colony · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan

Kingdom of Africa

1146 CE – 1160 CE · capital Mahdia

The Norman Kingdom of Sicily's string of coastal conquests in Ifriqiya, a short-lived Christian dominion over Muslim ports from Tripoli to Mahdia.

Origins

Under Roger II, the Kingdom of Sicily exploited famine and the collapse of the Zirid emirate to seize the North African coast. His admiral George of Antioch took Tripoli in 1146, and in 1148 Mahdia, Sousse and Sfax fell as the Zirid ruler al-Hasan fled. Gabès and other towns accepted Sicilian overlordship, forming what Roger styled his realm of Africa.

Rule and society

The Normans ruled indirectly, as they did with the Muslims of Sicily. Local qadis and governors stayed in place, Islamic law and worship continued, and the towns paid tribute to Palermo. Garrisons held the ports, and the aim was control of grain and the sea lanes between Sicily and Africa rather than settlement or conversion.

Decline and legacy

After Roger's death in 1154 the towns revolted, starting with Sfax in 1156. The Almohad caliph Abd al-Mu'min marched east, besieged Mahdia and took it in January 1160, ending Christian rule. The episode foreshadowed later European footholds on the Maghreb coast.

Connections (3)

More states of Egypt, North Africa and Sudan →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Africa. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-africa
MLA
“Kingdom of Africa.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-africa. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Africa.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-africa.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Africa’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-africa (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻