'The Sicilian Vespers', 19th-century illustration. This scene, at the Procida Palace in Palermo, is from a play dramatising the rebellion and massacre that took place on the island of Sicily in 1282. Over 10,000 French people were killed as rebels seized control of the island, then ruled by Charles I of Anjou. Known as the 'Sicilian Vespers', this event led to the War of the Sicilian Vespers. This play was written by French dramatist Casimir Delavigne (1793-1843) and first performed in 1819. This artwork is from the Desrez edition, published in Paris in 1836.