Il re vassallo e il papa signore: fidelitas e sovranità nel Regno di Sicilia al tempo di Guglielmo II (1166-1189)

Abstract

The relationship between the Papacy and the Kingdom of Sicily is a classic topic in historiography. This article focuses on a group of sources that have received little attention: the decretals addressed by Popes Alexander III and Clement III to King William II. Their content offers direct insight into the institutional, juridical, and ecclesiological dynamics that characterized relations between Rome and the Kingdom during the Norman period, even within a broader context of peaceful relations.