William II the Good of Naples & Sicily ^{2 3 4}

  General Notes:

Norman king of Sicily (1166-89), the son of William I. Entertaining hopes of a Mediterranean empire, he sought (1172) marriage with Maria Comnena, daughter of the Byzantine emperor Manuel I. That failing, he embarked (1174-75) upon an unsuccessful attempt at conquest in North Africa. He later married (1177) Joan Plantagenet, daughter of Henry II of England, and launched a campaign (1185) against Byzantium. Repulsed, he planned participation in the Third Crusade but died before joining it.

In November 1189 William died, leaving no children. His title of "the Good" is due perhaps less to his character than to the cessation of internal troubles in his reign. The "Voyage" of Ibn-Giobair, a traveller in Sicily in 1183-1185, shows William surrounded by Muslim women and eunuchs, speaking and reading Arabic and living like "a Moslem king."

  Noted events in his life were:

• Acceded: King of Naples & Sicily, 1166.

William married Joan Plantagenet, daughter of Henry II Curtmantle of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, on 13 Feb 1177 in Palermo Cathedral, Palermo, Sicily, Italy.¹ (Joan Plantagenet was born in Oct 1165 in Angers Castle, Angers, Anjou, France, died on 4 Sep 1199 in Fontevraud Abbey, Fontevraud, Berri, France and was buried in Fontevraud Abbey, Fontevraud, Berri, France.) The cause of her death was childbirth.

  Marriage Notes:

William and Joan had one son, who died in infancy. ⁴