Height of career: conquests in Greece and Africa George of Antioch

seal of george of antioch, bearing titles of offices (archōn archontōn , amēras) in greek.

in 1146, george captured tripoli , established sicilian authority in north africa on permanent basis. had captured several minor coastal cities in fifteen years prior, mahdia, had been in hands of abul-hasan al-hasan ibn ali since failed attack of 1123, did not capitulate yet.

in 1147, roger attacked byzantine empire, continued contest gains in southern italy. george sent otranto seventy galleys assault corfu. according nicetas choniates, island capitulated due imperial tax burden , george s promises. leaving garrison, george sailed on peloponnesus. sacked athens , moved on ionian islands. ravaged coast along euboea , gulf of corinth , penetrated far thebes, pillaged silk factories , carried off jewish silk weavers. george capped expedition sack of corinth, in relics of saint theodore stolen, , returned sicily.

in 1148, george conquered mahdia. antecedently, governor of gabès had revolted against overlord, al-hasan, , promised deliver city roger ii if confirmed governor. war inevitably broke out in summer of 1148. george led fleet against mahdia. sultan voluntarily went exile, taking him little treasure, , mahdia capitulated. cities of sfax , soussa surrendered after. tunisia (ifriqiya) incorporated kingdom of sicily, reached apogee through george s conquests, containing not sicily , mezzogiorno, corfu , tunisia.

in 1149, corfu retaken , george took fleet of forty ships bosphorus walls of constantinople, tried land. failing this, ravaged few villae on asian coast , fired arrows @ imperial palace. died after, in year 546 ah according ibn al-athir, corresponding 1151 or 1152. succeeded in offices philip of mahdia.

george polyglot , cultured man. founded church of san michele in mazara del vallo. besides , eponymous church, george of antioch left architectural monument seven-arched admiral s bridge on river oreto palermo where, on may 27, 1860, giuseppe garibaldi s redshirts first fought troops of francis ii of 2 sicilies in risorgimento.