Sicilian Business

In English history, Henry III's campaign in Sicily 1254–58. Henry joined the crusades 1250 but became involved in Sicily 1254 when the pope decreed that he could fulfil his crusading vows by ejecting Rome's enemies, the Hohenstaufen emperors of Germany, from the island. Henry accepted the island as a papal fief on behalf of his son, Edmund, but by 1258 he faced difficulties at home and was forced to accept the Provisions of Oxford by the barons. Part of the problem was the huge cost of the Sicilian adventure and consequent financial exactions on the nobility and Henry was forced to withdraw from the campaign.