Signori e cavalieri a Scicli in epoca normanna (1158-1166)

The contribution aims to revisit the issue of land distribution in Norman Sicily, a topic that was first systematically addressed by Illuminato Peri and Salvatore Tramontana. However, this discussion has largely stalled around the positions of the two Sicilian scholars, formulated in the mid-20th century. The fundamental obstacle to further reflection on the subject—the redistribution of Sicilian land by the Hautevilles to their loyal followers—has been the lack of new documentary discoveries. This essay, therefore, based on the analysis of two previously unpublished parchments (1158-1166) found in the tabulary of the Abbey of Santa Maria de Latinis in Agira, seeks to make a contribution on this front, focusing in particular on the events in Scicli. The examination of these unpublished diplomas has made it possible not only to identify the lord of the fortified settlement of Scicli, but also to reflect on the dynamics of the settlement of Southern Italian nobility in Sicily and on the relationships between the aristocracy and the Palestinian abbey.