Parliament of the Kingdom of Sicily | |
|---|---|
.svg) Royal coat of arms of Sicily, after-14th century | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Established | 1097 |
| Disbanded | 19 April 1849 |
| Succeeded by | Sicilian Regional Assembly |
| Leadership | |
President of the Parliament | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Royal Palace of Palermo,Palermo,Sicily | |
TheParliament of the Kingdom of Sicily (Latin:Parlamentum Regni Siciliae[1]), orSicilian Parliament, was thelegislature of theKingdom of Sicily from the 11th century until 1816, and again in 1848 when it assembled in the context of theSicilian revolution of independence of 1848. Parliament evolved from thecuriae generales of bishops, lords and cities representatives that advised theSicilian monarch.[2]
Originally aunicameral body, abicameralEnglish-style Parliament was adopted by theSicilian Constitution of 1812 when its membership was divided into aHouse of Lords and an elected lower house.
The Sicilian Parliament is arguably one of the oldest parliaments in the world and the first legislature in the modern sense.[4][5]
In 1097 came the first conference inMazara del Vallo convened byRoger I the Great Count. The parliament was initially travelling, as it had no official building to house it. The Sicilian Parliament was made up of three branches: one feudal, one ecclesiastical, and one from the towns. The feudal branch was formed by noble representatives of counties and baronies; the ecclesiastical branch was formed byarchbishops,bishops,abbots andarchimandrites, while the state-owned branch was formed by representatives of 42 autonomous towns in Sicily. The first Norman parliament had only an advisory function- especially in taxation, economics and wars- and was responsible for confirmation of the sovereign. Members were chosen from the more powerful nobles.[citation needed]
Since 1130, meetings have been held in thePalazzo dei Normanni, inPalermo. Its first radical change came with Frederick II of Sicily, who allowed access to parts of civil society.[citation needed]
After a period in the background during the reign ofCharles I of Anjou, the Parliament became the central focus of the organization of theSicilian Vespers. On 3 April 1282, during the uprising, the red and yellow flag with a centraltriskele was adopted by Parliament: today it is theflag of Sicily. With the Vespers and the subsequent settlement ofFrederick III of Aragon in 1297, the Assembly strengthened its central role. At this time, the Parliament was permanently established atCastello Ursino, inCatania, at theSala dei Parlamenti (Parliaments Hall). At this time, the Sicilian Parliament consisted primarily of landowners, mayors of cities, counts and barons, and was chaired and convened by the king. Parliament had the constitutional responsibility to elect the king and to guarantee the proper conduct of ordinary justice exercised by executioners, judges, notaries and other officials of the kingdom.
In 1410 the Sicilian Parliament was held atPalazzo Corvaja inTaormina, in the presence of QueenBlanche I of Navarre - a historic meeting for the election of theKing of Sicily after the death ofMartin II. Under the rule of the successive kings of Aragon, Sicily lost its political autonomy and aviceroy ruled the island.Charles V again summoned parliament in Palermo in 1532, which continued to meet underPhilip II, preserving its authority. Over time the importance of the Sicilian Parliament faded.
In Palermo, on 19 July 1812, the Sicilian Parliament, meeting in extraordinary session, declared the feudal regime abolished, promulgated the first Sicilian constitution, of English inspiration, and approved a radical reform of the state.[6] In 1816, the Parliament, along with the Kingdom of Sicily was abolished when the latter united with the Kingdom of Naples to form theKingdom of the Two Sicilies.
The Parliament only met again during theSicilian revolution of 1848.
On 25 March 1848, the General Parliament of Sicily met in Palermo, with a revolutionary government composed of a president and ministers.Vincenzo Fardella of Torrearsa was elected president, to be followed byRuggero Settimo. After sixteen months ofde facto autonomous rule, the Parliament was declared void by the Bourbon dynasty, who offered the vacant throne of Sicily to thePrince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa, the second son ofCarlo Alberto of Savoy. Though his claim was recognized by the British, Ferdinando declined the offer after the Sardinian defeat at theBattle of Novara. The life of the Parliament of 1848-49 was short, and alreadyFerdinand II of the Two Sicilies began to take possession of Sicily through the so-called "Gaeta decree" or Gaeta ultimatum of 28 February 1849, wherein he demanded greater powers of taxation and composed a government in which he held the bulk of the power.[7] On 14 May that year, the Parliament was dissolved.[8]
The final reconstitution of the Parliament came at the end ofWorld War II, when, in order to defuse a buddingseparatist movement in Sicily, the island was granted special autonomy and its Parliament was reborn, on 25 May 1947, in Palermo, as theSicilian Regional Assembly.
