Constance was the daughter of Roger II. She married Emperor Henry VI, who then claimed the throne of Sicily. He took over the kingdom in 1194.

The Hohenstaufen Dynasty (1194–1266)

This family came from Germany and ruled Sicily after the Hautevilles.

Name	Birth	Marriages	Death	Claim
Henry I 1194–1197	Born: 1165 Husband of Constance I	Married: Constance of Sicily	Died: 1197 Aged 32	Husband of Constance
Frederick I 1198–1250 (ruled jointly)	Born: 1194 Son of Henry I and Constance I	Married: Constance of Aragon, Isabella II of Jerusalem, Isabella of England	Died: 1250 Aged 55	Son of Constance
Henry II 1212–1217 (ruled jointly)	Born: 1211 Son of Frederick I	Married: Margaret of Austria	Died: 1242 Aged 30	Son of Frederick I
Conrad I 1250–1254	Born: 1228 Son of Frederick I	Married: Elisabeth of Bavaria	Died: 1254 Aged 26	Son of Frederick I
Conrad II the Younger aka Conradin 1254–1258	Born: 1252 Son of Conrad I	Never married	Died: 1268 Aged 16 (executed)	Son of Conrad I
Manfred 1258–1266	Born: 1232 Son of Frederick I	Married: Beatrice of Savoy, Helena Angelina Doukaina	Died: 1266 Aged 34 (killed in battle)	Son of Frederick I

Manfred was a regent for his young nephew, Conrad II (also known as Conradin). However, Manfred took the crown for himself in 1258. The Pope, who had power over the kingdom, offered the crown to Edmund Crouchback, the son of the King of England. But the English never managed to take control. In 1262, the Pope changed his mind and gave the kingdom to Charles of Anjou, the brother of the King of France. Charles defeated Manfred in 1266. Conradin continued to claim the throne until Charles of Anjou had him executed in 1268.

The Plantagenet Claim

Edmund Crouchback, son of King Henry III of England, claimed the Crown of Sicily between 1254 and 1263. However, his claim never actually led to him ruling Sicily.

The Capetian House of Anjou (1266–1282)

This French family ruled Sicily for a short time.

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Charles I 1266–1282		Born: 1227 Son of Louis VIII of France	Married: Beatrice of Provence, Margaret of Nevers	Died: 1285 Aged 57

In 1282, Peter III of Aragon, who was Manfred's son-in-law, conquered the island of Sicily from Charles I. Peter was crowned King of Sicily. After this, the old Kingdom of Sicily split. The mainland part, with its capital at Naples, was still formally called the "Kingdom of Sicily" but was often known as the "Kingdom of Naples." The island of Sicily was often called "Sicily beyond the Lighthouse" or "Trinacria."

The House of Barcelona (1282–1410)

This family came from Aragon (part of modern-day Spain).

Name	Birth	Marriages	Death	Claim
Constance II 1268/1282–1285 (ruled jointly)	Born: 1249 Daughter of Manfred of Sicily	Married: Peter I the Great	Died: 1302 Aged 52 or 53	Daughter of Manfred
Peter I the Great 1282–1285 (ruled jointly)	Born: 1240 Husband of Constance II	Married: Constance of Sicily	Died: 1285 Aged 45	Husband of Constance II
James the Just 1285–1295	Born: 1267 Son of Peter I and Constance II	Married: Isabella of Castile, Blanche of Anjou, Marie de Lusignan, Elisenda de Montcada	Died: 1327 Aged 60	Son of Peter I and Constance II
Frederick II 1295–1337	Born: 1272 Son of Peter I and Constance of Sicily	Married: Eleanor of Anjou	Died: 1337 Aged 65	Brother of James
Peter II 1337–1342	Born: 1305 Son of Frederick II	Married: Elisabeth of Carinthia	Died: 1342 Aged 37	Son of Frederick II
Louis 1342–1355	Born: 1337 Son of Peter II	Never married	Died: 1355 Aged 18	Son of Peter II
Frederick III the Simple 1355–1377	Born: 1341 Son of Peter II	Married: Constance of Aragon, Antonia of Balzo	Died: 1377 Aged 36	Son of Peter II
Maria 1377–1401 (ruled jointly)	Born: 1363 Daughter of Frederick III	Married: Martin I of Sicily	Died: 1401 Aged 38	Daughter of Frederick III
Martin I the Younger 1390–1409 (ruled jointly)	Born: 1374 Husband of Maria	Married: Maria of Sicily	Died: 1409 Aged 35	Husband of Maria
Martin II the Elder 1409–1410	Born: 1356 Father of Martin I	Married: Maria de Luna, Margarita of Aragon-Prades	Died: 1410 Aged 54	Father of Martin I

Martin I died without children in 1409. His father, Martin II, inherited the kingdom, which then became part of the Crown of Aragon.

The House of Trastámara (1412–1516)

This Spanish royal family took over the rule of Sicily.

Name	Birth	Marriages	Death
Ferdinand I the Honest 1412–1416	Born: 1380 Son of John I of Castile	Married: Eleanor of Alburquerque	Died: 1416 Aged 36
Alfonso the Magnanimous 1416–1458	Born: 1396 Son of Ferdinand I	Married: Maria of Castile	Died: 1458 Aged 52
John the Great 1458–1468	Born: 1397 Son of Ferdinand I	Married: Blanche I of Navarre, Juana Enríquez	Died: 1479 Aged 81
Ferdinand II the Catholic 1468–1516	Born: 1452 Son of John II of Aragon	Married: Isabella I of Castile, Germaine of Foix	Died: 1516 Aged 63
Joanna the Mad 1516–1555	Born: 1479 Daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon	Married: Philip IV of Burgundy	Died: 1555 Aged 75

Joanna was considered unwell and was kept confined for her entire reign.

The House of Habsburg (1516-1700)

This powerful European family, originally from Austria, ruled Sicily for a long time.

Name	Birth	Marriages	Death
Charles I 1516–1556	Born: 1500 Son of Philip I of Castile and Joanna of Castile	Married: Isabella of Portugal	Died: 1558 Aged 58
Philip I 1554–1598	Born: 1527 Son of Charles I	Married: Maria of Portugal, Mary I of England, Elisabeth of Valois, Anna of Austria	Died: 1598 Aged 71
Philip II 1598–1621	Born: 1578 Son of Philip I	Married: Margaret of Austria	Died: 1621 Aged 42
Philip III 1621–1665	Born: 1605 Son of Philip II	Married: Elisabeth of Bourbon, Mariana of Austria	Died: 1665 Aged 60
Charles II 1665–1700	Born: 1661 Son of Philip III	Married: Maria Luisa of Orléans, Maria Anna of Neuburg	Died: 1700 Aged 38

The House of Bourbon (1700-1713)

This French royal family ruled Sicily briefly during a major European conflict.

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Philip IV 1700–1713		Born: 1683 Son of Louis, Dauphin of France	Married: Maria Luisa of Savoy, Elisabeth of Parma	Died: 1746 Aged 62

At the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, a peace treaty called the Treaty of Utrecht gave Sicily to the Duke of Savoy.

The House of Savoy (1713–1720)

This Italian noble family ruled Sicily for a short time.

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Victor Amadeus 1713–1720		Born: 1666 Son of Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy	Married: Anne Marie of Orléans	Died: 1732 Aged 66

Spain invaded Sicily in 1718. The Duke of Savoy then gave Sicily to Austria in 1720 through another treaty.

The House of Habsburg (1720–1735)

Sicily returned to the Habsburg family, who were also Holy Roman Emperors.

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Charles III 1720–1735		Born: 1685 Son of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor	Married: Elisabeth Christine	Died: 1740 Aged 55

Charles I, Duke of Parma conquered Sicily during the War of the Polish Succession. After the war, Sicily was given to him, and he became Charles III of Sicily.

The House of Bourbon (1735–1816)

This branch of the Bourbon family ruled Sicily until it merged with Naples.

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Charles III 1735–1759		Born: 1716 Son of Philip IV and Elizabeth of Parma	Married: Maria Amalia of Saxony	Died: 1788 Aged 72
Ferdinand III 1759–1816		Born: 1751 Son of Charles III	Married: Marie Caroline of Austria, Lucia Migliaccio of Floridia	Died: 1825 Aged 73

In 1816, the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily officially joined together to form the new Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1816–1861)

This family ruled the combined Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Name	Reign		Relationship with predecessor(s)	Title
Ferdinand I (Ferdinando I)	12 December 1816	4 January 1825	• Son of Charles III of Spain	King of the Two Sicilies
Francis I (Francesco I)	4 January 1825	8 November 1830	• Son of Ferdinand I	King of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand II (Ferdinando II)	8 November 1830	22 May 1859	• Son of Francis I	King of the Two Sicilies
Francis II (Francesco II)	22 May 1859	20 March 1861	• Son of Ferdinand II	King of the Two Sicilies