Towards a New History of Late Medieval Sicily

The aim of this essay is to underscore the need of rethinking the history of late medieval Sicily by raising issues pertaining to both the Byzantine and Islamic period. Even though it is crucial to incorporate this story into the general history of medieval Sicily, it is above all necessary to integrate it, in the first place, in the evolution of the Byzantine empire and, then, of the Islamic empire: without an emphasis on comparison it is impossible to understand the specific features of Sicilian history. This reappraisal is all the more necessary as the historiography on the two empires is taking on a new course.