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Confine o crocevia? La Sicilia del “lungo Trecento” tra rotte tirreniche e frontiere marittime
Abstract The chapter analyses the case of Sicily, whose vocation as a contact area intersected with its role as a maritime frontier. The connection between the two dimensions was particularly evident in Sicily in the late fourteenth century, which was the troubled season between the War of the Vespers and the second Aragonese invasion, and the end of the island’s independence. Sicily’s central role and position in the Mediterranean gave rise to a complex situation: the island was a point of intersection between the Mediterranean and foreign nations (Genoese, Catalan, Tuscan) that shared the same territory. The frontier was porous and crossed by multiple actors, sometimes in a violent way. There were religious borders, such as that with North Africa, and internal borders, drawn by the island’s political factions, or competition among external trading powers. Economic penetration showed the continuity of longdistance routes, managed by non local people. Foreigners had to manage the island’s landings and flows to control maritime borders. Sicily was central in dominating surrounding sea areas. Sicily in the fourteenth century had an open frontier lacking effective control by local authorities, which appeared to be more passive receivers of trade. Also noticeable is the Kingdom of Sicily’s lack of a proper naval policy, resulting in an inability to control neighbouring sea spaces. The sea brought foreigners, rather than projecting Sicily outwards. The island was a special case of a frontier and a crossroads.
