Sicilian agriculture was strongly developed under Roman rule, and the island enjoyed a period of peace which lasted for centuries. Sicily later passed under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Roman Empire, and a new era of peace began, with the introduction of Christian faith and Byzantine culture. In 827, however, the island was invaded by the Saracens, who imposed their iron rule.

During the second half of the XI century, a Christian army led by Robert “the Guiscard” and his brother Roger I of Hauteville, designated by the Pope in Rome to free the island from Arab control, chased the Saracens away. In 1130 the Kingdom of Sicily was created, and Roger II of Hauteville was proclaimed first King of Sicily. He extended the Sicilian dominion creating a vast kingdom, which stretched to the North up to Montecassino, to the East up to Albania and South to the North African coasts of Tunisia and Libya. The Hauteville dynasty continued with William I and his son William II. Men of science and letters, politicians and artists from all over the world gathered at Palermo’s court, turning it into a magnificent centre of international culture.

After the death of William II, in 1189, the Hauteville dynasty was replaced by that of the Hohenstaufens. The short and tragic reign of Henry VI was followed by a return to ancient splendour in 1208, with the ascent to throne of Henry’s son, the great Frederick (I of Sicily; II of the Empire). A great statesman, well-versed in administration, natural science and mathematics, he promoted the development of a new, pre-Renaissance culture at his court. After his death (1250), a period of political unrest began.

The crown of Sicily (a vassal of the Holy See) was assigned by the Pope to Charles of Anjou, brother of the King of France. The Angevins (French) went so far as to subject Sicily to military occupation. This led to the Vespers Revolution, which broke out in Palermo on Easter Monday 1282, causing the expulsion of the Angevins from the island. The legitimate heir to the throne was King Peter of Aragon who, supported by Sicilian aristocrats, was crowned King of Sicily on September 4th 1282. With the only exception of Frederick III of Sicily, the Aragonese dynasty of Sicily (Crown of Trinacria), which had replaced the Angevins (supported by France), proved to be weak. In the XIV century, the great aristocratic families gained effective control of the island thanks to their economic and military power. As a matter of fact, the most important ones - the Alagona, Peralta, Ventimiglia and Chiaramonte - divided Sicily into four spheres of influence. This was the so-called historical period “of the four Vicars”. In 1392 - after a century of political weakness due to the doubtful outcome of the Vespers’ War against the Angevins of Naples (who had maintained the title of Kings of Sicily) - the Spanish Aragonese holders of the Crown of Trinacria strongly repressed Sicilian aspirations to autonomy.

In 1415, Sicily was joined to the Spanish Crown of Aragon, but the Spanish Kings never left Spain to rule the island, which was therefore in the hands of their Viceroys. In the XV century King Alfonso “the Magnanimous” (of Aragon and Sicily) managed to reunite the two parts of the Spanish ancient State (Sicily and southern Italy), and founded the Reign of two Sicilies. France fomented a series of revolts, which broke out between the XVI and XVII centuries. In 1672, during the war against Spain, Messina eventually rose up in arms, openly supported by the French King Louis XIV. But, in spite of their victories at sea and on land, the French abandoned Augusta and Messina in 1678. The latter was severely punished by the Spanish Crown and began its irresistible decline.

At the beginning of the XVIII century, Sicily was involved in the Spanish and Polish wars of succession, the so called Thirty Years War (1700-1738). During this time, the island was forced to yield its crown to the Savoy dynasty of the Bourbons of Naples, which restored the autonomy of the Reign of Two Sicilies. During Napoleon’s invasion, King Ferdinand of Bourbon moved to Palermo for a few years. Here he yielded to the republican aspirations of Sicilian aristocracy promulgating a Constitution (1812). However, when monarchic authority was restored in 1816, he repudiated the Constitution and dissolved the Sicilian Parliament. In 1820-21 the first anti-Bourbon uprising broke out. During the Revolution of 1848, republican supporters created a democratic Parliament in Naples and proposed the foundation of a federal entity uniting Sicily and other Italian states, but this revolutionary government was put down by military force. The war of 1860-61 eventually ended with the annexation of Sicily and southern Italy to the Kingdom of Italy, ruled by the House of Savoy. On May 15th 1946, a legislative decree granted regional autonomy to Sicily on the basis of a special Statute. In April 1947, the first Sicilian Regional Parliament was appointed.