1987/01/01 by J. Johns · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Historical and Linguistic Studies #Medieval History and Crusades #Historical Studies of Medieval Iberia #Kingdom #Arabic #Style (visual arts) #Administration (probate law) #History #Classics #Ancient history #Political science #Law #Archaeology #Philosophy #Linguistics
paper · doi:10.1017/s0263718900006865
openalex publication_date 1987/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract This article reviews some aspects of the interesting history of a briefly held Norman Kingdom in Africa in the mid-twelfth century. The question of whether or not the Norman rulers of Sicily ever adopted a formal Arabic title for their African kingdom ( malik Ifrīqiya ) is discussed in detail, with attention drawn in particular to multilingual inscriptions set up in 1148 by Grizant, priest of King Roger. The significant date of these inscriptions, being the very year at which the African conquests became firmly established, suggests an official title which was experimented with and discarded (at least in formal use, since it occurs in private documents later). The reasons why the style was not more widely adopted are examined in the second part of the article, focusing on the changing pattern of relations between the Norman court in Sicily and the Fāṭimid administration in Egypt.