Catania - Castello Ursino

Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, has a long history, that starts around 8000 BC, but later there were Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman periods. After the Roman Empire had fallen apart the Vandals tried to take over the island but failed. Finally, the Ostrogoths took possession.

Mid of the 6th century Sicily was conquered by troops of the Byzantine Empire. After the advent of Islam, Sicily got attacked by the Arab forces. Raids seeking loot continued until the mid-8th century.

A Muslim army was sent to the island in 827 but met with much resistance. So it took a century to conquer it and even later revolts constantly occurred

In 1038 the Byzantines invaded the island supported by Norman mercenaries, led by Roger. In 1072, after the siege of Palermo, most of Sicily was under Norman control. Roger´s son Roger II raised the status +of the island to a kingdom in 1130. During this period, the Kingdom of Sicily was prosperous and powerful,

The court of Roger II became melting out of culture from Europe and the Middle East. This attracted scholars, scientists, artists, and artisans. Muslims, Jews, Greeks, Lombards, and Normans cooperated and created some extraordinary buildings.

In 1186 the last descendant of Roger, Constance of Sicily married Emperor Henry VI, the second son of Barbarossa. So the crown of Sicily was passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty. Frederick II, the only son of Constance, was crowned King of Sicily at the age of four in 1198. He became "Stupor Mundi", one of the greatest and most cultured men of the Middle Ages.

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Castello Ursino was built between 1239 and 1250, on behalf of Emperor Frederick II. the rectangular castle was considered impregnable at the time.

After Frederick II´s death 1250, his minor grandson Konradin (* 1252 in Germany) was unable to assert his claim to the Roman-German crown. In Sicily his uncle Manfred, an illegitimate son of Frederick, administered the kingdom until 1258, when he seized the dominion and the royal title himself.

Manfred fell in a battle 1266 and lost the empire to Charles I of Anjou, who was favoured by the Pope. Then Konradin moved to Italy in 1267 at the request of the Ghibellines, whereupon Pope Clement IV banned him. Konradin´s armee was beaten in the Battle of Tagliacozzo. 16 year old Konradin was captured, taken to Palermo and beheaded on the Piazza del Mercato in Naples on 29 October 1268.

This stabilzed Charles of Anjou´s power in Sicily but at Easter 1282 a rebellion broke out against his rule on the island, known as the "Sicilian Vespers". Within six weeks, approximately 13,000 French men and women were slain by the rebels, and the government of King Charles lost control of the island as the House of Aragon stepped in, what finally started War of the Sicilian Vespers.

In 1295 the Parliament met in Castello Ursino and declared deposed James II of Aragon as King of Sicily, replacing him with Frederick III. The following year the castle captured by Robert of Anjou but was later again in Aragonese hands.

The eruption of Etna in 1669 destroyed the city, but not the castle. The lava flowed around it and it has been several hundred metres inland ever since.