IAP 179: Italy's Forgotten Monarch: Queen Margaret of Sicily-- With Special Guest Jacqueline Alio

The Italian American Podcast

We’re celebrating International Women’s Day by exploring one of Italian history’s most-neglected protagonists, Margaret of Navarre, the Norman Queen of Sicily.

We’re joined by Jacqueline Alio, an Italian American now living in Palermo, Sicily, who has written a dozen books on Sicilian history, focusing on the island’s long-overlooked queens. She’ll introduce us to the incredible figure of Queen Margaret, whose five-year reign over the Kingdom of Sicily represents a forgotten chapter from the Norman Sicilian Golden Age.

We’ll explore how this singular woman navigated the many intrigues surrounding the Sicilian Monarchy, focused her efforts on creating equality before the law and peace amongst her Kingdom’s many cultures, and rebuilt the Monarchy after serious infighting almost tore the institution to the ground.

We’ll examine how unique the idea of a female sovereign was in Margaret’s time, and how her erasure from history might not be accidental.

Join us for this fascinating look into the life of a truly regal woman, and an exploration of this long-neglected chapter in Italian history.

Click here to learn more about Jacqueline Alio.

A Selection of Jacqueline Alio’s Books:

Margaret, Queen of Sicily

Queens of Sicily: 1061 – 1266

Women of Sicily: Saints, Queens & Rebels

Time Traveler’s Guide to Sicily (Jaqueline Alio and Louis Mendola)

Sicilian Food and Wine: The Cognoscente’s Guide

The Peoples of Sicily: A Multicultural Legacy

This episode is sponsored by Mediaset Italia

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