Editing Moors (section)

==Moors of Sicily==
{{See also|History of Islam in southern Italy|Norman–Arab–Byzantine culture}}
[[File:MuslimMusiciansAtTheCourtOfRoger.JPG|thumb|Muslim musicians at the court of the Norman King [[Roger II of Sicily]]]]

The first Muslim conquest of Sicily began in 827, though it was not until 902 that almost the entire island was in the control of the [[Aghlabids]], from their capital [[Kairouan]] ([[Tunisia]]),  with the exception of some minor strongholds in the rugged interior. During that period some parts of southern Italy fell under Muslim control, most notably the port city of [[Bari]], which formed the [[Emirate of Bari]] from 847 to 871. Four years later, the Fatimid governor was ousted from Palermo when the island declared its independence under Emir Ahmed ibn-Kohrob. The language spoken in Sicily under Muslim rule was [[Siculo-Arabic]].

In 1038, a [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] army under [[George Maniakes]] crossed the strait of Messina. This army included a corps of [[Normans]] that saved the situation in the first clash against the Muslims from Messina. After another decisive victory in the summer of 1040, Maniaces halted his march to lay siege to [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]]. Despite his success, Maniaces was removed from his position, and the subsequent Muslim counter-offensive reconquered all the cities captured by the Byzantines.

The Norman [[Robert Guiscard]], son of Tancred, invaded Sicily in 1060. The island was split between three Arab emirs, and the Christian population in many parts of the island rose up against the ruling Muslims. One year later, Messina fell, and in 1072 Palermo was taken by the Normans. The loss of the cities, each with a splendid harbor, dealt a severe blow to Muslim power on the island. Eventually all of Sicily was taken. In 1091, Noto in the southern tip of Sicily and the island of Malta, the last Arab strongholds, fell to the Christians. Islamic authors noted the tolerance of the Norman kings of Sicily. [[Ali ibn al-Athir]] wrote: "They [the Muslims] were treated kindly, and they were protected, even against the [[Franks]]. Because of that, they had great love for King Roger."<ref>{{cite book|last=Aubé|first=Pierre|title=Les empires normands d'Orient|year=2006|publisher= Editions Perrin|page=168|isbn=2-262-02297-6}}</ref>

The Muslim problem characterized Hohenstaufen rule in Sicily under Holy Roman Emperors [[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry VI]] and his son, [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]]. Many repressive measures were introduced by Frederick II to appease the popes, who were intolerant of Islam in the heart of [[Christendom]]. This resulted in a rebellion by Sicilian Muslims, which in turn triggered organized resistance and systematic reprisals and marked the final chapter of Islam in Sicily. The complete eviction of Muslims and the annihilation of Islam in Sicily was completed by the late 1240s when the final deportations to [[Lucera]] took place.<ref>{{cite book|first=David|last=Abulafia|author-link=David Abulafia|title=Frederick II: A Medieval Emperor |location=London|publisher=Allen Lane|year=1988}}</ref>

The remaining population of Sicilian Muslims converted to [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] due to the incentives put in place by Fredrich II.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Zeldes|first=Nadia|date=2014|title=Offering economic and social benefits as incentives for conversion: The case of Sicily and southern Italy (12th-15th centuries)|url=https://www.torrossa.com/en/resources/an/3023569|journal=Materia Giudaica: Rivista dell'associazione Italiana per Lo Studio del Giudaismo |issue=XIX|language=en|pages=55–62|doi=10.1400/229481}}</ref> Some Muslims from Lucera would also later convert due to oppression on the mainland and had their property returned to them and returned to Sicily.

During the reigns of Frederick II as well as his son, [[Manfred, King of Sicily|Manfred]], a large amount of Muslims were brought, as slaves, to farm lands and perform domestic labor. [[Slavery|Enslaved persons]] in Sicily were not afforded the same privileges as the Muslims in mainland Italy.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Taylor|first=Julie Anne|date=2007-04-01|title=Freedom and Bondage among Muslims in Southern Italy during the Thirteenth Century|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/13602000701308889|journal=Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs|volume=27|issue=1|pages=71–77|doi=10.1080/13602000701308889|s2cid=216117913|issn=1360-2004|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The trend of importing a considerable amount of slaves from the Muslim world did not stop with the [[Hohenstaufen]] but was amplified under the [[Crown of Aragon|Aragonese]] and [[Monarchy of Spain|Spanish crowns]], and was in fact continued until as late as 1838<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bonazza|first=Giulia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X8l-DwAAQBAJ&q=kingdom+of+two+sicilies+slaves&pg=PR8|title=Abolitionism and the Persistence of Slavery in Italian States, 1750–1850|date=2018-12-13|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-030-01349-3|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis|title=Sicily and the Two Seas: The Cross Currents of Race and Slavery in Early Modern Palermo|url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7gq3t6zb|publisher=UCLA|date=2020|language=en|first=Lori|last=De Lucia |type=PhD dissertation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Goodman|first=Jack|date=June 2017|title=Slavery and Manumission in Fourteenth-Century Palermo|url=https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/3136|type=PhD dissertation |publisher=Western Michigan University}}</ref> The majority of which would also come receive the label 'Moors'<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Abulafia|first=David|date=1985-01-01|title=Catalan Merchants and the Western Mediterranean, 1236–1300: Studies in the Notarial Acts of Barcelona and Sicily|url=https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/abs/10.1484/J.VIATOR.2.301424|journal=Viator|volume=16|pages=209–242|doi=10.1484/J.VIATOR.2.301424|issn=0083-5897|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Zeldes|first=Nadia|date=1999-12-01|title=The account books of the Spanish inquisition in Sicily (1500–1550) as a source for the study of material culture in a Mediterranean country|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/09518969908569759|journal=Mediterranean Historical Review|volume=14|issue=2|pages=67–94|doi=10.1080/09518969908569759|issn=0951-8967|url-access=subscription}}</ref>