On December 29th at 10:35 p.m. on ORF 2
Vienna (OTS) – They originally came to the south as fierce warriors and created the wealthiest and most advanced empire of the Middle Ages in Sicily: the Normans. Constance, Queen of Sicily, also has her roots in the far north. She is the last of a generation of successful immigrants. She has to fight hard for the throne. The Normans only ruled the Mediterranean island for around 100 years and yet they had a significant influence on the history of Europe. With “The Golden Kingdom – The Normans in Sicily,” “Universum History” will show an opulent feature-length documentary about one of the richest ruling houses in Europe, headed by a power-conscious woman, on Friday, December 29, 2023 at 10:35 p.m. on ORF 2 . The film by Klaus T. Steindl was created as a co-production by EPO-Film, MyMax Edutainment, ORF, ZDF/Arte and RAI.
They are a bunch of mercenaries who end up in Sicily from Normandy in the 11th century. Wanderlust is in the blood of the Norman warriors. Their ancestors, the Vikings, had already set off from Scandinavia to distant regions. In a short time, the warriors conquered Sicily, which was then under Arab rule. The story of the short-lived Norman kingdom is told in the film by Constance of Hauteville – the Norman name for Constance of Sicily. It is a story that begins with her grandfather Roger I (1031-1101), a penniless knight who sets out from Hauteville in Normandy to find happiness far away. The Norman have-not conquered Sicily from the Arabs in tough battles and founded a “golden” kingdom there. An empire over which his son Roger II (1095–1154) continued to rule. Under his reign, the island’s economy and culture flourished.
Constance (1154–1198) fights for power and crown in Sicily after the early death of her husband, the German Emperor Henry VI. She raises their son according to Norman values. But when he ascended his father’s imperial throne as Frederick II with the help of his Norman mother, the rule of the Hautevilles in Sicily ended. The descendants of the Vikings ruled the Mediterranean island for around a century. Her legacy continues to resonate today.
Why does Sicily flourish under the rule of former mercenaries? The Norman recipe for success: They don’t submit, they cooperate. Normans and Italians, Greeks and Arabs, Lombards and Jews – they all contribute to a cosmopolitan culture. It is a peaceful coexistence that is extremely conducive to the development of culture and economy on the island. Under the royal rule of the former mercenaries, magnificent buildings and irrigation systems were built. With the “Tabula Rogeriana,” completed in 1154, the Normans left a special legacy: the Arab geographer Al-Idrisi worked on this extremely detailed map for 18 years.
Based on the personal story of Queen Constance of Hauteville, the film shows the rise of the Normans to rulers of Sicily and reviews the heyday under their rule. An impressive feature-length documentary, shot at original locations in modern-day Sicily, with elaborate scenes and comments from experts from all over the world. The legacy of the Normans is brought tangibly closer to today’s audience.