1283: The battle in Grand Harbour between the Angevins and the Aragonese

The two rivals: (left) Charles of Anjou (c.1226-85) as depicted in a print by Henri Decaisne, and Peter III of Aragon (1240-85) in a 1587-8 portrait by Filippo Ariosto (1560-1640). Courtesy: Museo Militar, Barcelona, Spain

On March 30, 1282, Easter Monday, during vespers at the church of the Holy Spirit on the outskirts of Palermo, Sicily, incidents between the Angevin (French) soldiery and the Sicilians led to an uprising and the death of a number of the French.There are various suggestions as to the events that led to this rebellion,...