The betrayal of a rogue Byzantine officer gave Muslims, specifically the North African Aghlabid dynasty, an opportunity for the conquest of Sicily. The Muslims embarked on what was to be a 130-year conquest of the island. Like Spain, Sicily became an exemplary Euro-Islamic state marked by an appreciation for erudition of all peoples and the diversity within its own population. Muslim power passed from the Aghlabids to the Fatimids who gave control of the island to the Kalbites. In much the same way as the island came into the hands of the Muslims, it was so taken away. A disgruntled governor appealed to the Normans (Vikings) in Italy for aid against his own coreligionists.
| Euphemius, Byzantine naval commander, revolts in Sicily against Constantine, the Byzantine strategist of the island. He occupies Syracuse but is ousted by one of his own officers. Euphemius seeks support of the Aghlabid emir Ziyadatullah in North Africa by offering suzerainty over the island, but maintaining governorship for himself. |
| 826 | The forces of Euphemius join the Aghlabid fleet –which is comprised of Arabs, Berbers, Spanish Muslims from Crete, and possibly Persians – led by Asad ibn Furat, the qadi (judge) in Sicily. Some Muslim historians have conjectured that Asad ibn Furat is the progenitor of the family of Napoleon Bonaparte; Asad's descendant's were known as Banu Furat and Buonofart. |
| 827 | The forces of Euphemius join the Aghlabid fleet –which is comprised of Arabs, Berbers, Spanish Muslims from Crete, and possibly Persians – led by Asad ibn Furat, the qadi (judge) in Sicily. Some Muslim historians have conjectured that Asad ibn Furat is the progenitor of the family of Napoleon Bonaparte; Asad's descendant's were known as Banu Furat and Buonofart. |
| 828 | Asad ibn Furat dies of disease that broke out in the Muslim camp during the siege of Syracuse. The army elects Muhammad ibn Abi al-Jawari to leadership. |
| 829 | Minting of the first Sicilian Muslim coinage takes place during the first siege of Castrogiovanni. Muhammad ibn Abi-l-Jawari dies during this siege. Zuhayr ibn al-Ghawth is chosen as his successor. The Sicilian towns of Mineo and Mazara are under the Aghlabids. |
| 830 | Ziyadatullah sends reinforcements to the Muslim force in Sicily. Asbagh ibn Wakil, a scion of the Berber tribe of Hawwara and soldier of fortune, lands in Sicily with some followers from Spain. This group augments the Aghlabid force until the death of Absagh after some of the Spanish Muslims returned home. |
| 831 | Palermo in Sicily falls to the Muslims. |
| 832 | Ziyadatallah appoints his cousin Abu Fihr Muhammad ibn Abdullah as wali (governor) of Sicily. |
| 835 | A revolt breaks out in the Aghlabid army. The rebels kill Abu Fihr and take refuge with the Byzantines. Ziyadatullah appoints Fadl ibn Yaqub as temporary governor of Sicily. After five months, Abul Aghlab Ibrahim ibn Abdullah, brother of Abu Fihr, ascends to governorship of the island. |
| 837 | Aghlabids attack Castrogiovanni, which became the center for the partrician and Byzantine administration on the island since the fall of Palermo, and enter the city. A truce is signed and the Aghlabids return to Palermo. Alexis Mousélé, son-in-law of the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus and governor of Sicily, is recalled to Constantinople after being accused of conspiring with the Muslims. |
| 838 | Aghlabid emir Ziyadatullah dies. His brother Abu Iqal al-Aghlab ibn Ibrahim succeeds him. Reinforcements are sent to Sicily. |
| 840 | The Sicilian towns of Platani, Caltabellotta, Corleone, and possibly Marineo and Geraci surrender to the Muslims. The Muslims of Sicily campaign in the Adriatic in the region of Istria and launch attackes against Osero in the island of Cherso. |
| 841 | Muhammad I takes power as Aghlabid emir. |
| 842 | The Muslims in Sicily now occupy the whole of the Val di Mazara region and enter into alliance with Naples. |
| 845 | The Aghlabids occupy Modica in Sicily. |
| 846 | The forces of Aghlabid officer Fadl ibn Jafar occupy Lentini in Sicily. |
| 851 | Abul Aghlab dies after sixteen years of holding governorship of Sicily. Abbas ibn Fadl succeeds him. |
| 856 | The reign of Aghlabid ruler Ahmad commences. |
| 859 | Castrogiovanni falls to the Muslims, under Abbas ibn Fadl, in Sicily. The capture of this town was essential as it allows the Muslims to control east Sicily. The Byzantine emperor sends reinforcements to Sicily to recover losses. Many formerly Byzantine towns revolt against the Muslims; however, Abbas defeats all of them in a battle near Cefalu. |
| 863 | Ziyadat-Allah II and then Abul Gharaniq Muhammad II reign as Aghlabid rulers. |
| 864 | Noto, Sicily falls to the Muslims. |
| 865 | The ruler of Leon sues for peace with the Muslims. Byzantines defeat an Aghlabid force, under Khafaja's son Muhammad, near Syracuse. |
| 868 | Muhammad, son of Khafaja, defeats a Byzantine fleet near Syracuse. |
| 869 | After the assassination of his father Khafaja, Muhammad becomes governor of Sicily. |
| 870 | Malta falls to the Muslims under the Aghlabid prince Ahmad ibn Omar with reinforcements from Sicily. |
| 871 | Palace eunuchs assassinate Muhammad ibn Khafaj. The Sicilian Muslims choose Muhammad ibn Abu Husayn as successor, but the Aghlabid Emir in North Africa replaces this choice with Rabah ibn Yaqub. |
| 873 | Abul Abbas ibn Abdullah becomes governor of Sicily. Abu Malik Ahmad replaces him this same year. |
| 875 | Ibrahim II becomes the new Aghlabid emir in Tunis. |
| 877 | Under the new Aghlabid governor Jafar ibn Muhammad, the Muslim forces besiege Syracuse. A Byzantine fleet relieves the city. |
| 878 | The Muslims resume the siege of Syracuse and in spring it falls. Soon after, Jafar ibn Muhammad dies in an ensuing palace conspiracy. Husayn ibn Rabah succeeds him. |
| 880 | Byzantines occupy Taranto. |
| 881 | Hasan ibn Abbas becomes governor of Sicily. |
| 882 | Muhammad ibn Fadhl replaces Hasan ibn Abbas as Sicily's Muslim governor. |
| 885 | Sawada ibn Muhammad ibn Khafaja, new governor of Sicily, leads an attack on Taormina but doesn't take the town. |
| 886 | A rebellion in Sicily breaks out between the Arabs and the Berbers. The rebels will send Sawada back to North Africa and choose Abul Abbas ibn Ali as governor. However, the Aghlabid Emir will send Sawada back to the island with a successful force to suppress the rebellion. |
| 889 | Another rebellion breaks out in Sicily, this time between the native Sicilian Muslims and the North African Muslims, that will last until 894. |
| 891 | Muhammad ibn Fadl replaces Sawada as governor in Sicily. |
| 898 | The conflict between the Arabs and Berbers in Sicily restarts. |
| 899 | After Ahmad ibn Omar had difficulty pacifying the civil strife, Abdullah, the son of the Aghlabid Emir Ibrahim II, leads a force sent to restore order. |
| 902 | Muslims, led by Ibrahim II, wrest control of Sicily from Byzantines with the fall of Taormina. Following the fall of Taormina, Ibrahim ibn Ahmad lands on mainland Italy and marches from Calabria to Cosenza. He falls ill and dies while besieging Cosenza. Italians saw his death as Divine deliverance. Abdullah II succeeds Ibrahim as Aghlabid emir. |
| 903 | Ziyadat-Allah III becomes the new Aghlabid ruler. |
| 909 | Fatimids, a dynasty of Shiite Muslims who claim descent from Fatima the daughter of Prophet Muhammad, rise to power defeating the Aghlabids and taking over their domains. In Sicily Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Abul Fawaris, a former deposed governor of the island, champions their cause. |
| 910 | Ibn Abu Khinzir, also known as Hasan ibn Ahmad, replaces Ali ibn Ahmad as Sicily's Fatimid governor. |
| 912 | Ali ibn Omar al-Balawi becomes governor of Sicily. |
| 913 | Arabs and Berbers revolt against the Fatimids in Sicily electing Ibn Qurhub as their Emir. For this period, Sicily returns to Sunni rule. |
| 916 | Rebellion breaks out against Ibn Qurhub in Sicily. The rebels appeal to the Fatimids and Sicily will thus be returned to their rule. |
| 917 | Salim ibn Rashid ascends to the Fatimid governorship of Sicily, a post he will hold for the next twenty years. |
| 937 | After a revolt in Sicily, the Fatimid Caliph al-Qaim replaces Salim ibn Rashid as governor of the island with Khalil ibn Ishaq. |
| 947 | Following the suppression of the North African rebellion, Fatimid Caliph al-Mansur sends Hasan ibn Ali al-Kalbi as governor to deal with the rebels in Sicily. After his success there, Hasan will establish a semi-autonomous dynasty in Sicily recognizing Fatimid suzerainty. |
| 948 | Control of Sicily passes from the Fatimids to the Arab Kalbites, their first leader being al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Kalbi. |
| 962 | Ahmad ibn Hasan ibn Ali al-Kalbi wrests control of the Christian parts of Sicily that declared their independence. |
| 965 | Byzantines recapture Taormina. Muslims conquer Rometta completing the 130 years of Muslims conquest in Sicily. Sicily prospers under its Kalbite Emirs, dependents of the Fatimids. The medical university is said to rival those in Baghdad and Cordova. |
| 966 | Hasan ibn Ali al-Kalbi dies during the siege of Rametta. |
| 970 | Abul Qasim Ali ibn Hasan becomes governor of Sicily. |
| 973 | Ibn Hawqal visits Sicily. |
| 983 | Jafar ibn Muhammad becomes governor of Sicily following the deposition of Jabir ibn Abul Qasim. |
| 986 | Abdullah ibn Muhammad succeeds his deceased brother Jafar as Sicily's governor. Abdullah dies this year and is succeeded by his son Abul Futuh Yusuf. |
| 998 | Jafar ibn Yusuf replaces his father, who was incapacitated from a stroke, as governor of Sicily. Kalbite rule in Sicily begins to decline with him. |
| 1000 | Around this year, paper manufacturing filters into Sicily. Papermaking was well underway in Baghdad, Damascus, and Transoxiana. Some historians attribute the Muslim world's knowledge of paper to the Chinese prisoners of war captured during the Battle of Talas in 751. Christian Europe will not see mainstream papermaking until much later. |
| 1015 | With the help of Berber and Negro slaves, Ali ibn Yusuf revolts against his ruling brother in Sicily. Ali is defeated and executed. |
| 1019 | Palermo revolts against the Kalbites. The paralyzed Yusuf deposes his son Jafar in favor of his other son Ahmad, known as al-Akhal. |
| 1034 | The Byzantines send an embassy to the Sicilian court. For the time being the Muslims will be on the defensive from the Italian states. |
| 1035 | Byzantines seek truce with the Kalbite-Zirid alliance. Abu Hafs, leading a revolt in Sicily, succeeds in receiving aid from the Zirids. |
| 1038 | Abu Hafs defeats and executes al-Akhal. Byzantine General Maniakes attempts to re-establish Christian control in Sicily. Despite some success in holding Messina for two years, the Byzantine attempt did not yield long-term results. Harald Sigurdson, younger half-brother of St. Olave (Olaf Sigurdson, former king of Norway), accompanies the Byzantine forces. |
| 1040 | Muslims recover control of Sicily after Maniakes is recalled to Constantinople. |
| 1044 | The Kalbite dynasty ends in Sicily with the deposition of Hasan al-Samsam. As with the Andalus, Sicily will split up into several petty principalities. |
| 1060 | Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Thumna emerges as a powerful force in Sicily defeating some of the petty states and occupying Syracuse. Ibn al-Thuma loses support after his failed siege of Castrogiovanni under the leadership of his brother-in-law Ibn Hawwas. |
| 1061 | The Normans begin invading Muslim Sicily with the fall of Messina; civil strife among the Muslims facilitates the eventual success of the Normans. Ibn al-Thumna, following his defeat, is said to have invited the Normans under Roger and his brother Robert Guiscard to Sicily. |
| 1062 | While Roger returns to Italy, Ibn al-Thumna dies in battle. The Normans must vacate Troina and Petralia. |
| 1063 | Normans conquer Cerami and reoccupy Troina in Sicily. |
| 1068 | Misilmeri in Sicily falls to the Normans opening the way for an attack on the capital, Palermo, and eventually the entire western island. |
| 1072 | Normans conquer Palermo. Muslim's resistance in the island is lead by an individual the European chronicles call Benavert. |
| 1076 | Normans besiege the Muslim Sicilian town of Salerno. In this and other engagements, historians mention the presence of Muslim regiments within the invading Norman army. |
| 1077 | Trapani falls to Normans. |
| 1079 | Normans annex Taormina in Sicily. |
| 1081 | Benavert wins over the Norman commander of Catania, who is a Christian convert from Islam, but eventually is driven south. |
| 1085 | Muslim Sicilian town of Syracuse falls to Norman control. |
| 1086 | Benavert is killed and the Normans take Syracuse. |
| 1087 | Hammud, the princeof Castrogiovanni surrenders to Roger, accepts Christianity, and receives a land grant in Calabria. Castrogiovanni becomes a part of Norman Sicily. |
| 1091 | Noto in Sicily falls; the Normans, under Count Roger, rule Sicily. The Norman conquest effectively ends over 250 years of Muslim rule, but not Muslim influence; Muslims continued to be a big part of court life during Norman rule. |
