Short stories about sicilian vespers by rocco spano

A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES ABOUT SICILIAN VESPERS

WRITTEN BY SPANISH AND Alba Agüera

ITALIAN STUDENTS Claudia Gabriele

Alba Lozano

Silvia Tumbiolo

Alba Seró

Laura Aiello

Albert Alsinet

Pietro Bono

Alex González

Simone Milazzo

Andrea González

Eliana Errante

Anna Solé

Chiara Giametta

Bernat Sampietro

Marco Diliberti

Biel Lavergne

Arianna Bono

Blanca Biedma

Antonio Davoli

Carles Díaz Claudia Castel Daniela Carranzani

Marta Celestino Giorgia Arone Antonio Giacalone

Ferran Cano

Gabriele Gianformaggio

Guillem Barta

Giulia Castiglione

Hèctor Balcells Isabel Castelló Júlia Giralt Laia Navarro

Laura Fanella Alice Mondonuovo Giada Parrinello Monica Gebbia

Laura de la Parra

Giovanni La Paola

Lorena Prunera

Salvatore Orofino

Marc Rojas

Angela Gargiulo

Marc Vera

Virna Molinari

Maria Cano

Manuela Asaro

Maria Mayench Maria Solanilla

Alice Gancitano Giuseppe Impeduglia

Mariona Marco

Federica Marino

Martí Canela

Calogero Melia

Sara Jiménez

Signorelli Mirko

Sergi Calleja

Marino Giuseppe 2

Story created and Illustrated by Italian and Spanish teachers: Rocco SpanĂ˛, Angela Maria Asaro, Angela Giacalone, Maria Pia Caleca, Piera Passerini, Alfred Mayench,

Preface During the meeting in Mazara Italian and Spanish students were divided in groups to write short stories about Sicilian Vespers. Teachers mixed all students in small groups. Then they spoke about the historical period and asked all students to write short stories about it.

Short story 1

A Love Story Once upon a time, there was a noble family of two people: Costanza II, who was the Sicilan queen, and Peter I the Sicilian king. The king and the queen had one child, his name was Pietro III.

James II of Aragon

ames was born in Valencia as the son of King Peter I and Queen Constance of Sicily. He succeeded his father as King of Sicily in 1285. Upon the death of his brother Alfonso III in 1291, he succeeded also to the throne of the Crown of Aragon. He spent May of that year in Catania, inspiring the local monk Atanasiu di Laci to write the Vinuta di re Iapicu about his time there. By a peace treaty with Charles II of Anjou in 1296, he agreed to give up Sicily, but the Sicilians preferred his brother Frederick on the throne. Due to the fact that Frederick, would not withdraw from the island, Pope Boniface VIII asked James II, along with Charles II of Naples, to remove him. As an enticement to do this, Pope Boniface invested James II with the title to Sardinia and Corsica, and appointed him Papal Gonfalonier. Because of his inability to disguise his apathy on the matter, he returned to Aragon. Frederick reigned there until his death in 1337.By the Treaty of Anagni in 1295, he returned the Balearic Islands to his uncle James II of Majorca. In 1298, by the Treaty of Argilers, James of Majorca recognised the suzerainty of James of Aragon. During the period that followed his return to Aragon, James II wanted to gain access to the Muslim world in the south. In order to achieve this goal, he formed an alliance with the enemies of the adolescent king of Castile, Ferdinand IV. James II wanted Murcia in order to give his kingdom access to Granada. The allied forces entered from all directions in 1296, where James II was victorious in capturing Murcia and holding it until 1304.In 1313, James II granted administrative and political autonomy to the Aran Valley, the legal details of which are described in a Latin manuscript called the Querimonia. The devolution of power was a reward for the Aranese pledging allegiance to James II in a dispute with the kingdoms of France and Mallorca over control of the valley. James was involved in the 1321 leper scare. He ordered the arrest and torture of French lepers seeking shelter in his realm, and adopted harsher policy towards native lepers. 5

PETER III

Peter the Great in Catalan: Pere el Gran, Aragonese : Pero lo Gran born in Valencia and die 11th November 1285, was the King of Aragon as Peter III of Valencia as Peter I, and Count of Barcelona as Peter II from 1276 to his death. He conquered Sicily and became its king in 1282, pressing the claim of his wife, Constance. He was one of the greatest of medieval Aragonese monarchs. Peter was the eldest son of James I of Aragon and his second wife Violant of Hungary. Peter married Constance, daughter and heiress of Manfred of Sicily. On James' death in 1276, the lands of the Crown of Aragon were divided into Aragon and Valencia, along with the most of the Catalan counties, going to Peter as the eldest son, while the Balearic Islands, the Catalan counties of Rousillon - Vallespir Conflent and Capcir, and the territories in the Languedoc , went to the second son, James. Peter and Constance were crowned in Zaragoza, in November 1276 by the archbishop of Tarragona. At this ceremony, Peter renounced all feudal obligations to the papacy, which his grandfather Peter II had incurred. Peter's first act as king was to complete the pacification of his Valencian territory, an action that had been underway before his father's death. However, a revolt soon broke out in Catalonia. The rebels had developed a hatred for Peter as a result of the severity of his dealings with them during the reign of his father. Most of the rebel leaders were imprisoned in Lleida. Peter he was the heir of Manfred of Sicily in right of his wife, Constance. He declared himself king of Sicily. After that, in the same year in November Pope Martin IV, excommunicated both Peter and he did not recognize him king of Sicily. Pope Martin IV recognized Filippo, the French kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first son, as King of Aragon. Peter died at VilafrancaPenedĂ¨s on 11th November 1285. Like his father, Peter divided his kingdoms between his sons. He left Aragon to his eldest son, Alfonso, and Sicily to his second son, James. Peter's third son, Frederick, insuccession to his brother James, became regent of Sicily and in due course its king. 6

The teacher Simone

Teacher Simone was teaching Peter III how to become a knight. Simone is an old man in fact he was 50 years old. Simone lived in a castle in Sicily precisely in Trapani. Simone was always smartly dressed and always walked with a stick because when he was young he had an accident. Simone had very short, blond hair, brown eyes, a very small nose and thin lips; he had many scars and was fat. Simone was demanding and for this, Peter sometimes was angry. Peter was very shy but he was also determined. He wanted to defend his homeland in honor of his family. Simone had trusted him and he wanted that Peter was the best warrior in all wars. A month before his death Simone felt ill and for this,he proclaimed Peter a teacher. Simone had three sons: Giulio, Luca and Andrea but for him Peter was such like a son too .Simone died in 1237 of a heart infarct.

Isabella

Isabella is eighteen; she is a peasant and poor. She has long, blond, wavy hair, has blue eyes. She loves studying, she likes walking on the beach.She likes cooking, she lives in the countryside. She loves Pietro 3rd, but she cannot stay with him because he is a prince and the future king of Sicily. Her father and her mother are peasants too. Her father is a tall man, he likes eatingand he likes collecting fruit of his countryside. Her mother is a small woman. She likes singing and she likes collecting flowers.

When Pietro III arrived in Sicily, he met a farmer woman, she had blonde hair and blue sky eyes, her name was Isabella. Isabella and Pietro III had the same age, they were 18 years old. They loved studying and walking along the beach, but money divided their love ,it was an obstacle. Isabella was a simple farmer but Pietro III was a rich prince and he would became the future king of Sicily. During a night, Pietro III didn’t sleep so he took his horse and he went out for a walk, he arrived at the village of Isabella, so she met him. Pietro III admired her beauty and when he walked he clashed her. Isabella:<< I’m sorry , do you feel well?>> Pietro: << No, I don’t, I was immersed into your eyes>> Isabella: <<Oh Thanks, you are very sweet, what’s your name?>> Pietro :<< My name is Pietro, and yours?>> Isabella:<< I’m Isabella, I’m a farmer woman, but don’t think that you want to talk with me, your clothes are very smart, are you a prince?>> Pietro:<<Emh… I’m a learner, my teacher gives me the clothes.>> Isabella:<< Ok! I come back home, my parents are worried, I’m always here>>. Pietro:<< Good night princess>> The next day Isabella went to Pietro’s castle to bring some fruit. So Isabella met Pietro. Pietro:<< I study here, my teacher Simone teaches me how to became a good king>> Isabella:<< Ah, I think you are the prince>> Pietro:<< Why don’t we meet at the sunset under the olive tree in the garden of the castle?>> Isabella:<< Ok I will be there before you.>> They took different streets, she went to the village and he went to the castle. THREE HOURS LATER… Pietro:<< I didn’t think you would come here, I’m very happy>> Isabella:<< You’re wrong! I fall in love with you>>Pietro:<< me too. I love you>> He looks her intense eyes and gives her a kiss. Pietro :<<may I tell you something?>> Isabella:<<yes ,of course>> Pietro:<<do you want marry me?>> Isabella:<<yes, I want marry you!>> Pietro ’s sisters, Manuela and Monica, listened to the speech between Pietro and Isabella and they went to the castle for speak with their father.

Pietroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ssisters. Manuela and Monica

Manuela is the older sister, seventeen, has long black curly hair, her eyes aredark brown, she likesstudyingandsewing clothesfor herself andher sister. Monica is theyounger sister, fifteen years old; she has brown,curly, long hair. She lovesriding horses. Bothsisters, duringa conversationin the castle between Peter andIsabella, heartheirbrotherwants to marry Isabellaand they do not agree because Isabella is a peasant.The two sisters are not bad, but theyare very spoilt because their fathergives them expensive clothesandmany jewels.

Alice and Alfredo

When Giacomo I died, Pietroinherited the Kingdom of Aragon. During a trip in Sicily, he met a peasant woman, her name was Isabella. They were enchanted from one another, in fact, in the spring of 1276, they got married in a small town, Mazara, and one year later, they had two children. They were twins, Alfredo and Alice but soon after he discovered that, they were not his legitimate children. Since childhood, Alfredo was very undisciplined the opposite of his sister. Alfredo usually wore cut dresses because he thought that there was no difference between rich and poor. His parents thought this was shameful because he was a noble. On the contrary, Alice was a model daughter. She had good marks but when Pietro died Alice could not inherit the Kingdom of Aragon, despite her fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will, because in the past women could not 11

inherit a kingdom. In 1312 killed a gang of men killed Alice and Alfredo.

Short story 2

A GOOD SCHOOL

FRANCESCO Francesco is a boy, he is 12. He lives in Palermo. He is tall and thin. He has long blond hair and blue eyes. He is a fashionable boy. His mother’s name is Cassandra and his dad’s name is Giacomo. Her mother is 30, she is a rich woman, she is tall and thin, she has long brown hair and blue eyes. His dad is 31, he is an important person, he is short and thin, he has short blond hair and green eyes. Francesco’s best friend is Pierre, he is 14 and he is a French boy. Francesco goes to school and he is a good student. His favourite school subject is history. His favourite pet is 12

cat and he loves all animals. His favourite food is pasta because it is very good. He likes riding a horse and he is a champion in his town. His best friends are Giuseppe, Antonio and Pierre, a French boy.

Giuseppe

Giuseppe is a boy. He is 12 years; he is tall and well built.He has brown eyes and curly blond hair, he likes wearing fashionable cloths and he likes riding a horse.His mother spends the afternoon playing the piano and she likes riding a horse, too. Giuseppeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father is an important person;his favorite school subject is geography because he likes travelling. His best friend is a French boy and they are at the same school. His name is Pierre.

ANTONIO

Antonio is a Sicilian boy; he is 12and he lives in Palermo. He has short blond hair and brown eyes and he is tall. He goes to school; his favorite food is rice and vegetables. He likes riding a horse, he loves dogs and he has two dogs, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite school subject is history and his favourite colour is yellow, his best friends are Francesco, Giuseppe and Pierre. Antonio is a son of a noble man, his name is Luigi and he is 40. He has long brown hair and green eyes, he is tall and thin heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hobby is hunting in the morning and in the afternoon likes riding a horse.

PIERRE

Pierre is a French boy and he is 12. He is thin and tall, he has blond hair, blue eyes and he has a big mouth. His dad is Francesco and his mum is Guendalina. His dad is 40, he is tall and thin,he is an important French soldier. His mum is 38, she is tall and fat and she is a rich woman. Pierre’s best friends are Francesco, Giuseppe and Antonio. Pierre’s favorite sport is riding a horse…he is a champion in this sport. He likes reading books, he likes reading adventure books. His favourite food is pasta and his favourite sweet is “CASSATA SICILIANA”. He loves going to the theatre. He dreams to become a famous soldier.

Pierre, Francesco, Antonio and Giuseppe’s free time

The most important and most basic physical skills for any member of a medieval aristocracy was to learn how to ride a horse. Boys were introduced to riding at a very young age. Boys were introduced to horses and to ride gradually. The first step was to become comfortable being around horses. The boy then learned how to speak to horses and keep them calm. The next step was to stay in the saddle while an adult led around the horse. In their free time, they like riding horses. Pierre’s horse’s name is Fire. Francesco’s horse’s name is Freccia. Antonio’s horse’s name is Tuono. Giuseppe’s horse’s name is Sliker. They taught Pierre to speak Sicilian and Pierre taught them to speak French.

One day, while they were going home and they spoke in French, a few people stopped them because they thought they were French. The four boys started to speak Sicilian so they saved 16

Pierre. A man asked Pierre to say the Sicilian word â&#x20AC;&#x153;ciciri.â&#x20AC;? It was the way to discover a French person because they did not say it in the correct way. Pierre had good teachers so he says the word in the correct way and he is safe.

Short story 3 A Plan to kill Charles I

Charles of Anjou

Charles I, known also as Charles of Anjou, was the King of Sicily by conquest from 1266 though he had received it as a papal grant in 1262 and was expelled from the island in the aftermath of the Sicilian Vespers of 1282. Thereafter, he claimed the island, though his power was restricted to the peninsular possessions of the kingdom, with his capital at Naples. Charles was the youngest son of Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile, and hence younger brother of Louis IX of France and Alfonso II of Toulouse. He conquered the Kingdom of Sicily from the Hohenstaufen and acquired lands in the eastern Mediterranean. However, the War of the Sicilian Vespers forced him to abandon his plans to reassemble the Latin Empire. By marriage to Beatrice of Provence, he was Count of Provence and Forcalquier from 1246. In 1247, his brother Louis IX made him Count of Anjou and Maine, as appanages of the French crown. By conquest and self-proclamation, he became King of Albania in 1272 and by purchase King of Jerusalem in 1277. As Manfred's troops advanced on the Papal States, Charles renegotiated the treaty on more 17

favorable lines. As instructions went out to the clergy to submit contributions for the war, Urban IV died in October 1264 at Perugia, fleeing Manfred. This raised the possibility of a reversal of papal policy. To underscore his resolve, Charles broke sharply with his previous policy of leniency and ordered the execution of several Provenรงal rebels. Fortunately, for Charles, the new Pope Clement IV strongly supported the accession of Charles. Charles entered Rome on 23 May 1265 and was proclaimed King of Sicily.

Charles Ist kills Manfredi

Charles was popular in Rome, where he was elected sole Senator, and his diplomacy had already undermined Manfred's support in northern Italy. Charles was able to bring his main army through the Alps, and he and Beatrice were crowned on 6 January 1266. As Charles' army began an energetic campaign, Manfred suddenly shed his lethargy and moved to meet him. Worried that further delays might endanger the loyalty of his supporters, he attacked Charles' army, then in disarray from the crossing of the hills into Benevento, on 26 February 1266. In the Battle of Benevento that followed, Manfred's army was defeated and he was 18

killed in the melee. Upon his death, resistance throughout the kingdom collapsed, and Charles became master of Sicily.

Conradin

Conradin was born in Wolfstein, Bavaria, from Conrad IV of Germany and Elisabeth of Wittel. When he was young he was known for his appearance because he was "beautiful as Absalom, and spoke good Latin". Although his father had entrusted him to the guardianship of the church, Pope Innocent IV pursued Conradin with the same relentless hatred he had against his grandfather Frederick II, and attempted to bestow the kingdom of Sicily on a foreign prince. Innocent's successor, Pope Alexander IV, continued this policy. Finally, Sicily passed to Charles of Anjou, but the Sicilian Vespers in 1282 resulted in dual claims on the Kingdom; the Aragonese heirs of Manfred retained the island of Sicily and the Anjouvin party retained the southern part of Italy, popularly called the Kingdom of Naples.Conradin confronted his 19

fate, before giving his head to the executioner, he threw his glove to the crowd.

CONRADIN IN PRISON

While Charles' administration in his new kingdom was generally fair and honest, it was also stringent. As in Provence, he insisted on maximizing the revenues and privileges he obtained from his new subjects. Discontent was high, but for now, Charles could focus on extending his power in northern Italy. However, the Pope was willing to allow this. In September 1267, Conradin marched south to reclaim the rights of the Hohenstaufen, and one of his agents instigated a revolt in Sicily. He entered Rome on 24 July 1268. At the Battle of Tagliacozzo, on 23 August 1268, it appeared he might win the day, but a sudden charge of Charles' reserve discomfited Conradin's army and he was forced to flee to Rome. Someone told him, he was no longer safe; he attempted to escape to Genoa, but was arrested and imprisoned in the Castel dell'Ovo in Naples. In a trial carefully managed by Charles, Conradin was condemned for treason and beheaded on 29 October 1268 at the age of 16. By the 20

end of 1270, Charles had captured Lucera and put down the revolt in Sicily, executing many of the captured.

POPE CLEMENTE IV

Pope Clemente was born in Languedoc, in his youth, he was a soldier, he was married and had many sons. When his wife died, he became a pope. Pope Clemente helped Charles of Anjou to become king of Sicily because Manfredi took the Kingdom of Sicily without the permission of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Holy Faithâ&#x20AC;?. At that time, the Holy See was in conflict with Manfredi of Sicily, the illegitimate son of Emperor Frederick II and the designated heir of Holy Roman Emperor.

Clemente IV was in France at the time of his election. He immediately took steps to ally himself With Charles of Anjou.

A Plan to kill Charles I

John knew that King Charles was coming to Sicily but Sicilian people did not like him. John and Thomas did not like the king, too.So they planned to kill the king. At first, they did not agree but John persuaded Thomas. They feared they would be discovered and then Thomas had a brilliant idea they would dress up as guards and would enter into the castle. Of course, 22

there was a little mishap, they had to find uniforms. These uniforms were in the French ship.

In the boat of King Charles, theydistributed the uniformsto the guards. At this point, John and Thomas decided to infiltrate themselves and steal the uniforms. Giving the uniforms, the guards noticed that two were missing, so they informed King Charles. He becamesuspicious, but he decided not to get worried. Meanwhile, the ship left from the port of Sicily to return to France. Inside there were still Thomas and John. As they were going out of the boat, they realized that the ship had already left Palermo and they were on the high sea. John, then, immediately suggested to jump overboard, but there was a problem, Thomas could not swim. At this point, the only solution was to steal a boat, but they did not know where to find it. As they were trying it they saw a head coming out from a chest, then another head and they found two boys. John immediately asked them what they were doing in the ship, and the boys said they had hidden to go to France. The two boys had a boat so they could return to the port of Mazara safe and with uniforms. After they dressed, they were ready to make the attempt on Charles. They walked to the castle and saw that the entrance was full of guards. They tried not to show, because a soldier stopped them, and asked them :<< who are you? >>, and they answer :<< we are new soldiers! >>. He let them go. They entered into the castle and they searched for the rooms, until they found the rooms of the king Charles. At this point Thomas take the knife, but hedo not kill the king. John take the knife and kill the King.

Short story 4

Giovanni da Procida

Giovanni was an Italian medieval physician and diplomat. He was born in Salerno and he was a noted physician for his age and received a professorial chair at this university. He came to the attention of Frederick II and he became Frederick's personal physician and attended him to his death. He was also personal physician to Cardinal John Orsini, the future Pope Nicholas III. Being noticed for his intelligence and pragmatism, he rose through the diplomatic ranks in the HohenstaufenKingdom of Sicily. He was actually Giovanni III, son of Giovanni II of Procida and Clemenza Logoteta of Procida. He was near Manfredi in the ”Benevento disfatta”in 1266 after he went to Napoli and Sicilia, so he was agaist to Carlo I d’Angiò. He worked in Rome, Costantinopoli and in Aragona. He was a character in the Vespri Siciliani.

The Holy Spirit Church in Palermo

On Easter Mondaya lot of people were in the Church to celebrate Easter. They were not happy about the situation in Sicily, because the King Charles I was not a good King and his soldiers were also not kind with people. People did not like this bad situation and life was not easy.

DROUET

Drouet is traditionally identified as a French soldier that in Palermo in 1282 by acting in a disrespectful manner against a Sicilian noblewoman took the spark of the uprising of the Sicilian Vespers. Everything would start at the hour of vespers of March 31, 1282,on Easter Monday in , the square in front ofThe Holy Spirit Church in Palermo when Drouet addressed against a young noblewoman accompanied by his husband with the excuse to search their weapons hidden under her clothes. The woman fainted and the reaction of her groom was of branding a sword that shot the soldier dead. The defense of the noble woman was precisely the spark that began the revolt. The insurrection spread immediately in Sicily and during the evening and night. What followed is that the people of Palermo started a real hunt to the French, and soon turned into a real carnage in Sicily. Anyone who was not able to PROPERLY pronounce ciciri "chickpeas" was killed.

Short story 5 A Family story

JamesIst

James I of Aragon was king of Aragon, Valencia and Mallorca mistress of Count of Barcelona, Count of Urgel and other feuds in Occitania. While the men of Carlos settled in their new domains, the main supporters of the Hohenstaufen Sicilian notables, including Roger de LlĂşria and John of Procida, sought refuge at the court of King James I of Aragon, turning in Barcelona Gibel political center. It was therefore 27

not surprising Aragonese and Angevin maintained a long rivalry. Some years ago, Prince Peter, heir to the Aragonese king had married Constance in Montpellier Hohenstaufen, daughter of Manfredi and granddaughter of Frederick II. Probably the Sicilian exiles soon began plotting with the Aragonese to reclaim the throne of Sicily based on rights of Constance.

Ramรณn Berenguer V of Provence

Son of the Count Alfonso II of Provence and Garsenda Sabran, Countess of Folcarquier. He spent part of his childhood in Monzรณn with his cousin of the same age, the future King James I of Aragon, under the tutelage of Guillem of Montredon Templar, Master of Aragon. He was named Count of Provence when he was nine years, but until 1219, his mother did not give the counties of Forcalquier and Provence. The arrival of Louis VIII of France with his army in 1226 allowed Ramon 28

Berenguer V to abolish urban consulates and freedoms of Avignon and Tarascon as well as those of Grasse and Nice. In 1243, he managed to conquer Marseille held by Ramon VII of Tolosa.

Ramon and James go hunting

When James and Ramon were young, they were very close, because they were cousins. When they grew upthey separated, because Ramon’sparents were very jealous because his son was not the king of Aragon, Mallorca or Valencia. His family only were the Count of Province and they wanted more, so one day Ramon, very jealous wanted to kill his cousin but he planed something better, prevent that he conquered the kingdom of Sicily. James was trying to conquer Sicilia, because he loved it and his cousin was all the time talking about Sicilia, the people, the food… So he wanted Sicily for him, only for him. He wanted to travel by boat and when he arrived to Palermo he and his troop attacked Sicily. However, Ramon advanced him; he went to Palermo a month before to advice the king of Palermo. So the kingdom of Palermo was ready. When James arrived with his troop, he saw many soldiers punting at him. He was very confused… how they knew they were coming? Why are they prepared to the war? Then he saw 29

his cousin, Ramon, smiling and laughing. Then he thought that he advised the king of Sicily. James was very angry, he was asking, why his cousin did this.

But Ramon was very happy so he talked with him. -Hello cousin, why are you so sad ?- said Ramon with a very maleficent smile. -You know why…-Said Jamesvery angry looking at the floor. -Please, come with us in my palace.-Said the king of Sicilia. -Okay-said the two cousins at the same time. When they arrive at the palace, they saw an enormous and very beautiful palace at the top of the hill of Palermo. They enter to a big room with many chairs and one horizontal table -Can I talk to you for a moment?-Said James to Ramon. -Of course my lovely cousin… They went to the enormous garden, it was very late and so it was very dark. -Why did you do this? Only because you are jealous!- said James very angry. - What? - Said Ramon to his cousin, very angry to- I AM NOT JEALOUS! I ONLY WANTED TO HAVE THIS PLACE AND BE THE KING! -I am better than you are, and you know it- said James – I am the king of 3 places and Cont of Barcelona. I am rich and I have a family.