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Theme of Sicily

690 CE – 965 CE (approx.) · capital Syracuse

Byzantine military province of Sicily, based at Syracuse, which slowly fell to Arab conquest between 827 and 965.

Origins

Sicily was part of the Byzantine Empire after Justinian's reconquest in 535. In the late 7th century it was organised as a theme, a province under a military governor (strategos) at Syracuse. Emperor Constans II had resided at Syracuse from 663 until his murder there in 668.

Rule and society

The strategos commanded the island's forces and also controlled Byzantine Calabria. Sicily was a rich source of grain and tax revenue, and the papacy owned large estates there until Leo III confiscated them in the 730s. The island became increasingly Greek-speaking and Greek in its church, receiving monks and refugees from the eastern Mediterranean.

Decline and legacy

In 827 the rebel commander Euphemius invited the Aghlabids of Ifriqiya, who invaded and took Palermo in 831, Syracuse in 878 and Taormina in 902. Rometta, the last Byzantine stronghold, fell in 965, completing the Emirate of Sicily.

Connections (2)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻