24. A Tongue Twister That Spelled the Difference Between Life and Death
As Palermo’s churches rang their bells for Vespers, messengers raced throughout the city calling on the public to revolt. Angry Sicilian mobs formed, crying “Death to the French!” They killed any French man, woman, or child, whom they came across outdoors, then began breaking into French houses and butchering the inhabitants. Once Palermo’s citizens got started on killing the French, there was no stopping them. Before long, they took to breaking into convents and monasteries to kill any French nuns or monks they could find.
Those claiming not to be French were made to say “ciciri” – a word that French tongues had difficulty pronouncing. Those who failed the test were put to death. Within a few days, the rebels controlled Palermo, and over two thousand French had been killed. As word of the violent unrest spread throughout Sicily, the rest of the island joined the revolt, and more massacres took place. The uprising swept away French control of the island within six weeks. As described by a Medieval author: “By the time the furious anger at [French] insolence had drunk its fill of blood, the French had surrendered to the Sicilians not only their ill-gotten riches, but their lives as well“.
