00:00How did the Vikings take over Sicily? When people think of Vikings, they think of their
00:04conquests in northern Europe, but did you know they once conquered southern Italy?
00:09Some Viking groups that settled in northern France became the Normans. In the 11th century,
00:15groups of these Normans went to Italy to fight as mercenaries, but since southern Italy was
00:20so divided, they realized they could take land for themselves. The Pope saw how powerful they
00:25were becoming and sent an army, but the Normans ended up defeating them. They kept expanding and
00:31eventually pushed the Byzantines out of Italy. The Normans then turned to Sicily, which was divided
00:36into many kingdoms, and over the next 30 years, conquered the entire island. They later created
00:42the Kingdom of Sicily. Their kingdom became multicultural, with Muslims, Catholics, and
00:47Orthodox Christians living under Norman rule. Around a century later, a succession crisis allowed
00:53the Holy Roman Emperor to conquer Sicily, ending Norman rule.
