"Monarchs of Naples and Sicily" from 1189 to 1194.
"He was an illegitimate son of "Roger III, Duke of Apulia" and the eldest son of "Roger II of Sicily" King ger II, and of Emma, daughter of "Achard II, Count of Lecce " Richard II, Count of Lecce ". He inherited the title "Count of Lecce" from his grandfather, and is consequently often referred to as Tancred of Lecce. On 9 March 1161, Tancred joined his uncle, "Simon, Prince of Taranto" in invading the palace, detained the king and queen, "William I of Sicily" William of Sicily" William I, "Margaret of Navarre, Sicilian queen," and their two sons, and incited a massacre of Muslims. Originally, the eldest of these two sons. "Roger IV, Duke of Apulia" was destined to be crowned in place of William, but soon the populace supported the accession of Simon himself. Before Simon could put himself forward as a candidate, however, the rebellion had broken down and the people were restless.
"The insurrectionists were forced to free the king and retreat to their castles. Pardon was given them on condition of exile and many, including Tancred, took the offer when "William II of Sicily" died, in 1189. Tancred rebelled and seized control of the island, and he was crowned King "Tancred I of Sicily early in 1190.
"His coup was backed by the chancellor, "Matthew d'Aijello" and the official class, while the rival claims of Roger II's daughter, "Constance of Sicily" and her husband, "Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor," "King of the Romans," were supported by most of the nobles. Tancred was a good soldier, though his tiny stature earned him the nickname "Tancredulus" from the poet chronicler, "Peter of Eboli." Despite a measure of popular support, his rule faced daunting challenges right from the start. In 1190 "Richard I of England" arrived in Sicily at the head of a large crusading army on its way to the Holy Land. Richard immediately demanded the release of his sister, William II's Queen, "Joan of England, Queen consort of Sicily"...
And on and on it drones, rife with murders, battles, plotting and conspiracy. That's history for you. All of us have ancestries who were kings, or thieves and murderers. The kings were just got away with it.
Not to say every candidate is like Tancredo, or even to damn all from a single, anecdotal case, but looking into the current Senatorial candidate, Tom Tancredo, an online search revealed accusations of prejudice, and opinions that he strives viciously, without mercy to stop Hispanic immigration to our country.
This great tempest of a CRACKED Teapot Party actually is brewing a somewhat foul concoction. In New England, the saying goes "there's a Nor-easter a brewin'." All elements taken together, a Gloucester fisherman's instinct might be aroused to think that perhaps this will be the mother of all gale winds, or 'a perfect storm'.
But back to voters in general, how can they help but feel confused as well as turned off by the plethora of ads, visible on the TV, billboards, and yard sings?
When I feel totally fed up by it all, it brings to mind a placard on the wall behind the bar of a Pueblo, Shamrock Pub, Restaurant, and Brewery. It says much more cleverly than I myself could muster: "Don't vote. It just encourages the bastards!"
Charles L. Riccillo, longtime resident of Pueblo Colorado, has written for the seasonal Magazine Publication "Fine Lines" and has also authored nearly 100 articles for his home town newspaper, to be found archived at Http://www.Chieftain.com
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