Les vêpres siciliennes (The Sicilian Vespers) is an opera in five acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to a French libretto by Charles Duveyrier and Eugène Scribe. It is based on a historical event, the 1282 Sicilian Vespers. It was first performed at the Paris Opera in 1855. This article is about opera as an art form. ... Giuseppe Verdi, by Giovanni Boldini, 1886 (National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome) Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (October 10, 1813 – January 27, 1901) was one of the great composers of Italian opera. ... A libretto is the body of words used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, oratorio, or musical. ... Augustin Eugène Scribe ( December 24, 1791 - February 20, 1861), was a French dramatist and librettist. ... The Sicilian Vespers is the name given to a rebellion in Sicily, in 1282 against the rule of the Angevin king Charles I, who had taken control of the island with Papal support in 1266. ... Exterior of the Palais Garnier. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Like Verdi's Don Carlos, which was also based on a French libretto, an Italian version was quickly prepared. The opera is performed in Italian under the title I vespri siciliani. Don Carlos is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi. ...