William I of Sicily
William I | |
---|---|
King of Sicily | |
Reign | 26 February 1154 – 7 May 1166 |
Predecessor | Roger II |
Successor | William II |
Born | 1120 or 1121 Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily |
Died | May 7, 1166 Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily |
Burial | |
Spouse | |
Issue | |
Hauteville | |
Father | Roger II of Sicily |
Mother | Elvira of Castile |
William I (1120 or 1121 – May 7, 1166), called the Bad or the Wicked (
William's title "the Bad" seems little merited and expresses the bias of the historian Hugo Falcandus and the baronial class against the king and the official class by whom he was guided.[1]
Early life
William was the son of King
Kingship
On assuming power, William kept the administration which had guided his father's rule for his final years. Only the Englishman
At the end of 1155, Greek troops recovered
These diplomatic successes were probably due to Maio; on the other hand, the
The policy of Maio led to a general conspiracy, and in November 1160 Maio was murdered in Palermo by
After the assassination of Maio, the royal palace was stormed by two of the king's own relatives: his illegitimate half-brother
For a while the king remained in the hands of the conspirators who purposed murdering or just deposing him, but the people and the army rallied round him; he recovered power, crushed the Sicilian rebels, had Bonello blinded, and in a short campaign reduced the rest of the Regno,
Later years
Thus freed from feudal revolts, William confided the government to men trained in Maio's school, creating a triumvirate: the
William died on May 7, 1166, and was interred in Palermo Cathedral, although he was later moved to Monreale Cathedral[3] by his son and heir William II of Sicily when that building was completed. By his wife, Margaret of Navarre,[2] daughter of García Ramírez of Navarre, he had four sons:
- Roger IV, Duke of Apulia (1152–1161)[4]
- Robert III, Prince of Capua (1153–c. 1160)[4]
- William II of Sicily (1153–1189)[2]
- Henry, Prince of Capua (1158–1172)[4]
Controversial accounts
Joachim Camerarius argued that Constance was simply sent to the convent during the coup against William I for her safety and stayed there until her betrothal without ever being a nun. Hugo Falcandus and Richard of San Germano argued Constance was brought up and educated in royal palace rather than a monastery. François Eudes de Mézeray said Constance had never become a nun.
References
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2020) |
- ^ a b c d e f Curtis 1911.
- ^ a b c Luscombe & Riley-Smith 2004, p. 760.
- ^ Herbermann 1913.
- ^ a b c Loud & Metcalfe 2002, p. xxi.
Sources
- public domain: Curtis, Edmund (1911). "William I. of Sicily". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 671. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Alio, Jacqueline (2017). Margaret, Queen of Sicily. Trinacria.
- Loud, Graham A.; Metcalfe, Alex, eds. (2002). The Society of Norman Italy. Brill.
- Luscombe, David; Riley-Smith, Jonathan, eds. (2004). The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 4, C. 1024–c. 1198, Part II. Cambridge University Press.
- Norwich, John Julius. The Kingdom in the Sun 1130–1194. Longman: London, 1970.
- History of the Tyrants of Sicily at Patrologia Latina.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Naples". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.