Editing William II of Sicily (section)

==Kingship==

===Regency of his mother===
William was born in Palermo to [[William I of Sicily|William I]] and [[Margaret of Navarre]]. At the age of twelve his father died, and he was placed under the regency of his mother. In 1171 he was declared adult and until then the government was controlled first by the chancellor [[Stephen du Perche]] (1166–1168), cousin of Margaret, and then by [[Walter Ophamil]], archbishop of [[Palermo]], and [[Matthew of Ajello]], the vice-chancellor.<ref name="EB1911"/>

In 1168, du Perche was overthrown by a coup, while the revolts claimed that William was murdered and du Perche planned to have his brother marry [[Constance I of Sicily|Constance]], aunt of William who was confined to [[Santissimo Salvatore, Palermo]] as a nun from childhood due to a prediction that "her marriage would destroy Sicily", to claim the throne, despite the existence of [[Henry, Prince of Capua]] brother of William.<ref>Hugo Falcandus, ''Liber de regno Sicilie'', c. 55, ed. G. B. Siragusa, Fonti per la storia d'Italia 22 (1897) 150; T. Kölzer, ''Urkunden und Kanzlei der Kaiserin Konstanze, 8f.''</ref>

===Marriage and alliances===
An effort by [[Bertrand II (archbishop of Trani)|Bertrand II]], archbishop of [[Trani]], to negotiate the hand of Byzantine Princess [[Maria Komnene (daughter of Manuel I)|Maria]] for William yielded no fruit and led to his breaking up with Byzantine Emperor [[Manuel I Comnenus]] in 1172. In 1173, the Emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa]] proposed William's marriage with his daughter, [[Beatrice of Swabia (died 1174)|Beatrice]], but William refused to offend the pope.

In the same year the death of Henry, Prince of Capua marked a potential succession crisis: it was said that William II had Constance, the last legitimate heir to the throne, appointed heir and sworn fealty in 1174, but she remained confined in her monastery.

In 1174 and 1175 William made treaties with [[Republic of Genoa|Genoa]] and [[Republic of Venice|Venice]] and his marriage in February 1177 with [[Joan of England, Queen consort of Sicily|Joan]], daughter of King [[Henry II of England]] and Duchess [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]], marks his high position in European politics.<ref name="EB1911"/> Although Joan produced no surviving heir, William showed no intention to annul the marriage.

In July 1177, William sent a delegation of Archbishop [[Romuald II of Salerno]] and Count [[Roger of Andria]] to sign the [[Treaty of Venice]] with the Emperor. In 1184, he released 30-year-old Constance from convent, engaged her to the Emperor's son, the future [[Emperor Henry VI]] to secure the peace, and married her off on January 1186,{{sfn|Frohlich|1993|p=109}} causing a general oath to be taken to her as his [[heir presumptive]].<ref>''The Norman kingdom of Sicily'', Donald Matthew, Cambridge Cambridge University Press, 1992, p. 275 & 286</ref> This step, of great consequence to the Norman realm, was possibly taken that William might devote himself to foreign conquests,<ref name="EB1911"/> or aiming to prevent [[Tancred, King of Sicily|Tancred, Count of Lecce]], an illegitimate cousin of William, to claim the throne.<ref>''Gisleberti chronicon Hanoniense'', c. 33, ed. L. Vanderkindere, Bruxelles 1904, 66.</ref>

[[File:Monreale-bjs-4.jpg|thumb|left|[[Monreale Cathedral]], built during William's II reign. William and his parents are buried there.]]

===Wars with Egypt and Byzantine Empire===
{{main|Siege of Alexandria (1174)}}
Unable to revive the [[Kingdom of Africa|African dominion]], William directed his attack on [[Ayyubid Egypt]], from which [[Saladin]] threatened the Latin [[kingdom of Jerusalem]]. In July 1174, 30,000 men were landed before [[Alexandria]], but [[Saladin]]'s arrival forced the Sicilians to re-embark in disorder.{{sfn|Queller|Madden|1997|p=222}} A better prospect opened in the confusion in [[Byzantine]] affairs which followed the death of [[Manuel Comnenus]] (1180), and William took up the old design and feud against the Byzantine Empire.<ref name="EB1911"/> [[Dyrrhachium]] was captured (11 June 1185). Afterwards while the army (allegedly 80,000 men including 5,000 knights) marched upon [[Thessalonica]], the fleet (200 ships) sailed towards the same target capturing on their way the [[Ionian islands]] of [[Corfu]], [[Cephalonia]], [[Ithaca (island)|Ithaca]] and [[Zakynthos]]. In August 1185, [[Thessalonica]] [[Sack of Thessalonica (1185)|fell to the joint attack]] of the Sicilian fleet and army and was subsequently sacked.{{sfn|Hermans|1980|p=79}}

The troops then marched upon the capital, but the army of the emperor [[Isaac Angelus]], under the general [[Alexios Branas]], [[Battle of Demetritzes|defeated the invaders]] on the banks of the [[Struma River|Strymon]] (7 November 1185). Thessalonica was at once abandoned and in 1189 William made peace with Isaac, abandoning all the conquests. He was now planning to induce the crusading armies of the West to pass through his territories, and seemed about to play a leading part in the [[Third Crusade]]. His admiral [[Margaritus of Brindisi|Margarito]], a naval genius equal to [[George of Antioch]], with 60 vessels kept the eastern [[Mediterranean]] open for the [[Franks]], and forced the strong Saladin to retire from before [[Tripoli, Lebanon|Tripoli]] in the spring of 1188.<ref name="EB1911"/>

[[File:Mourning for William II of Sicily, Liber ad Honorem Augusti by Pietro da Eboli, Burgerbibliothek, Bern, cod. 120, c. 98r.jpg|thumb|upright|Palermo in mourning for the death of William II, from the ''Liber ad honorem Augusti'' by [[Peter of Eboli]].]]