​

The Middle Ages

 

Until the eleventh century, southern peninsular Italy was a patchwork of territories divided between a Lombard dynasty based in Salerno and Byzantine Greeks in Bari. Sicily was a polyglot Muslim emirate of Arabs, Greeks, and Jews. The arrival of Norman mercenaries led to a gradual conquest of Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, and eventually Abruzzi and Molise. In 1061 Robert “Guiscard” Hauteville and his younger brother, Roger, launched an invasion of Sicily, reaching the Arab capital, Palermo, in 1071. William, one of Robert’s sons, inherited most of the mainland dominions while Roger II, a son of Robert’s brother, inherited Sicily and part of Calabria.

 

In 1130, Roger II united all of these lands to form the Kingdom of Sicily, a multicultural realm coterminous to the ancient Magna Graecia. Ruled from Palermo, Roger’s kingdom was a multicultural society of Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Muslims, and Jews. There were Sunnis, Shia, and at least one Ibadi community. Maliki law complemented feudal law and a legal code, the Assizes of Ariano, was introduced in 1140. Royal decrees were issued in two or three languages. Most people spoke at least two. Indeed, the polyculture Kingdom of Sicily was one of the wealthiest, most remarkable European realms of its era. King Roger’s authority was nearly absolute. A mosaic icon in Palermo’s Martorana church, erected for the city’s Greek community, shows him, dressed as a Byzantine basileus, crowned directly by Christ. There was tolerance for diversity, but slow cultural evolution led to Latinization in church and society, and the gradual emergence of vernacular languages like Sicilian and Neapolitan. The eventual result was a national identity.

 

Roger’s daughter, Constance, wed the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI Hohenstaufen. Her son, Frederick II, inherited the Kingdom of Sicily and imperial lands in northern Italy, along with Germany. Like Roger II, Frederick was erudite and enlightened for his time. His death in 1250 led to rule by his sons. In 1266, the Battle of Benevento saw the defeat of one of them, King Manfred of Sicily, by Charles of Anjou, the younger brother of King Louis IX of France. King Charles I, the victor moved the capital to Naples and instituted some harsh policies. In 1282, the Sicilians rebelled, expelling his troops from the island in the War of the Vespers. Peter III of Aragon was invited to become King of Sicily, leaving Charles as King of Naples. Since both claimed the traditional title, there were now two kingdoms of Sicily, hence the “Two Sicilies.”

 

Transition

 

The next few centuries found the mainland ruled by Angevins and the island by Aragonese. These conditions persisted, to a greater or lesser degree, into the seventeenth century. By this time, the rule of the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily by a single monarch in a “personal union” was becoming ever more commonplace. With this came the more frequent use of the name Two Sicilies, and the widespread perception abroad of these kingdoms as one state. Yet they remained separate legally, with no serious effort undertaken to unify them into the single nation that had existed until 1282.

 

Among the more noteworthy kings of the “Two Sicilies,” we find Alfonso “the Magnanimous” of Aragon from 1442 to 1458 and Ferdinand “the Catholic” of Spain from 1504 to 1516. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain ruled both Naples and Sicily, albeit from afar, from 1516 to 1554, followed by several of his descendants. Charles was forced to confront threats from the Ottoman Empire and its vassal states in northern Africa, and for that reason ceded Malta to the Knights Hospitaller as a bulwark against this menace in return for the symbolic annual feudal rent of a falcon. It wasn’t long before the European conquest of the Americas relegated the Mediterranean to the level of a secondary theatre of commercial and military activity, a sideshow.

 

The twin kingdoms lacked, but sorely needed, a resident monarch if they were to flourish as anything more than “provinces” of great powers like Spain and Austria. This arrived early in the eighteenth century with the House of Bourbon.

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The History of the American Delegation

​

The ties of the Royal House of Bourbon to the United States of America are almost as old as the Nation itself. Saint Peter’s Church, the oldest Catholic parish in New York, was founded in 1785. A year later, the church received a donation of a thousand silver dollars from Charles III (King of Naples and Sicily and Grand Master of the Order from 1734 – 1759) to aid with construction costs.   

 

Long before the American Delegation existed as such, individual citizens had been received into the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George as early as 1861 when now-Servant of God, King Francis II of Bourbon named diplomat Joseph Delafield a Knight of Grace. Earlier American Constantinian knights included prelates like James Cardinal Gibbons, who made a Bailiff of the Order in 1920, and others such as State Senator John J. Coyle, who became a Knight of Grace in 1925.

 

The ‘American Association of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George Inc.’ was formally organized in 1979. It was reorganized and incorporated in 1989 under the first Delegate H.E. Comm. David L. Garrison, Jr., who led the Delegation until he died in 2006. Since the revival of the Royal Order of Francis I, whose membership is not limited to Catholics, individuals of merit in North America have received it for their meritorious contributions in all areas of society.

 

The three decades of the American Delegation’s existence in North America have seen tremendous growth, The Delegation now counts prominent Knights and Dames from across the continent as Members of the Order. 

 

The Delegation’s ranks include members of every profession: public servants, politicians, and judicial authorities; military personnel of every rank; academics; business and medical administrators and professionals; clergy, both secular and regular; bishops and cardinals: all committed to the Orders’ singular charism, mission, and charitable works.

 

Over the decades, the American Delegation has participated in countless projects and other undertakings rooted in Christ’s mandate of evangelization, charity, and service, including the support of Catholic education and scouting, military chaplaincies, outreach to the poor and sick, and assistance to persecuted Christians. It has also sponsored or promoted many spiritual and cultural initiatives and events.

 

Our third delegate, H.E. Gr. Uff. John M. Viola began his mandate in 2014, assisted by national and regional vice delegates, and the national council. The Delegation welcomed its new prior, H.G. Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone in 2021. 

 

During this period, the American Delegation experienced much interest and growth. Gratefully recognizing those who have gone before us, we enthusiastically participate in our Delegation’s present and eagerly look forward to its glorious future.