Charles of Anjou in the context of "Muzaka"

Hugh of Sully (French: Hugues de Sully) was a general under the Sicilian King Charles of Anjou. He was nicknamed "the Red" ("le Rousseau") on account of his red hair.

A Burgundian knight of fiery and haughty temperament, according to the chroniclers, Hugh was named Vicar-General of Charles' Kingdom of Albania in August 1279, and led the Sicilian forces in their unsuccessful attempt to take Berat from the Byzantine Empire in 1280–1281. Sully was taken prisoner in an ambush, whereupon his army scattered and suffered many losses to the pursuing Byzantines. He was then taken to Constantinople where he was paraded in the streets along with the other captives. Sully was eventually released after years in Byzantine captivity and returned to Italy.

The "Sicilian business" is a historiographical term used to describe the failed attempt by Henry III of England to claim the Kingdom of Sicily for his son Edmund, who had been offered the throne by the papacy. Sicily, established in the twelfth century as a theoretical papal fief, had been ruled by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II from 1198 until his death in 1250; Pope Innocent IV now sought to install an agreeable sovereign to succeed his longtime adversary. After failed negotiations with Edmund's uncles Richard of Cornwall and Charles of Anjou, the papacy formally offered the throne to the English prince in 1254. For the project, Henry III was tasked with delivering Edmund and armed forces to Sicily to claim it from Manfred, who was serving as regent for Frederick II's grandson Conradin; the papacy was to offer assistance.

A strategic marriage was planned for Edmund; potential brides were the dowager queen of Cyprus or a daughter of Manfred in order to resolve the dispute over the kingdom. Neither union came to fruition, and despite continued attempts to secure support and financing, Henry III's efforts to establish Edmund as the Sicilian monarch faced numerous setbacks. Pope Alexander IV, who had succeeded Innocent IV in 1254, was no longer in a position to effectively finance the project, demanding payment from Henry III as compensation for the papacy's contributions to the campaign. Finding only minimal support from Parliament and faced with the threat of excommunication from Rome, Henry III resorted to extorting money from his domestic clergy in an attempt to pay the debts. The "Sicilian business" became entangled with broader political troubles in England, and the project ultimately collapsed. Pope Urban IV formally revoked the grant of the Kingdom of Sicily to Edmund in 1263 and instead consigned it to Charles of Anjou, who successfully assumed control of the kingdom in 1266.

Manfred (Sicilian: Manfredi di Sicilia; 1232 – 26 February 1266) was the last King of Sicily from the Hohenstaufen dynasty, reigning from 1258 until his death. The natural son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, Manfred became regent over the Kingdom of Sicily on behalf of his nephew Conradin in 1254. As regent he subdued rebellions in the kingdom, until in 1258 he usurped Conradin's rule. After an initial attempt to appease Pope Innocent IV, he took up the ongoing conflict between the Hohenstaufens and the papacy through combat and political alliances. He defeated the papal army at Foggia on 2 December 1254. Excommunicated by three successive popes, Manfred was the target of a Crusade (1255–1266) called first by Pope Alexander IV and then by Urban IV. Nothing came of Alexander's call, but Urban enlisted the aid of Charles of Anjou in overthrowing Manfred. Manfred was killed during his defeat by Charles at the Battle of Benevento, and Charles assumed kingship of Sicily.

The Treaty of Tunis was an agreement during the Eighth Crusade. It was signed in November 1270 between the Hafsid Sultan Muhammad I al-Mustansir and Crusaders shortly after Louis IX of France's death. The treaty guaranteed a truce between the two armies. The treaty was quite beneficial to Charles of Anjou, who received one-third of a war indemnity from the Tunisians, and was promised that Hohenstaufen refugees in the sultanate would be expelled. During this treaty, the parties agreed on cessation of hostilities, the release of captives, security for businessmen, the freedom of missionaries to propagate Christianity and build churches in Tunisia, annual ransom payment by the Hafsids, and others.