Rather little attention has been given to the crusade that led to the French conquest of the kingdom of Sicily in 1266. Partly this is because crusading historians have preferred, until the later twentieth century, to concentrate on crusades to Jerusalem; but it is also because the conquest has frequently been portrayed as a disreputable French land grab at the expense of the local population. In recent years there has been a modest reaction against extreme expressions of either of these views. In relation to the 1266 crusade, more emphasis has been placed on the responsibility of the papacy for initiating the crusade, on the unpopularity of Frederick II in Sicily and Southern Italy (hereafter Regno) in the latter years of his reign, on the number of aristocratic exiles who fled the Regno in the reign of Frederick II's illegitimate son Manfred, and on the extent of support Charles enjoyed in certain areas after his conquest in February 1266. The outbreak of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion against Charles in March 1282 was interpreted in the past as a total condemnation of Charles's endeavours. It certainly was a severe blow to them. But the loss of the island of Sicily which followed that rebellion did not prevent the survival of the Angevin dynasty in Southern Italy until 1435. It cannot totally have lacked underpinnings. The verses written at the time shed some light on the social cement that bound the French in this episode, and therefore they deserve re-examination.

The conquest was authorized by two successive popes, Urban IV and Clement IV, as a crusade against the tyranny of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, which had been denied the right to rule at the first council of Lyon in 1245. The crusaders came from all over France and also from Provence, where Charles of Anjou was count. Although the Provençaux made up only about a quarter of his army, they were more prepared to settle in the Regno once conquered, and several important families put down roots there. Among the settlers were two distinguished troubadours, Sordello and Bertran d'Alamanon. It might therefore be expected that the conquest and the exploits of the conquerors would be commemorated in Occitan verse.