Messina is the third largest city in Sicily. It is found in the northeast
at the straits of Messina facing Reggio Calabria on the Italian mainland. The Straits of Messina
made Messina a highly strategic location and this factor has dominated its history
all potential invaders had to reckon in some way with Messina the gateway to Sicily
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The city of Zancle was founded by the Greeks in the 8th century before Christ. King Zanclus
was the first king of Messina named Zanclo in Italian the city of Zancle was renamed to Messina
in the 5th century after the ancient Greek city of Messene, in the Peloppenese.
Reacting to an earlier clash with Dionysus the Carthaginians sacked Messina in 397 bc after the
Battle of Messene. Himlico leader of the Carthaginians dispersed the population
and completely destroyed the city. Himlico wisely did not set up a base in Messina
as he knew he could not hold it long term against his mortal enemy Dionysus of Syracuse
indeed Messina was retaken by Dionysus but he himself failed to fully
wipe Carthage from the island of Sicily. This wider conflict the Sicilian wars continued for some time
As time passed the city of Messene was rebuilt from the ashes only to challenge both Carthage and Syracuse
In 288 bc Agathocles hired the Mamertines these were Italian mercenaries from Campania
and seized the city using treachery how did they do it well the people of Messina
allowed the group of traveling Mamertines into their homes
suddenly the mercenaries betrayed the hosts killed the men took the spoils and divided the women
the Mamertines then used the city as a base to attack surrounding settlements in the countryside
leading to an inevitable clash with Syracuse Hiero ii of Syracuse overran the Mamertines near
Mylae now Milazzo on the north coastline and immediately turned on Messina
Carthage supported the Mamertines as part of their long-standing campaign
against Syracuse. Hiero attacked the city again in 264 bc the Mamertines now sought support from the
Roman republic the Romans were initially reluctant to assist a mutinous group like the Mamertines but
they were equally wary of the sphere of influence of Carthage across Sicily and how it posed a risk
across into the mainland of Italy. For now Rome pledged an alliance of convenience
with the Mamertines and deployed Roman troops for the first time into Sicily in 264 bc
the first Punic war began and saw Messina as a free city allied with Rome the city then known as
Messana had a strategically important lighthouse a fact not lost on the Romans indeed Sextus Pompeus
used Messana in his war against Octavian. As the western Roman empire collapsed the Goths entered
Messina in 476 Messina was subsequently ruled by a number of groups the Byzantine empire in 535
the Arabs in 842 and the Normans Robert and Roger Guiscard in 1061 the latter who would
become Roger I of Sicily. The English King Richard I "The Lionheart") passed through Messina in 1189
as he traveled to the Holy Land for the Third Crusade for a short period he occupied Messina
over a dispute concerning a dowry his sister had married William the Good king of Sicily
Tragically the black death entered western Europe through a number of ports one of which was Messina in 1347
infected Genoese galleys returned from the Ukraine into Messina it is believed the plague was spread
on the Asian trade routes and through the infected Mongol armies led by Janibeg.
there were records of death ships from the east, boats where the entire crew
were either dead or dying of plague. The black death devastated the city of Messina
and quickly spread into mainland Italy and across Sicily. St. Ignatius and Pope Paul II founded
the first Jesuit college in the world in 1548 which is now the university of Messina or UniMe
Christian that is Spanish and Venetian ships left Messina for the prolonged naval battle of Lepanto
in 1571. This was one of the largest naval battles ever fought. After a prolonged clash
the Christian fleet defeated an Ottoman navy in an area of the sea to the west of Greece
the esteemed Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, who you may heard of as the author of Don Quixote
fought in the battle of Lepanto and recovered from his wounds in the grand hospital in Messina
Messina was at its glory and its height in the early 17th century
still under Spanish control but one of the great European cities. The Messina revolt of 1672-78
saw the population rise up against the Spanish garrison in 1674.
the viceroy of Sicily Claude Lamoral lost control and resigned. Messina pitched for French support
which was provided the French navy initially won victories against the Dutch and Spanish navy
in Lipari. Messina remained temporarily independent still supported by French King Louis xiv
in a very ignoble end, Louis xiv sent an ambassador Valbelle to apparently replace the Spanish viceroy in 1678
in reality the instructions for the ambassador were to plan a swift French evacuation
the Spaniards returned to Messina promising an amnesty to all and promptly sacked the city
the university the senate the independence enjoyed since Roman times all disappeared
while fortress Real Cittadella was built by the Spanish to retain control
the people of Messina continued to suffer and a further 48 000 people died of the plague
in 1743. the earthquake of 1783 devastated Messina damage from which the city never truly recovered
Risorgimento riots broke out in Messina in 1847 demanding a reunification of Italy
and Sicily. By 1848 Bourbons effectively the French were violently cracking down
on the ongoing unrest. The battle of Milazzo in 1860 resulted in the troops of Garibaldi finally
entering Messina. A key Risorgimento figure Giuseppe Mazzini was elected deputy at Messina in 1866.
A further earthquake struck the city in 1894. In 1908 the city saw the twin perils of earthquake
and tsunami which killed approximately 100 000 people devastated the city's ancient architecture
albeit the rebuilding activities began straight away
in 1943 this strategic importance caused serious damage as a result of Allied air raids
during the Allied invasion of Sicily Messina was specifically targeted
due to its link to the mainland by both British and American air forces. A third of the city was
destroyed and nearly a thousand civilians died. The 11th century Matagrifone castle was originally
built by Richard I it was also used by relations of Charles I Anjou during the Sicilian Vespers
as they hid while they were trying to flee. The Cathedral (Duomo) was built in the 12th century
but include the remains of king Conrad ruler of Sicily it was rebuilt in 1919-20
as a result of the 1908 earthquake and again after the Allied bombings in 1943. The Church of the
Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani late 12th 13th century includes Arabic architectural influences
the Church of Santa Maria degli Alemanni early 13th century was formerly a chapel of the
Teutonic Knights it is a rare example of a Gothic building in Sicily the Palazzo Calapaj-d'Alcontres
is a rare 18th century building which survived the 1908 earthquake. The Forte del Santissimo
Salvatore (Madonna della Lettera), a 16th century fort in the port of Messina which took part during
the war of the Sicilian Vespers. The Forte Gonzaga was named after the Spanish viceroy
a 16th century fort overlooking Messina and was built to resist any Ottoman invasion. During the
Sicilian rebellion of 1848 rebels used Forte Gonzaga to shell Real Cittadella. Porta Grazia was the 17th century gate
to the Real Cittadella di Messina it was built as a Spanish battled to retain control
Messina and Taormina hosted the Messina conference of the western European foreign ministers
which led to the founding of the European Economic Community in 1955. Messina's main focus in modern
times is the maritime industry both commercial and military agriculture which focuses on wine
lemons oranges and olives. The Fountain of Orion was built in 1547
by a student of Michelangelo some believe it to be the most beautiful fountain of the 16th century
anywhere in Europe. The fountain of Neptune was built in 1557. The monument to John of Austria was
in honor of the battle of Lepanto and was built in 1572. The Senatory fountain was built in 1619
only two of the original four fountains still exist.
Messina has enjoyed many references by literary greats it is referenced by the
works of Plutarch, Giovanni Boccaccio , William Shakespeare, Molière, and Friedrich Nietzsche,