Raffaele Licinio

Raffaele Licinio (1 February 1945 – 4 February 2018) was an Italian historian, who, throughout his career, carried out extensive research into the medieval period in Southern Italy (the Kingdom of Sicily). He also taught medieval history at the University of Bari (Bari, Italy).

He's best known for his research on the Kingdom of Sicily during the rule of king Frederick II of Hohenstaufen and the castle Castel del Monte. His research focused mainly on the socioeconomic structure, the economic and agrarian development, the medieval fortification system and the institutions of Southern Italy in the Middle Ages. He also translated some French works into Italian.

In his works (especially in ''Castel del Monte e il sistema castellare nella Puglia di Federico II''), he also condemned the widespread esoteric views and interpretations on both the castle Castel del Monte and the king Frederick II himself, spread even by notable scholars and historians. In particular, Licinio stressed that Castel del Monte was just one of the castles of the regional fortification system, and not a mysterious construction linked to the Knights Templar. Provided by Wikipedia