George of Antioch (died 1151 or 1152) was the first true ammiratus ammiratorum, successor of the great Christodulus. He was a Greek, born in Antioch, whence he moved with his parents to Tunisia. His parents found employ under the Sultan Tamim ibn al-Muizz. George fell out with Tamims' son and successor, Yahya, and left for Christian Sicily secretly, stealing away in disguise aboard a Palermitan ship then harboured in Mahdia while his Moslem masters prayed. Upon arrival in the Sicilian capital, George went immediately to the palace and found service with the count, Roger II. Events Ghazni is burned by the princes of Ghur Geoffrey of Anjou dies, and succeeded by his son Henry, aged 18. ... Events March 4 - Frederick I Barbarossa is elected King of the Germans Eleanor of Aquitaine has her marriage to Louis VII annulled May 18 - Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Henry of Anjou Church of Ireland acknowledges Popes authority Almohad Dynasty conquers Algeria Establishment of the archbishopric of Nidaros (Trondheim), Norway... Admiral is a word from the Arabic term Amir-al-bahr (commander of the sea). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... Nickname: Palermu Motto: Official website: http://www. ... Mahdia, Arabic: المهدية (al-Mahdiya), is a Tunisian coastal city with 37,000 inhabitants, south of Monastir and southeast of Sousse. ... Roger II, from Liber ad honorem Augusti of Petrus de Ebulo, 1196. ...

Due to his bilingualism (in Greek and Arabic) and his familiarity with the Mediterranean Sea, he was soon working as an ambassador on missions to Fatimid Egypt. In 1123, he had risen to second-command in Christodulus' navy. In the attack on Mahdia that year, George captured the fortress of ad-Dimas, but the campaign had to be abandoned. In the following five years, George overshadowed Chrisotodulus and by 1127 had replaced him in this position as emir of Palermo, or ammiratus ammiratorum. In that year, both emirs were present at Montescaglioso with Count Roger, but Christodulus seems to have died soon therafter and George succeeded him. The Arabic language (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), or simply Arabic (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... The Fatimids or Fatimid Caliphate (Arabic الفاطميون) is the Ismaili Shiite dynasty that ruled much of North Africa from A.D. 5 January 910 to 1171. ... Events First Council of the Lateran confirms Concordat of Worms and demands that priests remain celibate End of the reign of Emperor Toba of Japan. ... Events Conrad III establishes the Hohenstaufen dynasty when he is crowned antiking to the Holy Roman Emperor, Lothair II. First coalition of the Norman princes against Roger II of Sicily. ...

George was instrumental in fully subduing independent-minded Apulia and Calabria in the years following Roger's succession there. In 1129, George brought sixty ships to bear on besieged Bari, then rebellious under Prince Grimoald Alferanites. Surrender was forced, but Roger pardoned the prince. In 1131, Roger demanded the keys to the castle as well as full control over their city's defences from the citizens of Amalfi. The Amalfitans refused and again George blockaded the city and captured all Amalfitan ships: the city surrenderd. In 1132, George was given the title ''ammiratus ammiratorum, translating Admiral of Admirals in modern English, but meaning Emir of Emirs to contemporaries. Apulia (official Italian name: Puglia) is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Otranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. ... Calabria, formerly Brutium, is a region in southern Italy which occupies the toe of the Italian peninsula south of Naples. ... Events Emperor Toba of Japan begins his cloistered rule sharing power with Sutuku, ex-emperor Shirakawas son. ... Region Apulia Mayor Michele Emiliano Area  116 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Density 316. ... Events May 9 - Tintern Abbey is founded. ... The Amalfi coast. ... Events Diarmaid Mac Murrough has the abbey of Kildare in Ireland burned and the abbess raped. ... For the 80s pop band, see Modern English (band). ...

In 1143, George founded the Greek Orthodox church of S. Maria del Ammiraglio, now known as the Martorana after Geoffrey of Marturanu, the founder of a nearby Benedictine monastery. The church's façade greatly impressed the traveller Ibn Jubayr in 1184. In this church is a mosaic depicting George. Events Celestine II is elected pope. ... Greek Orthodox Church can refer to any of several hierarchical churches within the larger group of mutually recognizing Eastern Orthodox churches: the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the first among equals of the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... A Benedictine is a person who follows the Rule of St Benedict. ... Ibn Jubayr (also Jabair, 1145-1217), Arabian geographer, was born in Valencia. ... // Events Abbeville receives its commercial charter. ...

In 1146, George captured Tripoli and established Sicilian authority in North Africa on a permanent basis. He had already captured several minor coastal cities in the fifteen years prior, but Mahdia, which had been in the hands of Abul-Hasan al-Hasan ibn Ali since the failed attack of 1123, did not capitulate yet. Events Saint Bernard of Clairvaux preaches the Second Crusade at Vezelay, Burgundy First written mention of Bryansk. ... Tripoli (population 1 million, Arabic: Ţarabulus) is the capital of Libya. ...

In 1147, for reasons unknown, Roger attacked the Byzantine Empire. George he sent from Otranto to assault Corfu. According to Nicetas Choniates, the island capitulated due to the tax burden and George's promises. Leaving a garrison, George sailed on to the Peloponnesus. He sacked Athens and quickly moved on to the Ionian Islands. He ravaged the coast all along Euboea and the Gulf of Corinth and penetrated as far as Thebes, where he pillaged the silk factories and took the Jewesses, silk artisans all, away. George capped the expedition with a sack of Corinth, in which the relics of Saint Theodore were stolen, and then returned to Sicily. Events King Afonso I of Portugal and the Crusaders capture Lisbon from Muslims First written mention of Moscow. ... Byzantine Empire (Greek: ), is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Otranto is a seaport and archiepiscopal see of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Lecce, from which it is 291 miles southeast by rail, 49 ft. ... Pontikonisi Island Corfu (ancient and modern Greek Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, Latin Corcyra; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is an island of Greece, in the Ionian Sea. ... Nicetas Choniates (c. ... Peloponnesos (Greek: Πελοπόννησος, sometime Latinized as Peloponnesus or Anglicized as The Peloponnese) is a large peninsula in Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Isthmus of Corinth. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína (IPA: )) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ... The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: Ionia Nisia, Ιόνια Νησιά; Ancient Greek: Ionioi Nesoi, Ιόνιοι Νήσοι) are a group of islands in Greece. ... Euboea or Negropont (Modern Greek: Εύβοια Evia, Ancient Greek Εúβοια Eúboia; see also List of traditional Greek place names), is the largest island of the Greek archipelago. ... The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece. ... Two important places in antiquity were called Thebes: Thebes, Greece – Thebes of the Seven Gates; one-time capital of Boeotia. ... Corinth, or Korinth (Κόρινθος; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a Greek city, on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. ... Theodore the Studite ( ca. ...

In 1148, George finally conquered Mahdia. Firtly, the governor of Gabes had revolted against his overlord, al-Hasan, and promised to deliver his city to Roger II if he was appointed governor. War inevitably broke out in the Summer of 1148. George led a fleet against Mahdia. The sultan voluntarily went into exile, taking with him very little treasure, and Mahdia capitulated. The cities of Sfax and Soussa surrendered soon after. Tunisia was incorporated into the Kingdom of Sicily, which reached its apogee through Georges conquests, containing not only Sicily and the Mezzogiorno, but also Corfu and Tunisia. Events Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona conquered Tortosa in posetion of the moors. ... Gabès (in Arabic: قابس) is one of the main Tunisian governorates. ... Sfax, Looking across the Place de la Republique towards the Town Hall. ... The Mezzogiorno or Southern Italy is the area of Italy south of Rome. ...

In 1149, Corfu was retaken and George took a fleet of forty ships up the Bosphorus to the walls of Constantinople, where he tried to land. Failing this he ravaged a few villae on the Asian coast and fired arrows at the imperial palace. He died soon after, in year 546 of the Hegira according to Ibn al-Athir, corresponding to 1151 or 1152. He was succeeded in his offices by Philip of Mahdia. Asides his eponymous church, he left as an architectural monument the seven-arched bridge over the River Oreto by Palermo and there, on May 27, 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi's Redshirts first fought the troops of Francis II of the Two Sicilies in the Risorgimento. Events Castle of Carimate destroyed. ... Fatih Sultan Mehmed Bridge over the Bosporus seen from over Rumelihisarı This article is about the strait; Bosphorus is also a Turkish Boğaziçi or İstanbul Boğazı) is a strait that separates the European part (Rumeli) of Turkey from its Asian part (Anadolu), connecting the Sea of Marmara (Marmara Denizi) with... Map of Constantinople. ... Hijra may refer to: Hijra (Hegira/Hijrah/Hejira) is an Arabic term referring to the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622. ... Izz ad-DÄ«n Hassan Karam pour AthÄ«r (1160–1233), was a 13th century Iranian/Persian historian born in Cizre in Northern Kurdistan province. ... Events Ghazni is burned by the princes of Ghur Geoffrey of Anjou dies, and succeeded by his son Henry, aged 18. ... Events March 4 - Frederick I Barbarossa is elected King of the Germans Eleanor of Aquitaine has her marriage to Louis VII annulled May 18 - Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Henry of Anjou Church of Ireland acknowledges Popes authority Almohad Dynasty conquers Algeria Establishment of the archbishopric of Nidaros (Trondheim), Norway... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Image:Untitled. ... During the Italian Risorgimento, the volunteers that followed Giuseppe Garibaldi in Southern Italy were called Redshirts (Camice rosse) because of the colour of their shirts (complete uniforms were beyond the finances of the Italian patriots). ... King Francis II of the Two Sicilies (January 16, 1836 – December 27, 1894) was the son and heir of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies and Maria Cristina of Savoy. ... Italian unification, also known as Risorgimento (resurrection), was a historical process by which the Kingdom of Sardinia (ruled by the Savoy dynasty with Turin as its capital) gradually conquered the Italian peninsula, including the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Duchy of Modena, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy...

Sources

• Norwich, John Julius. The Normans in the South 1016-1130. Longmans: London, 1967.
• Norwich, John Julius. The Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194. Longman: London, 1970.