1071–1072: William of Apulia on the Norman Conquest of Palermo

Abstract

This article examines the Norman conquest of Palermo in 1071/72, first on the basis of the Gesta Roberti Wiscardi, probably written in Apulia in the late eleventh century, then by considering the relevant parallel traditions. It explains how the conquerors subjugated the Sicilian capital, with an eye to how they negotiated the surrender of the city with its municipal representatives, how they transformed the mosque into a church, how fortifications were erected, and, finally, how the new rulership was proclaimed by minting coins in Arabic.