ABSTRACT

Sicily developed a strong Byzantine identity in the Early Middle Ages, and the main religion of the island in this period was Greek Orthodox Christianity. At the start of the ninth century, Sicily was conquered by Muslims from North Africa who would rule the island for roughly two hundred years. Muslim rule of the island was marked by a cultural transformation, and although a Greek Christian population remained, Muslims were very much the dominant group. Multiculturalism was enhanced by the establishment on Sicily of a sizable Jewish population who were culturally part of the Islamic world. Beginning in 1061, Norman knights undertook their own conquest of the island, bringing the majority of Sicily under their control over the next ten years. Thus, when one looks at Sicily at the end of the eleventh century, there were several cultural and religious identities at play. There were the Muslims of the island, and the Jews and Greek Christians. There were also the new Latin Christian additions to Sicily. This diverse society endured in Sicily into the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. In regard to that culture, Benjamin of Tudela commented on the mixing between various groups that he saw in Messina a century later in 1173:

Messina still sounds and behaves as though it were a Muslim city. On the streets most people (including Jews) speak Arabic, and bands play Muslim music. Torchlight processions accompany weddings, and professional mourners accompany funerals in accord with Muslim custom. The Muslim women cover themselves completely and some of the older Christian women follow their example. On this island of many natural riches and many peoples, Christians, Muslims, and Jews may freely celebrate their religion. 1