Joanna Plantagenet, Queen of Sicily (original) (raw)
In my studies of the Third Crusade there has been the occasional but recurring mention of an English princess, whose name is given variously as Giovanna della Inglese, Jehanne, or Joanna Plantagenet. Although her life became inextricably bound with the significant people and events of her era, she remains a shadowy figure who seems to pass through the chronicles without much further notice. As this conference presented the opportunity to speak of women in the medieval world, particularly the Norman world, I decided to set aside my usual books on war and take up the campaign to give light and life to this little-known Queen of Sicily.
Medieval Feminist Forum, 2019
Alio devotes this volume to the life of Margaret of Navarre, who ruled Sicily as queen regent from 1166 to 1171. The book makes a worthy entry into the expanding literature on European queens and is the first full-length biography of Margaret in English, bringing well-deserved attention to this woman who was, Alio argues, "the most powerful woman in Europe and the Mediterranean" in her time (151). The book also brings to life the vibrant, cosmopolitan world of Sicily, portraying a kingdom of great wealth and influence in which Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived and worked together. This multiculturalism is evident in a page taken from the Harley Psalter (ca. 1153), where the text is reproduced side-byside in Latin, Greek, and Arabic. Alio draws heavily on the work of two contemporary chroniclers, Hugh Falcondus and Romauld of Salerno, but she also excavates charters and decrees, material artifacts, and several other chronicles and primary sources to sketch in the details of Margaret's life. The saga begins with a sweeping prehistory of northern Iberia and a nimble account of the loyalties and ambitions of Margaret's family, including mention of her great-grandfather, the Spanish knight nicknamed El Cid. Margaret grew up in Pamplona, another cosmopolitan city home to Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Basques, and in 1149 left to marry William, son of Roger II, the first Norman king of Sicily. Her regency for her eldest surviving son puts her in an elect group of twelfth-century ruling women, one including Melisende of Jerusalem (d. 1161), Eleanor of Aquitaine, Urraca of Castile (Regent of Asturias), and the Empress Matilda (Maude). Alio argues that Margaret's two million subjects and prosperous kingdom made her equal in political and economic power to the English king Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, and Manuel Comnenus of Constantinople. While most of her short reign is a soapy melodrama of rebellions, coups, and court intrigues, Alio portrays Margaret as a resourceful politician, a pragmatic ruler dedicated to reform, and a careful steward of her country' s resources, "one of Sicily' s most beloved women" (320). Alio is a popular historian in Sicily, and her training as a tour guide shows in her approach to this biography. Extensive photographs, maps, illustrations, and genealogical tables give readers a visual sense of the landscape, and Alio excels at the anecdotes and details that help distinguish the many colorful
2021
This paper considers evidence for Queen Margaret of Sicily’s role in the construction and decoration of the Cathedral of Monreale, a royal foundation initiated c. 1172. For Margaret, support of Monreale was a means to counter the political ambitions of Walter Ophamil, Archbishop of Palermo. Medieval chroniclers name Margaret’s son, William II, as primary patron, and afford her only a minor role in the building campaign. However, the furnishing and decoration of the cathedral’s northern transept—a privileged space typically reserved for kings in royal Sicilian cathedrals and chapels yet at Monreale serves as the site of Margaret’s tomb—points to the queen’s active role at the Cathedral. An ensemble of six early-Christian female saints unique to Monreale appears opposite Margaret’s tomb. This research posits that these images functioned as a monumental devotional icon tailored to the interests of the queen. The vitae of each saint is read against the life of the queen, and, in the cas...