Editing Tancred, King of Sicily (section)

=== Treaty with Richard ===
Tancred was a good soldier, though his tiny stature earned him the nickname "Tancredulus" from the poet chronicler [[Peter of Eboli]].<ref name="EB1911"/> Despite a measure of popular support, his rule faced daunting challenges right from the start.

In 1190, [[Richard I of England|King Richard I of England]] arrived in Sicily at the head of a large crusading army on its way to the Holy Land. Richard immediately demanded the release of his sister, William II's wife [[Joan of England, Queen consort of Sicily|Joan]], imprisoned by Tancred in 1189, along with every penny of her [[dowry]] and [[dower]] (in response of her vocal support of Germans). He also insisted that Tancred fulfil the financial commitments made by William II to the crusade. When Tancred balked at these demands, Richard seized a monastery and the castle of La Bagnara.

Richard was joined in Sicily by the French crusading army, led by [[Philip II of France|King Philip II]]. The presence of two foreign armies soon caused unrest among the locals. In October the people of [[Messina, Italy|Messina]] revolted, demanding that the foreigners leave the island. Richard responded by attacking Messina, which he captured on 4 October 1190. After the city had been looted and burned, Richard established his base there and decided to stay the winter.

Richard remained at Messina until March 1191, when Tancred finally agreed to a treaty. According to the treaty's main terms:
*Joan was to be released, receiving her dower along with the dowry.
*Richard and Philip recognised Tancred as King of Sicily and vowed to keep the peace among all three of their kingdoms.
*Richard officially proclaimed his nephew [[Arthur of Brittany]] as his heir presumptive, and Tancred promised to marry one of his daughters to Arthur when he came of age (Arthur was four years old at the time).

After signing the treaty Richard and Philip finally left Sicily for the Holy Land. It is rumoured that before he left, Richard gave Tancred a sword he claimed was [[Excalibur]] in order to secure their friendship.<ref>M. I. Finley, Denis Mack Smith and Christopher Duggan, A History of Sicily (New York: Viking, 1987), p. 65.</ref>