We’re celebrating International Women’s Day by exploring one of Italian history’s most-neglected protagonists, Margaret of Navarre, the Norman Queen of Sicily. We’re joined by Jacqueline Alio, an Italian American now living in Palermo, Sicily, who has written a dozen books on Sicilian history, focusing on the island’s long-overlooked queens. 

She’ll introduce us to the incredible figure of Queen Margaret, whose five-year reign over the Kingdom of Sicily represents a forgotten chapter from the Norman Sicilian Golden Age. We’ll explore how this singular woman navigated the many intrigues surrounding the Sicilian Monarchy, focused her efforts on creating equality before the law and peace amongst her Kingdom’s many cultures, and rebuilt the Monarchy after serious infighting almost tore the institution to the ground.