Tancred, King of Sicily facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tancred
Tancred of Sicily with his sons Roger and William
King of Sicily
Reign	1189–1194
Predecessor	William II
Successor	William III
Born	1138 Lecce (Apulia), Kingdom of Sicily
Died	1194 (aged 56)
Burial	La Magione, Palermo
Spouse	Sibylla of Acerra
Issue	Roger III of Sicily William III of Sicily Elvira Constance Valdrada
House	Hauteville
Father	Roger III, Duke of Apulia
Mother	Emma of Lecce

Tancred (Italian: Tancredi; 1138–20 February 1194) was the King of Sicily from 1189 to 1194. He was born in Lecce, Italy. His father was Roger III, Duke of Apulia, who was the eldest son of King Roger II. Tancred's mother was Emma, a daughter of Achard II, Count of Lecce. He inherited the title "Count of Lecce" from his grandfather. Because of this, he is often called Tancred of Lecce. Some people made fun of him for being short. They called him "The Monkey King."

Early Life and Adventures

After Duke Roger died, King Roger II kept Tancred and his younger brother William close by in Palermo. This was to prevent any future problems.

In 1161, Tancred joined his uncle Simon, Prince of Taranto. They entered the palace and held the king and queen, William I and Margaret. They also held their two sons. There was a lot of unrest and conflict during this time. Tancred was later sent away to Constantinople. He came back to Sicily in 1166. This was when his cousin, William II, became the new king.

Military Campaigns

In 1174, Tancred led a large fleet of ships to Egypt. He was doing this for King William II. The Sicilian ships landed near Alexandria. However, their expected allies did not arrive. Also, Saladin's army was getting close. So, the Sicilians went back to their ships and sailed home.

King William II did not have any children to inherit his throne. This meant Tancred had a chance to become king. To prevent this, William decided to name his aunt Constance as his heir. In 1184, William allowed Constance to leave the monastery and get married.

In 1185, Tancred led a huge Sicilian fleet of 300 ships. They sailed to Durazzo to attack the Byzantine Empire. In August, the city of Thessaloniki was captured and looted. The Sicilian army faced heavy losses on their way back. However, Tancred's fleet returned to Sicily safely.

In 1186, Tancred and Margaritus of Brindisi led the Norman fleet to Cyprus. They easily captured 70 warships. This caused a big loss for the Byzantine Empire. Margaritus was later given titles in Zakynthos, Cephalonia, and Ithaki.

Tancred was also the governor of Lecce. He helped build churches and important structures there. These included the Church of St. Nicholas in Catado and works in the Otranto Cathedral.

Becoming King

Taking the Throne

King William II died in 1189. Even though Tancred had promised loyalty to Constance, he took control of Sicily. He was crowned king in early 1190. Many officials supported him. However, most nobles supported Constance and her husband, Henry VI. Roger of Andria, another person who wanted the throne, supported Constance. Tancred's brother-in-law, Richard, Count of Acerra, tricked Roger and had him executed. Tancred also got the support of Pope Clement III.

Challenges as King

Tancred was a skilled soldier. But his short height led some to call him "Tancredulus." His rule faced many difficulties from the start.

In 1190, King Richard I of England arrived in Sicily. He was leading a large army on its way to the Holy Land. Richard immediately demanded that Tancred release his sister, Joan. Joan was William II's wife and had been imprisoned by Tancred. Richard also wanted her dowry and other money back. He also insisted that Tancred pay the money William II had promised for the crusade. When Tancred hesitated, Richard took over a monastery and a castle.

King Philip II and his French army also joined Richard in Sicily. Having two foreign armies caused problems with the local people. In October, the people of Messina rebelled. They wanted the foreign armies to leave. Richard responded by attacking Messina. He captured the city on October 4, 1190. After the city was looted, Richard made it his base for the winter.

Richard stayed in Messina until March 1191. Finally, Tancred agreed to a treaty. The main points of the treaty were:

• Joan was to be set free and get her money back.
• Richard and Philip recognized Tancred as King of Sicily. They promised to keep peace among their kingdoms.
• Richard named his nephew Arthur of Brittany as his future heir. Tancred promised to marry one of his daughters to Arthur when he grew up.

After the treaty, Richard and Philip left Sicily for the Holy Land.

Conflict with Constance

After the crusaders left, Tancred faced a new threat from the north. In April 1191, Henry and Constance were crowned emperor and empress. They then moved south to claim the Kingdom of Sicily. Many northern towns welcomed Henry's army. These included Capua and Aversa. Salerno also invited Constance to stay in her father's old palace.

However, Naples resisted the attack. Margaritus of Brindisi's fleet helped defend the city. Many of the imperial soldiers got sick. Eventually, Henry's army had to leave the kingdom. Constance stayed in Salerno with a small group of soldiers. This was a sign that Henry planned to return.

Once Henry left, the towns that had supported him quickly switched back to Tancred. The people of Salerno captured Constance and gave her to Tancred in Messina. This was a big victory for Tancred. Tancred blamed Constance for the German invasion. But Constance said she was taking back what was rightfully hers. Tancred treated his aunt with respect, which his wife, Queen Sibylla, did not like. Sibylla thought Constance should be put to death. But Tancred refused, worrying about his popularity. He had Constance locked in Castel dell'Ovo in Naples for safekeeping.

Tancred hoped to use Constance to force Henry into a peace agreement. He wanted Henry to recognize him as king. In 1192, Tancred made Margaritus the Count of Malta. This was perhaps for his success in capturing the empress. However, Tancred was forced by Pope Celestine III to release Constance. The Pope hoped this would improve relations with Henry. Imperial soldiers stopped Constance before she reached Rome. They returned her safely to Henry. So, neither Tancred nor the Pope gained much from her capture.

Tancred then tried to win over towns by giving them special rights. He also led successful campaigns against rebellious nobles. But Tancred died in Palermo in 1194. His young son and co-king, Roger III, had died two months earlier. This opened the way for Henry VI to take control of Sicily.

Tancred's wife, Sibylla of Acerra, became the ruler for their son, William III. But Henry returned to Italy later that year with his army. Naples surrendered easily. The rest of the kingdom soon followed. Sibylla and Margaritus prepared to defend Palermo. But the citizens let the Emperor in on November 20, 1194. Henry even had Tancred's body removed from its grave.

Family Life

Tancred and Sibylla had several children:

• Roger III, who was a duke and king of Sicily.
• William III, who was also a duke and king of Sicily.
• Elvira, who became a countess. She married three times.
• Constance, who married Pietro Ziani, who later became a leader of Venice.
• Medania
• Valdrada, who married Giacomo Tello, who also became a leader of Venice.