List of monarchs of Sicily

The monarchs of Sicily ruled from the establishment of the County of Sicily in 1071 until the "perfect fusion" in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1816.

The origins of the Sicilian monarchy lie in the Norman conquest of southern Italy which occurred between the 11th and 12th century. Sicily, which was ruled as an Islamic emirate for at least two centuries, was invaded in 1071 by Norman House of Hauteville, who conquered Palermo and established a feudal county. The House of Hauteville completed their conquest of Sicily in 1091.

In 1130 the County of Sicily and the County of Apulia, both led by two distinct branches of the House of Hauteville, merged in the Kingdom of Sicily, and Count Roger II was crowned king by Antipope Anacletus II. Over the centuries Sicily passed through the hands of several foreign authorities: from 1194 to 1254 it was in personal union with the Holy Roman Empire; from 1282 to 1714 it came into a personal union with the Crown of Aragon; from 1713 to 1720 it was in a personal union with the Duchy of Savoy and finally, from 1720 to 1735, was one of the crowns of the Habsburg Monarchy.

In 1282, after the Sicilian Vespers, the kingdom split in two separated states: the properly named Ultra Sicily (Siciliae ultra Pharum, what means "Sicily over the Strait") and the Hither Sicily (Siciliae citra) or commonly named Kingdom of Naples. The two states stylized themselves always as "Kingdom of Sicily", until the partial unification in 1516 when Charles I of Spain inherited both lands as "King of Naples and Sicily". The definitive unification occurred in 1816 when Ferdinand IV and III unified the two entities into a single state, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Emirs of Sicily

See Emirate of Sicily

Counts of Sicily

Sicily was granted, pending its Christian reconquest, to Robert Guiscard as "duke" in 1059 by Pope Nicholas II. Then Guiscard granted it as a county to his brother Roger.

House of Hauteville, 1071-1130

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Roger I 1071–1101		1031 son of Tancred of Hauteville and Fredisenda	Judith of Évreux 1061 4 children Eremburga of Mortain 1077 8 children Adelaide del Vasto 1087 4 children	1101 Mileto aged 70
Simon 1101–1105		1093 son of Roger I of Sicily and Adelaide del Vasto	never married	1105 Mileto aged 12
Roger II 1105–1130		22 December 1095 Mileto son of Roger I of Sicily and Adelaide del Vasto	Elvira of Castile 1117 6 children Sibyl of Burgundy 1149 2 children Beatrix of Rethel 1151 1 child	26 February 1154 Palermo aged 58

Kings of Sicily

Roger II received royal investiture from Antipope Anacletus II in 1130 and recognition from Pope Innocent II in 1139. The Kingdom of Sicily, which by then comprised not only the island, but also the southern third of the Italian peninsula, rapidly expanded itself to include Malta and the Mahdia, the latter if only briefly.

House of Hauteville, 1130–1198

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death	Claim
Roger II 1130–1154		22 December 1095 Mileto son of Roger I of Sicily and Adelaide del Vasto	Elvira of Castile 1117 6 children Sibyl of Burgundy 1149 2 children Beatrix of Rethel 1151 1 child	26 February 1154 Palermo aged 58	Papal bull by Antipope Anacletus II
William I the Bad 1154–1166		1131 son of Roger II and Elvira of Castile	Margaret of Navarre 4 children	7 May 1166 Palermo aged 35	Son of Roger II Agnatic primogeniture
William II the Good 1166–1189		1155 son of William I and Margaret of Navarre	Joan of England February 1177 1 child	11 November 1189 Palermo aged 34	Son of William I Agnatic primogeniture
Tancred I 1189–1194 (joint rule)		1138 illegitimate son of Roger III, Duke of Apulia	Sibylla of Acerra 6 children	20 February 1194 Palermo aged 56	Illegitimate grandson of Roger II Seizure
Roger III 1193 (joint rule)		1175 son of Tancred of Sicily and Sibylla of Acerra	Irene Angelina no children	24 December 1193 aged 18	Son of Tancred I Agnatic primogeniture
William III 1194		1190 son of Tancred and Sibylla of Acerra	never married	1198 aged 8	Son of Tancred I Agnatic primogeniture
Constance I 1194–1198		2 November 1154 daughter of Roger II and Beatrix of Rethel	Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor 1184 1 child	27 November 1198 Palermo aged 44	Posthumous daughter of Roger II Right of Conquest

Constance was married to the Emperor Henry VI and he pressed his claim to the kingdom from William II's death, but only succeeded in displacing his wife's family in 1194.

There is evidence that, during the baronial revolt of 1197, there was an attempt to make Count Jordan Lupin of Bovino king in opposition to Henry VI. He may even have been crowned and seems to have had the support of Constance, who had turned against her husband. In the end he was captured and executed. He is accepted as a pretender to the throne by modern historians Evelyn Jamison and Thomas Curtis Van Cleve.

House of Hohenstaufen, 1194–1266

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death	Claim
Henry I 1194–1197		November 1165 Nijmegen son of Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor and Beatrix of Burgundy	Constance of Sicily 1184 1 child	28 September 1197 Messina aged 32	Jure uxoris Right of conquest
Frederick II 1198–1250 (joint rule)		26 December 1194 Jesi son of Henry I and Constance I	Constance of Aragon 15 August 1209 1 child Yolande of Jerusalem 9 November 1225 2 children Isabella of England 15 July 1235 4 children	13 December 1250 Torremaggiore aged 55	Son of Constance Jure matris
Henry II 1212–1217 (joint rule)		1211 Sicily son of Frederick II and Constance of Aragon	Margaret of Austria 29 November 1225 2 children	12 February 1242 Martirano aged 30	Son of Frederick II Agnatic primogeniture
Conrad I 1250–1254		25 April 1228 Andria son of Frederick II and Yolande of Jerusalem	Elisabeth of Bavaria 1 September 1246 1 child	21 May 1254 Lavello aged 26	Son of Frederick II Agnatic primogeniture
Conrad II the Younger 1254–1268		25 March 1252 Wolfstein son of Conrad I and Elisabeth of Bavaria	never married	29 October 1268 Naples aged 16 (executed)	Son of Conrad I Agnatic primogeniture
Manfred 1258–1266		1232 Illegitimate son of Frederick I	Beatrice of Savoy 21 April 1247 1 child Helena Angelina Doukaina 9 November 1255 5 children	26 February 1266 Battle of Benevento aged 34 (killed in action)	Illegitimate son of Frederick II Seizure

Manfred was regent of Sicily for his nephew, the child Conrad II ("Conradin"), but took the crown in 1258, and continued to fight to keep the kingdom under the Hohenstaufen. In 1254 the pope, having declared the kingdom a papal possession, offered the crown to the King of England's son, Edmund Crouchback, but the English never succeeded in taking the kingdom. In 1262 the pope reversed his previous decision and granted the kingdom to the King of France's brother, Charles of Anjou, who succeeded in dispossessing Manfred in 1266. Conradin continued his claim to the throne until his death by decapitation perpetrated by Charles of Anjou in 1268.

Plantagenet Dynasty

Edmund Crouchback, son of King Henry III of England, claimed the Crown of Sicily between 1254 and 1263; the claim was taken very seriously by both him and his father, but was completely ineffectual.

Capetian House of Anjou, 1266–1282

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Charles I 1266–1282		21 March 1226 son of Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile	Beatrice of Provence 31 January 1246 7 children Margaret of Burgundy 18 November 1268 1 child	7 January 1285 Foggia aged 58

Peter III of Aragon, Manfred's son in law, of the House of Barcelona, conquered the island of Sicily from Charles I in 1282 and had himself crowned King of Sicily. Thereafter the old Kingdom of Sicily was centred on the mainland, with capital at Naples, and although informally called Kingdom of Naples it was still known formally as "Kingdom of Sicily". Thus, there were two "Sicilies" — the island kingdom, however, was often called "Sicily beyond the Lighthouse" or "Trinacria", by terms of a treaty between the two states.

House of Barcelona, 1282–1410

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death	Claim
Constance II (joint rule) 1276–1285		1249 Sicily daughter of Manfred of Sicily and Beatrice of Savoy	Peter I the Great 13 June 1262 6 children	9 April 1302 Barcelona , Spain aged 52 or 53	Daughter of Manfred of Sicily Right of conquest
Peter I the Great (joint rule) 1282–1285		1240 Valencia son of James I of Aragon and Yolanda of Hungary	Constance of Sicily 13 June 1262 6 children	2 November 1285 Vilafranca del Penedès aged 45	Husband of Constance II Jure uxoris
James the Just 1285–1295		10 August 1267 Valencia son of Peter I and Constance of Sicily	Isabella of Castile 1 December 1291 No children Blanche of Anjou 29 October 1295 10 children Marie de Lusignan 15 June 1315 No children Elisenda de Montcada 25 December 1322 No children	5 November 1327 Barcelona aged 60	Son of Peter I and Constance II Salic patrimony
Frederick III 1295–1337		13 December 1272 Barcelona son of Peter I and Constance of Sicily	Eleanor of Anjou 17 May 1302 9 children	25 June 1337 Palermo aged 65	Regent brother of James Election
Peter II 1337–1342		July 1305 son of Frederick III and Eleanor of Anjou	Elisabeth of Carinthia 23 April 1322 9 children	15 August 1342 Calascibetta aged 37	Son of Frederick II Agnatic primogeniture
Louis 1342–1355		1337 Catania son of Peter II and Elisabeth of Carinthia	Never married	16 October 1355 Aci Castello aged 18	Son of Peter II Agnatic primogeniture
Frederick III the Simple 1355–1377		1 September 1341 Catania son of Peter II and Elisabeth of Carinthia	Constance of Aragon 11 April 1361 1 child Antonia of Balzo 17 January 1372 No children	27 January 1377 Messina aged 36	Son of Peter II Brother of Louis Agnatic primogeniture
Maria 1377–1401 (joint rule)		1363 Catania daughter of Frederick III and Constance of Aragon	Martin I of Sicily 1390 1 child	25 May 1401 Lentini aged 38	Daughter of Frederick III Cognatic primogeniture
Martin I the Younger 1390–1409 (joint rule)		1374 son of Martin I of Aragon and Maria of Luna	Maria of Sicily 1390 1 child	25 July 1409 Cagliari aged 35	Husband of Maria Jure uxoris
Martin II the Elder 1409–1410		1356 Girona son of Peter IV of Aragon and Eleanor of Sicily	Maria de Luna 13 June 1372 4 children Margarita of Aragon-Prades 1409 No children	31 May 1410 Barcelona aged 54	Maternal grandson of Peter II Cognatic primogeniture

Martin I died heirless in 1409 and the kingdom was inherited by his father who united it to the Crown of Aragon.

House of Trastámara, 1412–1516

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Ferdinand I the Honest 1412–1416		27 November 1380 Medina del Campo son of John I of Castile and Eleanor of Aragon	Eleanor of Alburquerque 1394 8 children	2 April 1416 Igualada aged 36
Alfonso the Magnanimous 1416–1458		1396 Medina del Campo son of Ferdinand I and Eleanor of Alburquerque	Maria of Castile 1415 No children	27 June 1458 Naples aged 52
John the Great 1458–1479		29 June 1397 Medina del Campo son of Ferdinand I and Eleanor of Alburquerque	Blanche I of Navarre 6 November 1419 4 children Juana Enríquez 2 children	20 January 1479 Barcelona aged 81
Ferdinand II the Catholic 1479–1516		10 March 1452 son of John II of Aragon and Juana Enriquez	Isabella I of Castile 19 October 1469 5 children Germaine of Foix 1505 No children	23 January 1516 Madrigalejo aged 63
Joanna the Mad 1516–1555		6 November 1479 daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile	Philip IV of Burgundy 1496 6 children	12 April 1555 Madrigalejo aged 75

House of Habsburg, 1516-1700

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Charles II 1516–1554		24 February 1500 Ghent son of Philip I of Castile and Joanna of Castile	Isabella of Portugal 10 March 1526 3 children	21 September 1558 Yuste aged 58
Philip II of Spain 1554–1598		21 May 1527 Valladolid son of Charles II and Isabella of Portugal	Maria of Portugal 1543 1 child Mary I of England 1554 No children Elisabeth of Valois 1559 2 children Anna of Austria 4 May 1570 5 children	13 September 1598 Madrid aged 71
Philip II 1598–1621		14 April 1578 Madrid son of Philip I and Anna of Austria	Margaret of Austria 18 April 1599 5 children	31 March 1621 Madrid aged 42
Philip III 1621–1665		8 April 1605 Valladolid son of Philip II and Margaret of Austria	Elisabeth of Bourbon 1615 7 children Mariana of Austria 1649 5 children	17 September 1665 Madrid aged 60
Charles III 1665–1700		6 November 1661 Madrid son of Philip III and Mariana of Austria	Maria Luisa of Orléans 19 November 1679 No children Maria Anna of Neuburg 14 May 1690 No children	1 November 1700 Madrid aged 38

House of Bourbon, 1700-1713, during War of the Spanish Succession

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Philip IV 1700–1713		19 December 1683 Versailles son of Louis, Dauphin of France and Maria Anna of Bavaria	Maria Luisa of Savoy 2 November 1701 4 children Elisabeth of Parma 24 December 1714 7 children	9 July 1746 Madrid aged 62

At the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, by the Treaty of Utrecht, Sicily was ceded to the Duke of Savoy.

House of Savoy, 1713–1720

Main article: Kingdom of Sicily under Savoy

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Victor Amadeus 1713–1720		14 May 1666 Turin son of Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy and Marie Jeanne Baptiste de Savoie-Nemours	Anne Marie of Orléans 10 April 1684 6 children	31 October 1732 Moncalieri aged 66

The Spanish invaded the kingdom in 1718 during the War of the Quadruple Alliance. The Duke of Savoy ceded it to Austria in 1720 by the Treaty of The Hague.

House of Habsburg, 1720–1735

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Charles IV 1720–1735		1 October 1685 Vienna son of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleonore-Magdalena of Pfalz-Neuburg	Elisabeth Christine 1 August 1708 4 children	20 October 1740 Vienna aged 55

Charles I, Duke of Parma conquered the kingdom during the War of the Polish Succession. At the end of the war Sicily was ceded to the new Charles V of Sicily.

House of Bourbon 1735–1816

Name	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Charles V 1735–1759		20 January 1716 Madrid son of Philip IV and Elizabeth of Parma	Maria Amalia of Saxony 1738 13 children	14 December 1788 Madrid aged 72
Ferdinand III 1759–1816		12 January 1751 Naples son of Charles V and Maria Amalia of Saxony	Marie Caroline of Austria 12 May 1768 17 children Lucia Migliaccio of Floridia 27 November 1814 No children	4 January 1825 Naples aged 73

In 1816 the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily were merged as the new Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies 1816–1861

Main article: House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Portrait	Coat of arms	Name	Reign		Relationship with predecessor(s)	Title
		Ferdinand I (Ferdinando I)	12 December 1816	4 January 1825	• Son of Charles III of Spain	King of the Two Sicilies (Rè delle Due Sicilie)
		Francis I (Francesco I)	4 January 1825	8 November 1830	• Son of Ferdinand I	King of the Two Sicilies (Rè delle Due Sicilie)
		Ferdinand II (Ferdinando II)	8 November 1830	22 May 1859	• Son of Francis I	King of the Two Sicilies (Rè delle Due Sicilie)
		Francis II (Francesco II)	22 May 1859	20 March 1861	• Son of Ferdinand II	King of the Two Sicilies (Rè delle Due Sicilie)

Family tree

See also

• List of Sicilian consorts
• List of viceroys of Sicily
• List of Counts of Apulia and Calabria
• List of monarchs of Naples
• List of monarchs of the Two Sicilies