The French in the Kingdom of Sicily, 1266–1305

Charles of Anjou's conquest of the Sicilian Regno in 1266 transformed relations between France and the kingdom of Sicily. This original study of contact and exchange in the Middle Ages explores the significance of the many cultural, religious and political exchanges between the two countries, arguing that the links were more diverse and stronger than simply the rulers' family connections. Jean Dunbabin shows how influence flowed as much from south to north as vice versa, and that France was strongly influenced by the experiences of those who returned after years of fighting in the Regno. As well as considering the experiences of notable crusading families, she sheds new light on the career of Robert II d'Artois, who virtually ruled the Regno for six years before returning to France to remodel the government of Artois. This comparative history of two societies offers an important perspective on medieval Western Europe.

Introduction; Part I. Means of Communication: 1. Routes and journeys; 2. Meetings, embassies and correspondence; 3. The movement of money; Part II. Indirect Channels of Communication: 4. Lesser means of diffusing Angevin influences; Part III. Settlers in the Regno: 5. Robert II d'Artois; 6. The Dampierres, the comital family of Flanders; 7. Other French aristocratic families; 8. Foundations and degrees of French aristocratic commitment to the Angevin regime in the Regno; 9. The French experience in the Regno; Part IV. Cultural and Political Impacts: 10. Royal ideology: the saintly family; 11. Religious politics and practices; 12. The universities of Naples and Paris; 13. Medicine and science; 14. Law; 15. Administrative practices; 16. Navy and army; 17. Literature; Epilogue: spurs to remembering; Conclusion.

Jean Dunbabin is a Senior Research Fellow at St Anne's College, Oxford, and a Fellow of the British Academy. Her previous publications include Charles I of Anjou: Power, Kingship and State-Making in Thirteenth-Century Europe (1998) and Captivity and Imprisonment in Western Europe, 1000–1300 (2002).