On Sunday, February 22, 2026, the Delegation of Western Sicily of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint Georg inaugurated the series The Virtual Library of the Delegation of Western Sicily – One Book per Month, curated by the Director of Cultural Activities of the Delegation, Dr. Giuseppe Pio Filippo Carrubba, Knight of Merit with Silver Star. Each month, the online reading of a book concerning Constantinian topics, Christian chivalry, and the Bourbon dynasty of the Two Sicilies will be suggested.

With this initiative, the Delegation intends to encourage among its members a passion for the study of the history of the Constantinian Order, of Sicily, and of that part of Italy which not long ago was the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Each month, an image of the proposed volume, together with any reviews, will be published in the WhatsApp group of the Delegation of Western Sicily, in which all members participate. Those who wish may also inform the Director of Cultural Activities about works relevant to the initiative through the Delegation’s email.

Objectives:

Promote the Culture of Chivalry: each month a book is suggested that explores the values and traditions of chivalry, essential for understanding the roots of the Constantinian Order.

Explore the History of the Bourbons of the Two Sicilies: through a selection of works, we will deepen our knowledge of the history and achievements of the Bourbon family, helping to preserve and disseminate the memory of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Deepen Understanding of the the Civil and Military History of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies: the selected texts will offer reflections on the civilization and military organization of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, facilitating a more complete understanding of Constantinian historical identity.


The Grand Master

The series of virtual meetings The Virtual Library of the Delegation of Western Sicily – One Book per Month was inaugurated with the re-presentation of the book by Father Maurizio Modugno, Chaplain of Merit with Silver Star, The Grand Master. The Sacred Military Order of Saint George and Ferdinand IV of Bourbon between Revolution and Restoration (Aracne 2024, 192 pages), with a preface by the Grand Master, H.R.H. Prince Pedro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria, Count of Caserta, Head of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies.

The volume The Grand Master begins with the announcement of the solemn celebration of Holy Mass on September 7, 1814, offered for the repose of the soul of Maria Carolina of Habsburg-Lorraine (Vienna, August 13, 1752 – Vienna, September 8, 1814), Queen Consort of Naples and Sicily, which leads to consideration of another episode, namely that of a queen who never became Queen of Sicily.

Indeed, King Ferdinando I delle Due Sicilie — Ferdinand IV of Naples and III of Sicily, later Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies — having become a widower, formed an emotional bond with Donna Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Floridia, herself the widow of Don Benedetto Maria III Grifeo, Prince of Partanna and Duke of Ciminna. According to the customs of the time, only marriages between persons of equal royal rank were permitted among royalty, since such matters carried political consequences and therefore implications for the State.

Not by chance, among the rules governing royal marriages there existed — and still exists — the requirement of prior consent from the King — though in this specific case it was not necessary — without which an essential requirement of princely marriages would be lacking; without it, the offender would lose membership in the royal family, with all the consequences that entailed.

There was, however, a middle course, namely the possibility of contracting a “morganatic marriage,” in which the wives, though married, maintained unequal personal status: they did not acquire the royal rank of their husbands, nor would any children.

The term “morganatic marriage,” from the Latin phrase matrimonium ad morganaticam, refers to the gift publicly given by the groom to the bride on the morning following the wedding. The “morning gift” (Latin morganaticum, from the medieval German Morgangeba, today Morgengabe) was a traditional marital agreement, originally present in early medieval Germanic cultures (such as the Lombards) and also among ancient Germanic tribes. The Church encouraged its adoption in other nations as well, in order to improve a woman’s security through this additional benefit.

Despite the strong emotional bond that united Ferdinand and Lucia, and the sacred bond of their canonical religious marriage, celebrated with canonical dispensation in Palermo in the Palatine Chapel of the Royal Palace of Palermo, the King’s consort could not become Queen. Nevertheless, she played a role in her husband’s life and perhaps might also have played a political one during that turbulent period in which King Ferdinand found himself caught between conservative Austrian European politics and liberal British policies. But events unfolded differently.