William II of Sicily
| William II | |
|---|---|
Hauteville | |
| Father | William I of Sicily |
| Mother | Margaret of Navarre |
William II (December 1153 – 11 November 1189), called the Good, was
William was nicknamed "the Good" only in the decades following his death. It is due less to his character than to the cessation of the internal troubles that plagued his father's reign and the wars that erupted under his successor. Under the
Kingship
Regency of his mother
William was born in Palermo to William I and Margaret of Navarre. At the age of twelve his father died, and he was placed under the regency of his mother. In 1171 he was declared adult and until then the government was controlled first by the chancellor Stephen du Perche (1166–1168), cousin of Margaret, and then by Walter Ophamil, archbishop of Palermo, and Matthew of Ajello, the vice-chancellor.[1]
In 1168, du Perche was overthrown by a coup, while the revolts claimed that William was murdered and du Perche planned to have his brother marry Constance, aunt of William who was confined to Santissimo Salvatore, Palermo as a nun from childhood due to a prediction that "her marriage would destroy Sicily", to claim the throne, despite the existence of Henry, Prince of Capua brother of William.[4]
Marriage and alliances
An effort by
In the same year the death of Henry, Prince of Capua marked a potential succession crisis: it was said that William II had Constance, the last legitimate heir to the throne, appointed heir and sworn fealty in 1174, but she remained confined in her monastery.
In 1174 and 1175 William made treaties with
In July 1177, William sent a delegation of Archbishop
Wars with Egypt and Byzantine Empire
Unable to revive the
The troops then marched upon the capital, but the army of the emperor
Death
In November 1189 William died at Palermo, leaving no children,[1] although Robert of Torigni records a short-lived son in 1181: Bohemond, who was named Duke of Apulia.[citation needed]
After his death Norman officials led by Matthew of Ajello supported his cousin Tancred to succeed him, instead of Constance, in order to avoid German rule.
Notes
References
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2020) |
- ^ a b c d e f g One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Curtis, Edmund (1911). "William II. of Sicily". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 671.
- ^ Runciman 2012, p. 7.
- ^ Travaini 1991, p. 167.
- ^ Hugo Falcandus, Liber de regno Sicilie, c. 55, ed. G. B. Siragusa, Fonti per la storia d'Italia 22 (1897) 150; T. Kölzer, Urkunden und Kanzlei der Kaiserin Konstanze, 8f.
- ^ Frohlich 1993, p. 109.
- ^ The Norman kingdom of Sicily, Donald Matthew, Cambridge Cambridge University Press, 1992, p. 275 & 286
- ^ Gisleberti chronicon Hanoniense, c. 33, ed. L. Vanderkindere, Bruxelles 1904, 66.
- ^ Queller & Madden 1997, p. 222.
- ^ Hermans 1980, p. 79.
Sources
- Frohlich, Walter (1993). Chibnall, Marjorie (ed.). "The Marriage of Henry VI and Constance of Sicily: Prelude and Consequences". Anglo-Norman Studies: XV. Proceedings of the Battle Conference. The Boydell Press.
- Hermans, Jos (1980). "The Byzantine View of the Normans- Another Norman Myth?". Proceedings of the Battle Conference on Anglo-Norman Studies. II. The Boydell Press: 78–92.
- Queller, D. E.; Madden, Thomas F. (1997). The Fourth Crusade The Conquest of Constantinople. University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Runciman, Steven (2012). The Sicilian Vespers: A History of the Mediterranean World in the Later Thirteenth Century. Cambridge University Press.
- Travaini, Lucia (1991). "Aspects of the Sicilian Norman Copper Coinage in the Twelfth Century". The Numismatic Chronicle. 151.
- Matthew, Donald. The Norman Kingdom of Sicily. Cambridge University Press: 1992.
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