Kalbids
The
Kalbids were a
Muslim dynasty in
Sicily, which ruled from
948 to
1053.
In
827, in the midst of internal
Byzantine conflict, the
Aghlabids arrived at
Marsala in
Sicily, with a fleet of 10,000 men under the command of
Asad ibn al-Furat.
Palermo was conquered in
831 and became the new capital. Syracuse fell in
878 and in
902 the last Byzantine outpost,
Taormina, was taken. At the same time various Muslim incursions into southern Italy occurred, with new Emirates being founded in
Taranto and
Bari. During this period there were constant power struggles amongst the Muslims. Nominally the island was under rule of the
Aghlabids and later the
Fatimids.
After successfully suppressing a revolt the Fatimid caliph appointed
Hassan al-Kalbi (
948-
964) as
Emir of Sicily, the first of the Kalbid dynasty. The Fatimids appointed the Khalbids as rulers via proxy before they shifted their capital from Ifriqiya to Cairo in 969. Raids into southern Italy continued under the Kalbids into the 11th century, and in
982 a German army under
Otto II was defeated near
Crotone in
Calabria. The dynasty began a steady period of decline with the Emirate of
Yusuf al-Kalbi (
990-
998) who entrusted the island to his sons and created space for interference from the
Zirids of
Ifriqiya. Under
al-Akhal (
1017-
1037) the dynastic conflict intensified, with factions allying themselves variously with Byzantium and the Zirids. Even though neither of these powers could establish themselves in Sicily permanently, under
Hasan as-Samsam (
1040-
1053) the island fragmented into small fiefdoms. The Kalbids died out in
1053, and in
1061 the
Normans of southern Italy arrived under
Roger I of Sicily and began their conquest, which was completed in
1091. The Muslims were allowed to remain and played an important role in the administration, army and economy of the Norman kingdom until the 12th century.
Under the Kalbid dynasty, Sicily, and especially Palermo, was an important economic centre of the
Mediterranean. The Muslims introduced lemons, Seville oranges and sugar cane, as well as cotton and mulberries for sericulture, and built irrigation systems for agriculture. Sicily was also an important hub for trade between the Near East, North Africa and the Italian maritime republics such as
Amalfi,
Pisa and
Genoa.
* Hassan al-Kalbi (948-964)
* Abu al-Qasim (-982)
* Jabir al-Kalbi (982-983)
* Jafar al-Kalbi (983-985)
* Abd-Allah al-Kalbi (985-990)
* Yusuf al-Kalbi (990-998)
* Ja'far al-Kalbi (998-1019)
* al-Akhal (1019-1037)
* Hasan as-Samsam (1040-1053)
