Illustrated History of Sicily

A visual journey through the land, cuisine, people, language, and living traditions of Sicily — the crossroads of civilizations.

Illustrated History of Sicily

A visual journey through the land, cuisine, people, language, and living traditions of Sicily — the crossroads of civilizations.

Chapter 16

Sicily in Transition

Bourbon Kingdom — 1713–1860 AD

At the end of the long Spanish decline, rule of the island of Sicily passed through a complex series of transitions. The War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714) ended with the Treaty of Utrecht, which awarded Sicily to the House of Savoy in 1713, ending the Spanish era. But Savoyard rule lasted only a few years. In 1720, under the terms of the Treaty of The Hague, Sicily now passed to the Austrian Habsburgs. Fifteen years later, in 1735, Austrian rule ended by treaty and the island was transferred to the Spanish Bourbons, where it would remain for the next 125 years.

This chapter covers this period of rapid transition, the short-lived Savoy experiment, the brief Austrian interlude, and the establishment of Bourbon rule in 1735 under King Charles III of Sicily.

Archeological evidence dates the earliest settlements within Sicily back to

This chapter sets the stage to gain greater understanding of

Sicilian Greek history is dominated by a succession of powerful

The Roman conquest of Sicily was the product of the

Christianity came early to Sicily. Tradition holds that Saint Paul

The Byzantine reconquest of Sicily was led by Belisarius, Emperor

The Arab conquest of Sicily began in 827 AD when

To understand the Norman Kingdom of Sicily, one must first

The Norman invasion of Sicily was a 30-year campaign of

On Christmas Day 1130, Roger II, the son of the

Upon the death of King Roger II of Sicily in

Every golden age must end. For Norman Sicily, the end

The chapter traces the regency period following the death of

The chapter begins with the establishment of a brutal and

This chapter begins with the consolidation of the kingdoms of

At the end of the long Spanish decline, rule of

From 1735 until the Italian unification of 1860, Sicily was

The year 1848 is known in European history as the

On May 11, 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi landed at the port

The fall of the Bourbons in 1860 completed one of

Far from romanticizing this early period of Italian unification, the

This chapter describes the daily life for the great masses

This chapter covers the period from roughly 1890 to 1940

On July10, 1943, the Allied forces launched Operation Husky, the

Post-war Sicily faced enormous challenges: rebuilding shattered cities, multiple humanitarian

By the late 1970s the despair of the Sicilian people

The final chapter of Sicilian Odyssey is an epilogue on

Related Chapters

The final chapter of Sicilian Odyssey is an epilogue on

By the late 1970s the despair of the Sicilian people

Post-war Sicily faced enormous challenges: rebuilding shattered cities, multiple humanitarian

Era Cards

Aragonese & Spanish Rule

Four centuries under Spain. Centuries of neglect, exploitation, and inquisition — followed by its Baroque rebirth after the great Sicilian earthquake of 1693.
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Read the complete chapter, including all maps, images, and the full narrative, in Sicilian Odyssey.