Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Five Hundred Years of Solitude
By the end of the 14th century Sicily had been thoroughly marginalised. The eastern Medi-
terranean was sealed off by the Ottoman Turks, while the Italian mainland was off-limits on
account of Sicily's political ties with Spain. As a result the Renaissance passed the island
by, reinforcing the oppressive effects of poverty and ignorance. Even Spain lost interest in
its colony, choosing to rule through viceroys.
By the end of the 15th century, the viceroy's court was a den of corruption, and the most
influential body on the island became the Catholic Church (whose archbishops and bishops
were mostly Spaniards). The church exercised draconian powers through a network of
Holy Office tribunals, otherwise known as the Inquisition.
Reeling under the weight of state oppression, ordinary Sicilians demanded reform. But
Spanish monarchs were preoccupied by the wars of the Spanish succession and Sicily was
subsequently passed around from European power to European power like an unwanted
Christmas present. Eventually the Spanish reclaimed the island in 1734, this time under the
Bourbon king Charles I of Sicily (1734-59).
Under the reign of Charles I's successor, Ferdinand IV, the landed gentry vetoed any at-
tempts at liberalisation. Large exports of grain continued to enrich the aristocracy while
normal Sicilians died of starvation.
