PhD Program in Historical studies
Walking with the viceroy
This itinerary will take the form of a virtual walk along the streets of today’s Palermo. This is a common tourist map of Palermo (Figure 1). As you can see, and as the graphic designers who were responsibile for the map have done, “historical city” is easily perceptible. Its system dates back centuries and has remained unchanged until today. Today our guide will be exceptional: a hypothetical viceroy of Sicily. This is the person who holds the highest political and military rank in the Kingdom, the alter ego of the sovereign. The real king of Sicily, is, of course, the king of Spain and lives far away, in Madrid. The work of governing the island was undertaken by the viceroy, who is generally appointed every three years.
We will follow the viceroy from the moment of his arrival in the city until his so-called “taking possession” of government, we will look at him at work in the royal palace, then we will be part of his retinue in one of the many knightly jousts that delight Palermo’s inhabitants. Finally, we will accompany him as he leaves Palermo. Following in the footsteps of the Viceroy we will appreciate how the ceremonies are not only lavish events, but also political occasions.