Roger's court adopted clothing, titles, language, and administrative methods recognizable to Sicily's Muslim population. George promoted this fusion because the kingdom contained Arab, Greek, Norman, and Latin communities that all needed to see familiar elements in government. Fatimid methods and Arabic administrative language helped authority function across those communities. The same policy supported expansion into North Africa, where controlling ports and the north-south movement of goods promised revenue as well as strategic reach.
Chapter · 31:14-35:57
Fusion government and the north-south Mediterranean trade
George adapts Arabic and Fatimid institutions while Sicily seeks control of the ports and taxes linking North Africa with Europe.