535-827
Byzantines

535 Byzantines (under Belisario) occupy Sicily and are embraced by a still very strong Greek culture.

663 Syracuse briefly replaces Constantinople as the capital of the Byzantine empire.
 

Christ Pantocrator in Cefalù

The Byzantine general Belisarius conquered Sicily for the Byzantine Empire. Formally, Sicily was only made a part of the Byzantine Empire in 692, but it remained firmly attached to the eastern Mediterranean, in cultural, economical and political terms. Sicily remained Greek. During the iconoclasm in Constantinopole the Byzantines hold on Sicily loosened. In some occasions governors rose against their emperor, and with the Arabs in control of North Africa the situation became critical.

Mosaics at Monreale  Dome
 

In 827 the Byzantine general Euphemius rebelled, he defeated the governor, took Syracuse and declared himself emperor. Shortly after one of Euphemius' deputies took up arms against him and Euphemius was forced to ask for help in Africa. The Arabs were happy to help him out and landed in Mazara with 10.000 men.