Sicily (sĭs`ĭlē), Ital. Sicilia, region (1991 pop. 4,966,386), 9,925 sq mi (25,706 sq km), S Italy, mainly situated on the island of Sicily, which is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west and south, by the Ionian Sea on the east, and by the Tyrrhenian Sea on the north, and which is separated from the Italian mainland by the narrow Strait of Messina. The region also includes the Egadi Islands Egadi Islands (ĕ`gädē) or Aegadian Isles
..... Click the link for more information. , the Lipari Islands Lipari Islands (lĭp`ərē), formerly Aeolian Islands
..... Click the link for more information. , the Pelagie Islands (see Lampedusa Lampedusa, island, 8 sq mi (20.7 sq km), S Sicily, Italy, in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and Tunisia, the largest of the Pelagie Islands and Italy's southernmost territory. Il Porto is the only town of the island.
..... Click the link for more information. ), Pantelleria Pantelleria (pän`tāl-lārē`ä)
..... Click the link for more information. island, and Ustica island. Palermo Palermo (pälĕr`mō), Lat. Panormus, city (1991 pop. 698,556), capital of Palermo prov.
..... Click the link for more information. is the capital of Sicily, which is divided into the provinces of Agrigento, Caltanisetta, Catania, Enna, Messina, Pallermo, Ragusa, Syracuse, and Trapani (named for their capitals).

Geography

The largest Mediterranean island, Sicily is triangular and formerly was sometimes called Trinacria [Gr.,=triangle]; capes Boeo (or Lilibeo), Passero, and Punta del Faro (or Peloro) are the vertices of the triangle. The island is almost entirely covered by hills and mountains (continuations of the Apennines); Mt. Etna Etna or Aetna (both: ĕt`nə), volcano, 10,958 ft (3,340 m) high, on the east coast of Sicily, S Italy.
..... Click the link for more information. (10,700 ft/3,261 m), in the east, is the highest point. The only wide valley is the fertile plain of Catania in the east, mostly located along the lower Simeto River. There are also narrow coastal strips in the south and west, and a small fertile plain (the Conca d'Oro) near Palermo in the northwest.

Economy

Sicily has long been noted for its fertile soil, pleasant climate, and natural beauty. It has a long, hot growing season, but summer droughts are frequent. Agriculture is the chief economic activity but has long been hampered by absentee ownership, primitive methods of cultivation, and inadequate irrigation. The establishment (1950) of the now-defunct Cassa per il Mezzogiorno (Southern Italy Development Fund) by the national government led to land ownership reforms, an increase in the amount of land available for cultivation, and the general development of the island's economy. The Mafia Mafia (mä`fēä), name given to a number of organized groups of Sicilian brigands in the 19th and 20th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. , which is still influential, has hindered governmental efforts to institute reforms in the region, and Sicily continues to have an extremely low per capita income and high unemployment, although many workers have "black," or unreported, jobs.

The chief agricultural products are wheat, barley, corn, olives, citrus fruit, almonds, wine grapes, and cotton; cattle, mules, donkeys, and sheep are raised. There are important tuna and sardine fisheries. Sicily's manufactures include processed food, chemicals, refined petroleum, fertilizers, textiles, ships, leather goods, wine, and forest products. There are petroleum fields in the southeast, and natural gas and sulfur are also produced. Improvements in Sicily's road system have helped to promote industrial development. The chief ports of the island are Palermo, Catania, and Messina.

History

Sicily has had a varied and colorful history. The first known inhabitants of the island were the Elymi, Sicani, and Siculi. Phoenicians later settled on the west coast, notably at Panormus (now Palermo); Carthaginians founded Lilybaeum Lilybaeum (lĭlĭbē`əm), ancient city of Sicily, on the extreme western coast. It is the modern Marsala .
..... Click the link for more information. and Drepanum (now Trapani Trapani (trä`pänē), city (1991 pop. 69,497), capital of Trapani prov.
..... Click the link for more information. ); and on the east and southeast coasts Greeks founded (8th–6th cent. B.C.) such cities as Syracuse Syracuse (sĭr`əkys, –ky
..... Click the link for more information. , Catania Catania (kätä`nyä), city (1991 pop. 333,075), capital of Catania prov.
..... Click the link for more information. , Zancle (now Messina Messina (mās-sē`nä), city (1991 pop. 231,693), capital of Messina prov.
..... Click the link for more information. ), Gela Gela (jā`lä), city (1991 pop. 61,319), S Sicily, Italy, on the Mediterranean Sea.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Selinus Selinus (sĭlī`nəs), ancient city of Sicily. It was founded (628? B.C.) by Dorian Greeks.
..... Click the link for more information. and settled in older towns like Segesta Segesta (sĭjĕs`tə), ancient city of NW Sicily.
..... Click the link for more information. . The Greek cities flourished and in turn founded such cities as Acragas (now Agrigento Agrigento (ägrējān`tō), Lat. Agrigentum, city (1991 pop. 55,283), capital of Agrigento prov.
..... Click the link for more information. ) and Himera Himera (hĭm`ərə), ancient city on the north coast of Sicily, founded by Greeks in the 7th cent. B.C. Here in 480 B.C.
..... Click the link for more information. . Their originally democratic governments were gradually replaced by tyrannies, particularly those of Phalaris Phalaris (făl`ərĭs), c.570–c.554 B.C., tyrant of Agrigentum, Sicily, notorious for his cruelties.
..... Click the link for more information. at Acragas and of Gelon Gelon (jē`lŏn), d. 478 B.C., Greek Sicilian ruler.
..... Click the link for more information. , Hiero I Hiero I (hī`ərō), 5th cent. B.C., Greek Sicilian ruler, tyrant of Syracuse (478–467 B.C.). He succeeded his brother Gelon.
..... Click the link for more information. , and others at Syracuse.

In the 5th cent. B.C., Syracuse gained hegemony over the other cities. Phoenician influence was reinvigorated by Carthaginian expansion; although Hamilcar Hamilcar (hăm`ĭlkär, həmĭl`–), fl. 480 B.C., Carthaginian general.
..... Click the link for more information. was repulsed at Himera in 480 B.C., later Carthaginian invaders gained control (by c.400 B.C.) of more than half of the island. Interlopers from mainland Greece seized the remainder, and Sicily became a battleground for rival empires. A century of antagonism between Greeks and Carthaginians was followed by strife between Romans and Carthaginians, which flared (264 B.C.) in the first of the Punic Wars Punic Wars, three distinct conflicts between Carthage and Rome . When they began, Rome had nearly completed the conquest of Italy, while Carthage controlled NW Africa and the islands and the commerce of the W Mediterranean.
..... Click the link for more information. . Rome was victorious by 241 B.C., and after the death (c.215) of Hiero II Hiero II, d. c.215 B.C., Greek Sicilian ruler, tyrant of Syracuse (c.270–c.215 B.C.). He showed such ability and distinction after Pyrrhus left Sicily (275 B.C.) that he was made commander in chief of the Syracusans and was later chosen (c.265 B.C.
..... Click the link for more information. of Syracuse, virtually all of Sicily came under Rome.

The Romans completed the enriching Hellenization of Sicilian culture. However, the resources of the island—known as the Breadbasket of Rome—were depleted by the Romans, who also founded the large estates (latifundia) that subsequently greatly hampered the economic development of Sicily. Roman rule was often corrupt, and corruption reached a peak under governor Caius Verres Verres, Caius (kā`əs vĕr`ēz), c.120 B.C.–43 B.C., Roman administrator.
..... Click the link for more information. (73–71 B.C.). Slave revolts (135–132 B.C. and 104–100 B.C.) were cruelly suppressed. Many remains of the Greek and Roman periods have been found on Sicily, especially at Agrigento, Syracuse, Segesta, and Selinunte.

After the fall of Rome, Sicily passed from the Vandals (mid-5th cent. A.D.) to the Goths (493) and then to the Byzantines (535). The Arabs conquered the island in the 9th cent. after raiding it for two centuries. They promoted agriculture, commerce, and the arts and sciences. The Arabs were displaced by the Norman conquest of Sicily (1060–91), led by Roger I Roger I (Roger Guiscard), c.1031–1101, Norman conqueror of Sicily; son of Tancred de Hauteville (see Normans ). He went to Italy in 1058 to join his brother, Robert Guiscard , in conquering Apulia and Calabria from the Byzantines.
..... Click the link for more information. . Roger II Roger II, c.1095–1154, count (1101–30) and first king (1130–54) of Sicily, son and successor of Roger I. He conquered (1127) Apulia and Salerno and sided with the antipope Anacletus II against Pope Innocent II . In 1130, Anacletus crowned Roger king.
..... Click the link for more information. became (1130) the first king of Sicily; he forced (1139) Pope Innocent II, who claimed suzerainty over Sicily, to invest him with the kingdom, which included the Norman holdings in S Italy. The brilliant court of Roger II did much to introduce Arabic learning to Western Europe. Roger's last direct descendant, Constance Constance, 1154–98, Holy Roman empress, wife of Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI ; daughter of King Roger II of Sicily. She was named heiress of Sicily by her nephew King William II.
..... Click the link for more information. , married Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI; their son and heir, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II Frederick II, 1194–1250, Holy Roman emperor (1220–50) and German king (1212–20), king of Sicily (1197–1250), and king of Jerusalem (1229–50), son of Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI and of Constance , heiress of Sicily.
..... Click the link for more information. , was more interested in the kingdom of Sicily (where he reigned as king from 1197 to 1250) than in the Holy Roman Empire.

After Frederick's death and the failures of the last Hohenstaufen claimants (Conrad IV Conrad IV, 1228–54, German king (1237–54), king of Sicily and of Jerusalem (1250–54), son of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II . He was elected (1237) king of the Romans at his father's instigation after Frederick had deposed Conrad's older brother
..... Click the link for more information. , Manfred Manfred (măn`frəd, Ger. män`frāt), c.1232–1266, king of Sicily (1258–66), the last Hohenstaufen on that throne.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Conradin Conradin (kŏn`rədĭn)
..... Click the link for more information. ), Pope Clement IV crowned (1266) Charles I Charles I (Charles of Anjou), 1227–85, king of Naples and Sicily (1266–85), count of Anjou and Provence, youngest brother of King Louis IX of France. He took part in Louis's crusades to Egypt (1248) and Tunisia (1270).
..... Click the link for more information. (Charles of Anjou) king of Naples and Sicily as his vassal. The unpopular French government brought on the Sicilian Vespers Sicilian Vespers, in Italian history, name given the rebellion staged by the Sicilians against the Angevin French domination of Sicily; the rebellion broke out at Palermo at the start of Vespers on Easter Monday, Mar. 30, 1282.
..... Click the link for more information. revolt (1282) and the Sicilians chose Peter III Peter III (Peter the Great), 1239?–1285, king of Aragón and count of Barcelona (1276–85) and king of Sicily (1282–85); son and successor of James I. In 1280 he established Aragonese influence on the northern shores of Africa.
..... Click the link for more information. of Aragón as king. The resulting war between the Angevin line and the Aragonese ended temporarily in 1302, with Frederick II Frederick II, 1272–1337, king of Sicily (1296–1337), 3d son of Peter III of Aragón. When his brother, who was king of Sicily, became (1291) king of Aragón as James II , Frederick was his regent in Sicily.
..... Click the link for more information. (see also Aragón, house of Aragón, house of, family that ruled in Aragón, Catalonia, Majorca, Sicily, Naples, Sardinia, Athens, and other territories in the Middle Ages. It was descended from Ramiro I of Aragón (1035–63), natural son of Sancho III of Navarre.
..... Click the link for more information. ) becoming king of Sicily and Charles II of Anjou keeping S Italy (see Naples, kingdom of Naples, kingdom of, former state, occupying the Italian peninsula south of the former Papal States. It comprised roughly the present regions of Campania , Abruzzi , Molise , Basilicata , Apulia , and Calabria . Naples was the capital.
..... Click the link for more information. ). In 1373, Joanna I Joanna I, 1326–82, queen of Naples (1343–81), countess of Provence. She was the granddaughter of King Robert of Naples, whom she succeeded with her husband, Andrew of Hungary.
..... Click the link for more information. of Naples formally renounced Sicily. After the Sicilian branch of Aragón became extinct, Sicily reverted (1409) to the main branch.

Under Aragonese rule local liberties were maintained, and the Sicilian national assembly enjoyed wide powers. With the accession of the Hapsburgs to the Spanish throne (early 16th cent.), there was more centralization, and Spanish governors arrived to tighten the imperial bonds. Corruption increased, and the island came under the control of a few powerful nobles and church officials.

In 1713 the Peace of Utrecht assigned Sicily to Savoy, which in 1720 exchanged it with Emperor Charles VI for Sardinia. However, as a result of the War of the Polish Succession Polish Succession, War of the, 1733–35. On the death (1733) of Augustus II of Poland, Stanislaus I sought to reascend the Polish throne. He was supported by his son-in-law, Louis XV of France.
..... Click the link for more information. , Sicily and Naples came under (1735) the rule of Don Carlos of Bourbon (later Charles III Charles III, 1716–88, king of Spain (1759–88) and of Naples and Sicily (1735–59), son of Philip V and Elizabeth Farnese . Recognized as duke of Parma and Piacenza in 1731, he relinquished the duchies to Austria after Spain reconquered (1734) Naples
..... Click the link for more information. of Spain). The Bourbon kings resided at Naples, except in 1799 and from 1806 to 1815, when Naples was held by the French. The centralizing policies of the Bourbons were resisted by the Sicilian nobles, who welcomed British intervention (1811–14). Feudal privileges were renounced in 1812 but in practice continued much longer.

Naples and Sicily were merged, despite Sicilian protests, in 1816, when Ferdinand I Ferdinand I, 1751–1825, king of the Two Sicilies (1816–25). He had previously been king of Naples (1759–99, 1799–1805, 1815–16) as Ferdinand IV and king of Sicily (1759–1816) as Ferdinand III.
..... Click the link for more information. styled himself officially king of the Two Sicilies Two Sicilies, kingdom of the. The name Two Sicilies was used in the Middle Ages to mean the kingdoms of Sicily and of Naples (see Sicily and Naples, kingdom of ).
..... Click the link for more information. . Revolts occurred in 1820 and 1848–49 and were mercilessly suppressed; the bombardments of Messina (1848) and Palermo (1849) earned Ferdinand II Ferdinand II, 1810–59, king of the Two Sicilies (1830–59), son and successor of Francis I. Although initially he sought to improve the wretched conditions of his kingdom, he soon relapsed into the repressive policies of his predecessors and became an
..... Click the link for more information. the nickname "King Bomba." In 1860, Garibaldi Garibaldi, Giuseppe (gărĭbôl`dē, Ital. j
..... Click the link for more information. conquered the island, which then voted to join the kingdom of Sardinia.

Even after Italian unification, Sicily was neglected by the central government, and the island's economic and social problems long remained unattended. In World War II a large-scale amphibious landing was carried out by the Allies on July 9–10, 1943. After heavy fighting, the Allied conquest was completed on Aug. 8, 1943. Sicily was given limited autonomy under the Italian constitution of 1947. The assassination of two prominent anti-Mafia prosecutors in 1992 prompted the central government to send in the military. The operation ended in 1998 after many organized crime figures were jailed.

Bibliography

See A History of Sicily: Vol. I by M. I. Finley (1968), Vol. II–III by D. M. Smith (1968).

Sicily

Italian Sicilia

Island, Italy. Sicily is separated from the mainland by the Strait of Messina. The largest island (9,830 sq mi [25,460 sq km]) in the Mediterranean Sea, it is also the site of Europe's highest active volcano, Mount Etna. The capital is Palermo. Sicily's strategic location at the centre of the Mediterranean has made the island a crossroads of history. The Greeks colonized it in the 8th–6th centuries BC, and in the 3rd century BC it became the first Roman province. It came under Byzantine rule in the 6th century AD and fell in 965 to Arabs from North Africa. It was taken in 1060 by the Normans. In the 12th–13th centuries and again in the 18th century it formed part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. During the 19th century it was a major centre of revolutionary movements; in 1860 it was liberated from the Bourbons, and in 1861 it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy. Agriculture is its economic mainstay; industries include oil refining, food processing, wine making, and shipbuilding. Together with the islands of Egadi, Lipari, Pelagie, and Panteleria, Sicily forms an autonomous region of Italy (pop., 2001 prelim.: 4,866,202).