AHC: Republic of Sicily

  • Thread starter Deleted member 67076
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Deleted member 67076

I have a timeline idea but I'm not sure if it would be plausible, so I'm going to ask you guys. I was wondering what would it take to get Sicily as a merchant republic similar to Venice or Genoa, so your challenge, is with a POD after 965 (the establishment of the Emirate of Sicily), to have Sicily become a primarily merchant focused state (that's not a kingdom) like Genoa and Venice.
 
Tough, because the sociological context isn't the same. Sicily is a very agrarian area, and not particularly fertile either. Many Cowboy Westerns were filmed in Sicily, to give you an idea of how arid it can get.
 

Deleted member 67076

Tough, because the sociological context isn't the same. Sicily is a very agrarian area, and not particularly fertile either. Many Cowboy Westerns were filmed in Sicily, to give you an idea of how arid it can get.
And yet it was very urbanized compared to Middle Age Europe. Palermo alone had almost as much people as Cordoba in Spain. The area had extensive irrigation done in the Emirate period.

Not to mention its in the central Mediterranean, a strategic location as well.
 
Sicily can't really be compared to Genoa and Venice, as the two were city-states, while Sicily is a rather large strategically-placed island, which one of the greater powers would snap up promptly, as happened in OTL constantly.
 

Vitruvius

Donor
I think the urban issue is important in the context of what it was to be a maritime Republic. They were city-states. So a Sicilian Republic would more likely be a Palermitan Republic, or possibly Catanese, Messinese or Syracusan Republic. Unfortunately non of those cities really developed an urban civic leadership because the whole island was always under someone's control. Where as northern Italy fragmented and allowed civic power centers to develop.

Furthermore the Sicilians had a long tradition of inviting in people to take over rather than deposing rulers themselves. Starting with the Greeks Romans and Carthaginians. Then the Arabs were invited in to get rid of the Byzantines, the Normans to get rid of the Arabs, Aragon to get rid of the French, the Savoys were almost invited in the get rid of the Bourbons but in the end the job went to Garibaldi, the Sicilians, especially the mafiosi, cooperated with the Allies to get rid of the Fascists. I'm simplifying things a bit of course but still the broad outline remains. Perhaps because it was such a cross roads or perhaps it was some quirk of fate.

I suppose it might be possible with a POD before the Emirate is established. If say the Byzantines remained de jure in control but their power broke down like in the rest of southern Italy. The Saracens begin raiding the island like they attacked the Italian mainland and then the locals start to defend themselves. Palermo could potentially emerge as a local power center to rival the Byzantine center of government in Syracuse. Eventually the Palermitan Republic takes control of the whole island as the Byzantine Empire withdraws. It participates in the expeditions to Sardinia and emerges as a Maritime power.

But after the Emirate is established its rather difficult. Because someone has to kick the Arabs out and its not going to be the Sicilians. A general uprising against the Arabs the results in a Republic is unlikely. And there's no reason for a conquering power to set up a Republic in Sicily after they take over the island.
 
Why? Malta's far more militarily valuable then it is for trade.

It's much smaller than Sicily (obviously) so I thought it would be far more practical.

I have no idea if it would actually work though, and as you pointed out, it is probably too militarily valuable to ever become a merchant republic.


I do imagine though, could say, Syracuse or Palermo become merchant republics themselves instead of the whole island of Sicily? Maybe as vassals of the Byzantines (assuming the Byzantines still control SIcily, which I guess with the OP's POD, they wouldn't).
 
It's much smaller than Sicily (obviously) so I thought it would be far more practical.

I have no idea if it would actually work though, and as you pointed out, it is probably too militarily valuable to ever become a merchant republic.


I do imagine though, could say, Syracuse or Palermo become merchant republics themselves instead of the whole island of Sicily? Maybe as vassals of the Byzantines (assuming the Byzantines still control SIcily, which I guess with the OP's POD, they wouldn't).

Palermo and Syracuse (and Messina) are better for it than most of the other places in the region. It would be kind of interesting to see though since from what I hear the Sicilian cities had a signifigant Greek population (don't know if they where Orthodox or not) and they may well end up leaders in the city states.
 
Plus if they are vassals of the Byzantine Empire, they have the protection they need.

Rhoman Protection would be a massive double edged sword. They'd benefit from it quite a bit but Sicily is valuable enough as a source of food and a naval base that they will be trying to restore their direct rule. Also in this scenario the rest of southern Italy is also likely to end up in the empires hands too since the combination of Sicily and Epirus effectively strategically surrounds the area.
 
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