Marsala the area has been conquered by Norman, Angevin and Aragonese troops. During this time, Marsala became wealthy, primarily through trade. However the blocking up of the harbour of Punta Alga, decreed by Emperor Charles V so as to stop Saracen forays, brought an end to this period of prosperity. The development of Marsala wine at the end of the 18th century, headed by English merchants settled in Sicily, considerably improved local trade. This triggered an economic expansion in Marsala, including the funding of infrastructure projects such as the current harbour of Margitello. On 11 May 1860 Giuseppe Garibaldi landed at
Novyy Island (Kara Sea) of the Vilkitsky Islands (острова Вилькицкого) —also known as 'Dzhekman Islands'— subgroup of the Nordenskiöld Archipelago. The closest islands are Chabak Island, the largest island of the group, to the southwest and Strizhev Island to the southeast. The climate in the archipelago is severe and the sea surrounding the island is covered with fast ice in the winter and often obstructed by pack ice even in the summer. In 1900, the islands of the Nordenskiöld Archipelago were explored by Russian Navy Captain Fyodor Matisen, who named most of them. The survey was done during the first wintering of the Russian