Ugo Falcando, Hugo Falcandus - The History of the Tyrants of Sicily by 'Hugo Falcandus' 1154-69

The history of the tyrants of Sicily by the so-called Hugo Falcandus is a key source for the history of the medieval kingdom of Sicily. It describes the events of the reign of King William I ‘the Bad’ (1154-66) and the minority of his son, William II ‘the Good’ (1166-89) up to the spring of 1169. These were years of crisis and the 'history' presents a vivid and compelling (though savagely biased) picture of royal tyranny, rebellion and factional dispute at court. The author was both an eye-witness to the events he described and one of the great Latin writers of the Middle Ages.

This book provides the first English translation of the ‘history’ along with a selection of other contemporary evidence for this period. The introduction gives an original interpretation of the twelfth-century kingdom of Sicily which places the ‘history’ in its historical and literary context, and examines the problem of its authorship. The notes to the texts offer a detailed guide to the Siculo-Norman kingdom and its leading figures. This book offers a fascinating insight into a rarely-studied field of medieval history, and makes accessible to scholars, students and the interested general reader one of the most remarkable writers of the period.