Maritime Activities of Sicilian Normans in Eastern Mediterranean 549-584 (1154-1189)

Abstract

Beginning in the early 11th century, the Normans began military activities in southern Italy and invaded Sicily in the middle of this century. Prior to that, the Normans were Scandinavian soldiers who served as mercenaries to political forces in the region, including the Byzantine Empire. Roger I (1071-1101), a member of the Hauteville Family, which became an independent power with the successful rebellions in Southern Italy, started the invasion of Sicily dominated by Muslims and the island came under the rule of the Normans in 1091. The Normans in Sicily, which became the kingdom in the period of Roger II (1130-1154) and became the dominant power in the Central Mediterranean, managed to establish sovereignty in Ifrīḳıya by clashing with the Zīrids (361-543/972- 1148) and Muslim local powers during the Roger I period. In this research, after the succession of Roger II the activities of the Sicilian Normans in the Eastern Mediterranean during the William I (1154-1166) and William II (1166-1189) periods, the landing they made on Egypt, Cyprus and Bilād al-Shām, their naval organization, naval activities, the weapons they used and their ships will be evaluated in the light of Islamic and Western sources.