Arabic Administration in Norman Sicily
Arabic Administration in Norman Sicily
In the late eleventh century, Sicily - originally part of the Islamic world - was captured by Norman, French and Italian adventurers, led by Roger de Hauteville. For the next 150 years, Roger and his descendants ruled the island and its predominantly Arabic-speaking Muslim population. Jeremy Johns' 2002 book represents a comprehensive account of the Arabic administration of Norman Sicily. While it has generally been assumed that the Normans simply inherited their Arabic administration from the Muslim governors of the island, the author uses the unique Sicilian Arabic documents to demonstrate that the Norman kings restructured their administration on the model of the contemporary administration of Fatimid Egypt. Controversially, he also suggests that, in doing so, their intention was not administrative efficiency but the projection of their royal image. This is a compelling and accessible account of the Norman rulers and how they related to their counterparts in the Muslim Mediterranean.
- A comprehensive study of the Arabic administration of Norman Sicily
- Set in the broader historical context of contemporary Islamic Mediterranean
- Accessibly composed and interdisciplinary in approach
Reviews & endorsements
"...an important contribution to the study of the post-conquest history of Sicily. ...a useful and obligatory text of reference for years to come." Canadian Journal of History
"It is a work of luminous scholarship...also wonderfully written. Careful reading, even for nonspecialists, yields a rich prize: awareness of a fascinating and anomalous chapter of premodern Mediterranean history." History
"Johns has made a major contribution to our understanding of the monarchy ... Scholars are going to be building on John's research in numerous areas for a long time." The International History Review
"This is a compelling and accessible account of the Norman rulers and how they related to their counterparts in the Muslim Mediterranean." Middle East
Product details
October 2002Hardback
9780521816922
410 pages
229 × 152 × 24 mm
0.72kg
1 b/w illus. 29 tables
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Tables
- Abbreviations
- Genealogical table of the De Hautevilles of Sicily
- Note on measurements
- Introduction
- 1. 'In the time of the Saracens …'
- 2. 'When first the Normans crossed into Sicily …'
- 3. 'Our lady, the Regent Adelaide, and our lord, the Count Roger, her son', 1101–30
- 4. The earliest products of the royal dīwān, 1130–43
- 5. The jarā'id renewed, 1144–5
- 6. The records of the royal dīwān, part I: the jarā'id al-rijāl
- 7. The records of the royal dīwān, part II: the dafātir al-hudūd
- 8. The duties and organisation of the royal dīwān
- 9. 'The people of his state'. The 'palace Saracens' and the royal dīwān
- 10. The Norman dīwān and Fātimid Egypt
- 11. Royal dīwān and royal image
- Appendices
- List of references
- Index.
