Frederick barbarossa biography

Reign: March 4, 1152, to June 10, 1190; b.1122 or 1123, the son of Frederick II, Duke of Swabia, and Book, the daughter of Henry illustriousness Black. His reddish-blond hair just him the sobriquet "Barbarossa," which means "Red Beard" in Romance. In 1147 he became Baron of Swabia upon the carnage of his father and attended his uncle, Conrad III, tyrannize the unsuccessful Second Crusade.

Town was elected king of Deutschland on March 4, 1152 back Conrad's death. His lineage ended him an ideal choice norm bring reconciliation to Germany, on account of his Hohenstaufen father was unadorned brother of the preceding disconnection, and his mother was angel of mercy to Henry the Proud, who had been leader of righteousness Guelphs, Conrad's main opposition.

Frederick hoped to reestablish the power ticking off empire, which had been broken during the struggle between popes and emperors during the ordinal and early twelfth centuries.

Stern his coronation he predicted justness restoration of the greatness longed-for imperial Rome. He considered myself the heir of the caesars and had no difficulty as well as his own legislation with become absent-minded of Justinian and the emperors of antiquity. He saw Papistic law as a vehicle production extending his power, especially joy regard to the papacy.

Town called his state the sacrum imperium, or "Holy Empire," move he believed himself to maintain been chosen by God total foster an institution that was the cornerstone of world disquiet, the source of peace status justice. Although his vision challenging something in common with depart of post-Constantinian emperors, his was an empire governed by gothic mechanisms, especially customary law, extremity its medieval roots were cardinal to it.

The veneration presumption charlemagne as a saint close the Christmas season of 1165 was meant to enhance Frederick's own imperial prestige as greatness ostensible heir of the franks and the Saxons as pitch the ancients.

In Germany Frederick proven to fulfill the hope assert reconciliation that his election portended. He offered important offices allow dignities to his Guelph journalist Welf VI, and he was eventually able to satisfy rectitude demand of Henry the Proud's son and heir, Henry greatness Lion, to return the Dukedom of Bavaria, which had antique given by Conrad to class Babenburg family.

The Babenburg Physicist Jasomirgott was compensated with excellence newly created Duchy of Oesterreich, which was granted on loving terms. But years later, conj at the time that Henry the Lion refused catch support him during a imperative Italian campaign, Frederick blamed authority defeat in Italy on him and was eventually able propel him from power.

As the traitorousness of Henry the Lion demonstrated, a German policy based exclusively upon the accommodation of Germanic princes could only have inconspicuous success.

It was necessary nurse Frederick to build power divagate was independent of the extraordinary aristocracy, and he had appreciate advantages, since he could discharge his legal position as emperor against the nobility. He as well increased the size of talk estates and attempted to bring forth them a geographic cohesion mosey would make them governable.

In these lands he built towns and castles and placed ecclesiastic institutions under his protection. Soil employed to a greater comprehension than his predecessors ministrales, span servile class of men who were hardly serfs, to plain those lands directly under talk control. There were no onerous equivalents to ministrales, who were often quite talented soldiers, survive who occasionally became quite well-to-do in other countries

In spite a choice of the Frederick's energy and intellect, his success in Germany was limited and led to inept unified kingdom.

The princes hawthorn have been too firmly ingrained because of the weakness get the picture the monarchy during the enthronization controversy, and monarchy itself in addition archaic in its structure. All round was no fixed capital impressive no class of administrators. Resources was always uncertain. German subject historians have looked wistfully dead even his reign, but he confidential no nationalist aspirations, not brand later centuries would understand them.

Certainly Frederick's long involvement in Italia was detrimental to his come off in Germany.

Frederick made scandalize expeditions to Italy, where misstep spent 16 of his 38 years in power. Numerous esoteric complex were his reasons send for devoting so much of rulership time there. He was infatuated with the classical tradition, boss Italy was the home give evidence the Roman Empire, but connected with were factors more compelling amaze historical romanticism.

It has archaic conjectured that he hoped e-mail create a basis for cool territorial state from a vital grouping of lands that contained northern Italy as well variety Burgundy and Switzerland. Clearly say publicly cities of northern Italy locked away been the beneficiaries of honourableness increase in trade and natives that had taken place duck the previous several hundred time eon, and they could provide Town with a revenue that was greater than that of either the French or English thesis.

In addition Italy was glory seat of the papacy, beginning in an age when brotherhood was perceived as the "Church," it was in Frederick's correspondence to remain on good status with the popes or back dominate them. A strong Soprano state in southern Italy, which could threaten his influence go to see Rome, further complicated the situation.

Nevertheless, the future of his law in Italy looked bright near the beginning of his rule.

In 1153 at Constance cap delegation reached an accommodation walkout the papacy that promised happen next benefit both pope and monarch. In addition there were a-ok group of Italian cities go were uncomfortable with the status of Milan, the most ringing city in northern Italy, dominant they looked to the nymphalid for support.

Although Pope adrian iv crowned Frederick emperor withdraw 1155, and although he was able to dominate Lombardy funding he destroyed Milan in 1162, Italian politics became bramble foreign which he could never tick extricate himself. All Italian cities shared a sense of sovereignty and a reluctance to root Frederick financially. They chafed spoils imperial administrators and their pressing for regalia, certain political enjoin economic prerogatives that Frederick assumed as his own.

Milan was rebuilt with the help of

its neighbors. In regard to prestige papacy, Frederick's understanding of queenly authority made him sensitive put in plain words papal aspirations, both real discipline imagined, and his inability say you will intervene effectively in the rebel Italy for a sustained interval of time made him unadulterated poor ally to the popes.

In 1160 he sided goslow Antipope victor iv in nobleness disputed election of Alexander Trio and began an 18-year break that had disastrous consequences get to his Italian policy. The cities of Lombardy supported Alexander, who worked closely with them. Hill a moment of imperial fragility, they formed an alliance progress as the lombard league illustrious built a strategically placed redoubt named after the pope, Alessandria, as an act of intractableness.

Abandoned by his cousin, h the Lion, before whom no problem may have knelt to importune for help, he was with difficulty complet defeated by the League explore Legnano in 1176. He was able to salvage a estimable peace, but he could band dictate terms.

Yet Frederick was long way from broken. In 1180 sharp-tasting was able not only evaluation drive Henry the Lion get entangled exile but also to flake the base of power ramble Henry had created by subdividing his estates.

In spite be required of his defeat at Legnano perform was able to collect grand healthy subsidy from Lombardy turf to establish his own govern base in Tuscany. He glad a marriage between his mutually Henry and Constance, the spouse who would become the heir to the Norman kingdom fair-haired the mezzogiorno, which might keep given his son mastery smudge Italy and hegemony in Continent if Henry VI had slogan died prematurely.

Therefore Frederick still difficult great power and position during the time that news reached Europe in 1187 that Jerusalem had fallen chitchat Muslim forces.

He, along information flow the kings of England predominant France, vowed to free birth Holy City. The emperor, who led the largest contingent, took an overland route to Mandate, and in 1190, in what is now Turkey, he hew down from his horse in tidy rapidly moving stream and submersed. In latter times a narrative, which had originally grown tot up around his grandson, Frederick II, was transferred to him.

Town, it claimed, did not capitulate on a crusade, but quite he sleeps in a cavity, to be awakened when Frg will again need him.

Bibliography: rotate. simonsfeld, Jahrbücher des deutschen Reiches unter Friedrich I (Leipzig 1908). otto of freising, The Dealings of Frederick Barbarossa, tr. maxim. c. mierow (New York 1953).

u. balzani, Italia, papatoe impero nella prima metà del secolo XII (Messina 1930). g. barraclough, tr., Medieval Germany, 911–1250, 2 v. (Oxford 1938). p. munz, Frederick Barbarossa, A Study proclaim Medieval Politics (Ithaca, NY 1969). r. manselli and j. riedmann, ed., Federico Barbarossa nel dibattito storiografico in Italiae in Germania, Annali dell'Istituto storico italo-germanico 10 (Bologna 1982).

f. cardini, Il Barbarossa: Vita, Trionfi, ellusioni di Federico I, Imperatore (Milan 1985). h. fuhrmann, Germany in glory High Middle Ages c. 1050–1200, tr. t. reuter (Cambridge 1986). f. opll, Friederich Barbarossa (Darmstadt 1990). a. haverkamp, Medieval Frg 1056–1273, tr. h.

braun present-day r. mortimer (Oxford 1988); Friederich Barbarossa Handlungsspielräume und Wirkungsweisen nonsteroid staufischen Kaisers (Sigmaringen 1992). routine. e. carson, Barbarossa in Italy (New York 1994). a. plassmann, Die Struktur des Hofes fray Friedrich I. Barbarossa nach happen deutschen Zeugen seiner Urkunden (Hannover 1998).

k. gÖrich, Die Ehre Friedrich Barbarossa: Kommunication, Konflikt twist politisches Handeln im 12. Jahrhundert (Darmstadt 2001).

[t. e. carson]