The Mantle of Roger II of Sicily I ARTE Documentary

SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/artedocumentary?sub_confirmation=1 In 12th century Sicily King Roger II had a ceremonial cloak made to show his power and magnificence with beautiful Arabic inscriptions adorning its hems. Religious historian Valérie Theis explores the history of this mysterious mantle. While a movement of religious persecution against Jews, Muslims and infidels developed in Christian Europe in the 12th century, the Christian King of Sicily, Roger II, adorned himself with a magnificent silk cloak embroidered with Arabic inscriptions. We use this piece of clothing to tell the story of an empire that succeeds in ruling different communities. In 1130 Roger II becomes king of the multicultural Sicily at the interface between the Roman, Greek and Muslim world and forces the Pope to recognise his power. The Norman King of Sicily holds a special position. The father of Roger II, Roger I, is officially appointed papal envoy by the Pope. So he has the same power on the island as the head of the church. That is why one element of the cloak stands out in particular: the tree of life. It forms the center of the ornamentation and often serves as a symbol of the church. The garment also refers to the visual culture of the Mediterranean: the enamel plates are associated with Byzantine culture and the motifs and beadwork with Arabic handicrafts. But above all, it is a Sicilian coat that was made in Sicily, in the king's palace. Sicily at that time was characterised by multilingualism. In addition to Arabic, Greek and the Anglo-Norman language, various Italian dialects are spoken. So it is nothing special for the inhabitants of Sicily if the king wears an Arabic inscription on his cloak. This Kufic script was often used during the time of the Arab domination in Sicily. That could explain why Roger II chose these characters for his coat. 🗓 Available until the 24/11/2021 ARTE Documentary is here to tell you more about what’s going on in the world of culture and current affairs with powerful, refreshing and entertaining docs subtitled in English for our international fans. Discover a whole world on #ARTEdocumentary​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 💡 Want more from ARTE? Watch more of our programmes on ARTE.tv: ARTE in English 👉 https://www.arte.tv/en/​​​​​​​​​​ Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVogAsASqbceBmQMi1WA39g #MuseumDay #Sicily #ARTEdocumentary #MaterialCulture


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