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Dateline
734 B.C. Corinthians found Syracuse.
480 B.C. Syracusans overrun the Carthaginian beachhead at the Battle of Himera.
415 B.C. Athens sails a great armada against Syracuse but is defeated.
409 B.C. Carthage attacks and destroys Selinunte and Himera.
211 B.C. Syracuse is sacked as Romans declare victory.
535 Belisarius annexes Sicily to the Eastern Roman Empire.
827 Saracens' invasion of Sicily launched.
1032 Roger seizes Palermo, launching the Norman dynasty.
1190-97 Henry, a Hohenstaufen, rules Sicily after defeating the Normans.
1231 Frederick II issues the antifeudal Constitution of Melfi.
1282 A rebellion -- the so-called Sicilian Vespers -- breaks out in Palermo, spreading across the island.
1302 Peace treaty between the Angevins and the Aragonese gives Sicily to the Spaniards.
1513 Spanish Inquisition introduced.
1693 Earthquake destroys much of eastern Sicily, including Catania.
1713 Treaty of Utrecht assigns Sicily to House of Savoy.
1734 Spanish reclaim Sicily under Bourbon king, Charles I.
1812 A liberal constitution spells the doom of the feudal system.
1816 Ferdinand abrogates the constitution, creates Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
1860 Garibaldi's forces chase out the Bourbons, as Sicilians vote for unification.
1908 Earthquake in Messina takes 80,000 lives.
1943 Allied armies under Patton and Montgomery capture Sicily from the Nazis.
1946 Sicily granted limited independence.
1951 A massive immigration from the island begins, eventually totaling one million Sicilians.
1980s-1990s In spite of a campaign against it by the government, the Mafia maintains a strong influence on the island.
2002 Mount Etna announces itself once again, belching smoke and fire and threatening tourist facilities near Catania.
2004 Sicilian Mafia rebuilds, but faces competition from Calabria.
2006 Mafia's number one boss arrested near Corleone.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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