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George of Antioch

Type Figure Region Sicily Time c. 1090–1151 Also known as George (of Antioch)

George of Antioch (d. 1151/52), a Greek who moved from Antioch to the Norman court of Sicily, served Roger II as admiral and 'Emir of Emirs,' conquer…

Timeline

  1. c. 1090–1130Antioch · AntiochGeorge came from a Greek family of Antioch; in his early years he may have served the Zirid dynasty in North Africa, later entering the court of Roger II of Sicily, where his command of Greek and Arabic made him a key figure linking Latin, Greek, and Islamic administration.
  2. 1135–1148Palermo · SicilyAs admiral he directed operations against Ifriqiya, capturing Tripoli, Mahdia, and other places in 1146–1148, and in 1147 raided Byzantine Corfu, Thebes, and Corinth, making Norman Sicily a maritime power of the central Mediterranean.
  3. 1140–1151Palermo · SicilyGeorge received the title 'Emir of Emirs,' overseeing finances and the navy. He built the church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio (later the Martorana) in Palermo, embodying the fusion of Greek rite and Norman court art; he died around 1151/52.

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