Sicilian Vespers
Palermo, Sicily
What happened
On Easter Monday, 30 March 1282, a quarrel between French soldiers and local people outside a church near Palermo turned into a revolt, just as the bells rang for the evening prayers called Vespers. Within weeks the rebellion spread across the island, and many French people were killed or driven out. King Charles lost control of Sicily.
Why it matters
Sicilians had been angry at heavy taxes and at being shut out of governing their own island. Their uprising broke the power of Charles of Anjou and grew into a long war between rival kingdoms over who would rule Sicily.
What came next
The Sicilians asked Peter III of Aragon, whose wife Constance had a claim to the throne, to become their king. He landed in Sicily in August 1282, and the fight with Charles became the War of the Sicilian Vespers.
Did you know?
The composer Giuseppe Verdi wrote a famous opera about the uprising, first performed in 1855, known in Italian as I vespri siciliani.
Timeline
- 1266Charles of Anjou wins the Battle of Benevento and becomes King of Sicily.
- 30 March 1282The revolt begins at Vespers outside Palermo on Easter Monday.
- 28 April 1282Messina, the last big town loyal to Charles, joins the revolt.
- 30 August 1282Peter III of Aragon lands at Trapani with his army.