Sicily - unfinished page

Background

The history of Jews in Sicily is long, with the first communities emerging in around 63 bce. Around that year the Roman Empire controlled Israel and General Pompey captured Jerusalem. Jews became quite integrated with both Roman culture and Roman ambitions. Sicily became one of the many Jewish population hubs within the Roman Empire mostly due to its central position in the Mediterranean as an incredible trade hub. Of course as the Roman Empire fell, so did the Sicilian centers of trade , many deteriorating over the years and ultimately collapsing. This resulted in Palermo becoming the last trade center on the island.

However, the history of the Jewish Kingdom itself is short. In the year of 1302 the War of the Sicilian Vespers ended during which the Kingdom of Aragon conquered Sicily from the Angevin Kingdom of Naples. Aragon was an overextended kingdom, fighting Islamic neighbors to the south, French rulers to the North and Italians to the East. They were facing enemies on practically all sides, ultimately in 1333 they overplayed their hand, during a massive war between the Christians and Muslims of Iberia, The Jewish family of Raffaelli saw a great opportunity to fulfill their ambition. Thanks to their connections with almost all of the Jews across the Mediterranean it wasn’t difficult for them to gather enough support. Jews already occupied key positions in the Republic of Genoa and during this Reconquista, the Aragonese fleet got sunk by Cordoba and most of the levies from Sicily were sent to die in Iberia. During this period Zaccaria Raffaelli used his connections and with the help of North African backed pirates and the Genoese, they seized the royal palace in Palermo, Palazzo dei Normanni with little to no resistance and declared independence from Aragon. This proved to be far easier than was initially expected, pushing their luck the Genoese and the pirates seized the undefended Sardinia that they just plundered.

To ensure the safety of their holdings the Genoese made sure that their newly acquired vassal would become a safe haven for Oppressed Christians across Italy, resulting in population growth on an unprecedented scale. Not only did this result in an extremely fast economic growth of the island, but it also ensured that Aragon couldn’t reconquer it without angering the Toulouse.

During the last 100 years a lot of things have happened. As the first Jewish Kingdom in Europe it helped overthrow the Genoese government and installed a Jewish Republic. Of course this wouldn’t go unnoticed as Naples, backed by the Papal States, declared a war in the year of 1351, which ended in the victory of the Sicilians and Genoese. This war has seemingly achieved little beyond lowering the Neapolitan legitimacy and ensuring that the Sicilian-Genoese alliance wouldn’t be broken for a long time, but in reality it has shown to Europe and the Christians that the Jews have enough strength to not only push out any invasion, but to destabilize the realm of the attacker.

While on the surface these two nations may have seemed to completely lack ambition, which may have been true for the Genoese just looking to enrich themself further, but not for the Sicilians. The Jewish Sicilians still believe that they are the true sons of Rome just like the Byzantines, they would prove this in the Aragonese Civil War of 1428, when they backed the Jewish families in Barcelona. Their efforts were not in vain as they managed to establish yet another ally of theirs - the Kingdom of Catalonia ruled by the House of Suasso.

Of course the Sicilians aren’t exactly loud about their ambitions, instead justifying their expansion as liberations of oppressed Jews. 

The Duchy of Toulouse is one of the many nations that broke free during the Collapse of the French Kingdom. This Hussite nation is heavily dependent on the surrounding Jewish nations, at least in terms of trade. As a result of that the Jewish nations, especially Sicily hold great sway over the rulers of this Occitanian realm. Some say that if Sicily were to push the duke he would not only convert, but agree to everything the Sicilians have to say.

The Sultans of the Hafsid family in Tunis are stuck between a rock and a hard place. With the Moroccans attempting to form a diplomatic union with them to unite the Maghreb and finally outshine their Cordoban rival, while the Sicillians urge them to reassert their claims to lands of Carthage in North Africa.

Ultimately the Sicilians aim to turn all of their Jewish allies and Carthage into Semi-Independent Imperial Provinces, while re-establishing West Rome.