Sicilian Crusade

The **Sicilian Crusade** was a war of multiple Christian kingdoms to protect the Kingdom of Sicily from Muslim invaders. It was the first major religious war in the Mediterranean since the First Crusade.

## Involvement

 Holy Roman Empire (1110-1120)
 France (1110-1111)
 Aquitaine (1110-1116)

## Background

The Kingdom of Sicily had been a target for the Muslims of Northern Africa for a while. The Zirid Dynasty and Banu Sulaym had allied and planned to invade the kingdom for themselves.

## Sicilian Phase: 1109-1111

In 1109, the Zirids launched their invasion, landing near Syracuse. They quickly took the city, and with the help of Banu Sulaym, they fought the Sicilian levies, and won multiple battles. By the end of the year, the entirety of the island, with the exception of the lands around Trapani, were under their control.

In February of 1110, the Norman Duke of Apulia, concerned about Sicily’s fate, met with Heinrich V of the Holy Roman Empire and Louis VI of France in Florence to discuss what to do about the island. Heinrich attended with Otto II, Count of Habsburg, and Louis attended with William IX, Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony. These two men provided the only two professional armies in the war, Otto contributing 1,200 men, and William contributing 2,600 men. Efforts were made to get the Byzantines to enter the war, but they came to no avail.

In March of 1110, these three kingdoms officially joined the war. A combined Franco-Norman army struggled to take Messina at first, but on July 12, they took control of the city. This would be the first step to liberating the island. The Holy Roman Empire’s army arrived in Trapani the same month, and they quickly took control of Marsala.

However, due to internal conflicts in France, the French army had to leave Sicily in 1111. They would not return for the rest of the war. However, the Aquitanian troops stayed, and they along with the Normans marched south and captured the town of Giarre, outside of Catania. Otto II of Habsburg also died at this time, at the Battle of Caltagirone, being replaced by his son, Werner II. In addition, the Holy Roman Empire’s forces began forays into the Western Sicilian countryside. However, due to the absence of a garrison, Messina fell back into Muslim hands when Banu Sulaym took it in December 1111.

## Zirid Phase: 1112-1114

In May of 1112, The Kingdom of Jerusalem sent troops to aid the Crusaders, with these soldiers landing in Trapani. Jerusalem only sent about 250 soldiers, due to the rest of their army defending Edessa from the Seljuk Turks. However, these 400 men would fight until 1120 when the war ended. In November, the Christian forces retook the city of Agrigento, marking a turning point in the war. Also, the remaining Norman and Aquitanian forces rejoined the Imperial force in December, making the Christians being united on the battlefield.

In December, the Christian forces battled the Zirids at Leonforte, winning a great victory for the Crusade. The next year would see very few battles, however, a few major battles occurred, such as the battles at Caltagirone, Caltanissetta, and Gela, all Crusader victories. In April of 1114, the Crusader forces retook the city of Palermo, in a great siege that forced that forced the Zirids to withdraw, as most of their army was in Palermo. Thus, they left Sicily in July of that year.

## Hammadid Phase: 1114-1116

Around the time of the Zirids leaving, the Hammadids joined, and invaded the island, landing at Syracuse, the only Muslim-controlled city on the island. At the same time, Heinrich V tried to get the Byzantine Empire to help in the war, but they were too busy fighting the Sultanate of Rûm. The Hammadids quickly retook some of the gains the Crusaders made, most notably Agrigento, Caltanissetta, and Caltagirone. By the end of the year, most of Central Sicily was under Hammadid control, with only the major cities, such as Catania, Messina, Palermo, and Trapani, being under Christian control. They even began a siege of Palermo.

In 1115, the King of England, Henry I, got involved with the Crusade, sending his troops to help Sicily. Once he arrived, Henry would be in charge of the Crusader armies. Around the same time, the Aquitanians sent troops to the Algerian city of Oran. The Muslims had started an expedition to take Palermo, and the Christians, knowing of this, moved south and met the Hammadids at Alcamo. This battle was mostly a stalemate, however, it bought the Christians time to wait for the English troops to arrive, which they did, in 1116. In that year, the Battle of Palermo was fought, in which the Christians won a major victory. Following this, the Crusader army would push the Muslims back, retaking most of Central Sicily. However, the Aquitanians would be repelled from Oran, and they would leave the war due to a peasant revolt in Gascony.

## Banu Sulaym Phase: 1117-1120

By 1117, the war had slowed down, with Banu Sulaym being incredibly outnumbered. In this year, Zaeim of the Banu Sulaym offered peace to Henry I, on the condition that Muslims could keep some small lands in Southeastern Sicily. Henry's response was as follows: "*I see that you have sent me an emissary, to ask of me for peace. I say to you Heathens, let you feel my sword... All of Sicily shall be Christian.*". Following this, more Imperial reinforcements would arrive, and the war was mostly the Christians retaking village after village, with Banu Sulaym trying to negotiate, to no avail.

In 1118, more Imperial reinforcements would arrive, and Caltagirone was retaken. In 1119, Agrigento was retaken, and late in that year, the Duchy of Poland promised to send 2,500 crusaders, however, they would not arrive until 1120, after the war had ended. In January of 1120, the Banu Sulaym finally left Sicily, making the island entirely Christian again. This war was seen as a major victory for Christendom, and it showed that Crusader armies could effectively organize, something that was lacked in the First Crusade.

1. ↑ Siege of Messina