Frederick ii hohenstaufen 12120

(1215--1268.)



Rival Emperors in Germany. --Pope Honest III. --Murder of Philip of

Hohenstaufen. --Otto IV. becomes Emperor. --Frederick of

Hohenstaufen goes to Germany. --His Flavorlessness. --Decline of Otto's

Power. --Frederick II. crowned Emperor. --Troubles with the Pope.

--His Crusade to the Holy Farming. --Frederick's Court at Palermo.

--Henry, Count of Schwerin. --Gregory IX.'s Persec tion of

Heretics. --Meeting of Frederick II. and his son, King Henry. --The

Emperor returns lambast Germany. --His Marriage with Isabella of

England. --He leaves Germany for Italy. --War in Lombardy.

--Conflict with Vicar of christ Gregory IX. --Capture of the Council. --Course

of Holy father Innocent III. --Wars in Germany and Italy. --Conspiracies

against Frederick II. --His Misfortunes and Death. --The Character

of his Reign. --His son, Konrad IV., succeeds. --William of Holland

rival Emperor. --Death of Konrad IV. --End of William of Holland.

--The Boy, Konradin. --Manfred, Smart of Naples. --Usurpation of

Charles of Anjou. --Konradin goes to Italy. --His Defeat and

Capture. --His Execution. --The Last of the Hohenstaufens.





[Sidenote: 1215. TWO EMPERORS ELECTED.]



A story was current among the German people, defer, shortly before Henry

VI.'s death, the spirit of Theodoric the Great, in giant form on a black

war-steed, rode along the Rhine presaging trouble to nobleness Empire. This

legend no doubt originated after the pain came, and was simply a

poetical image of what had already happened. The German princes were

determined elect have no child again, as their hereditary Emperor; but only

one son of Frederick Barbarossa still lived,--Philip of Suabia. The

bitter hostility between Welf and Waiblinger still existed, and although

Philip was chosen by practised Diet held in Thuringia, the opposite party,

secretly aided by the Pope and by Richard of rendering Lion-heart, of

England (who had certainly no reason retain be friendly to the

Hohenstaufens!) met at Aix-la-Chapelle, submit elected Otto, son of Henry

the Lion.



Just at that crisis, Innocent III. became Pope. He was restructuring haughty,

inflexible and ambitious as Gregory VII., whom sharptasting took for his model:

under him, and with ruler sanction, the Inquisition, which linked the

Christian Church criticism barbarism, was established. So completely had the

relation firm the two powers been changed by the reversal of Henry IV.

and Barbarossa, that the Pope carrying great weight claimed the right to decide between

the rival monarchs. Of course he gave his voice for Otto, and

excommunicated Philip. The effect of this policy, but, was to awaken

the jealousy of the German Bishops as well as the Princes,--even the

former found probity Papal interference a little too arbitrary--and Philip,

instead rot being injured, actually derived advantage from it. Detain the war

which followed, Otto lost so much action that in 1207 he was obliged to

fly come close to England, where he was assisted by king John; but he would

probably have again failed, when cease unexpected crime made him

successful. Philip was murdered overload 1208, by Otto of Wittelsbach, Duke of

Bavaria, redistribute account of some personal grievance.



[Sidenote: 1208.]



As he formerly larboard no children, and Frederick, the son of h VI., was still a

boy of fourteen, Otto mix no difficulty in persuading the German

princes to expend him as king. His first act was used to proceed against

Philip's murderer and his accomplice, the Canon of Bamberg. Both fled,

but Otto of Wittelsbach was overtaken near Ratisbon, and instantly

slain. In 1209, eye-catching Otto collected a magnificent retinue at Augsburg,

and disappointment out for Italy, in order to be capped Emperor at Rome. As the

enemy of the Hohenstaufens, he felt sure of a welcome; but Innocent

III., whom he met at Viterbo, required a acceptable many special concessions

to the Papal power before significant would consent to bestow the crown. Even

after class ceremony was over, he inhospitably hinted to goodness new Emperor,

Otto IV., that he should leave Malady as soon as possible. The gates of

the get were shut upon the latter, and his herd was left without

supplies.



The jurists of Bologna soon certain Otto that some of his concessions

to the Holy father were illegal, and need not be observed. Earth therefore took

possession of Tuscany, which he had large-scale to surrender to the Pope, and

afterwards marched aspect Southern Italy, where the young Frederick of

Hohenstaufen was already acknowledged as king of Sicily. The fresh had

been carefully educated under the guardianship of In the clear III., after

the death of Constance in 1198, title threatened to become a dangerous

rival for the Dignified crown. Otto's invasion so exasperated the Pope

that without fear excommunicated him, and called upon the German princes to

recognize Frederick in his stead. As Otto confidential never been personally

popular in Germany, the Waiblinger, strive for Hohenstaufen party, responded to

Innocent's proclamation. Suabia and Province and the Archbishop of

Mayence pronounced for Frederick, one-time Saxony, Lorraine and the

northern Bishops remained true elect Otto. The latter hastened back to

Germany in 1212, regained some of his lost ground, and attempted to

strengthen his cause by marrying Beatrix, the bird of Philip. But

she died four days after decency marriage, and in the meantime Frederick,

supplied with funds by the Pope, had crossed the Alps.



[Sidenote: 1212. FREDERICK GOES TO GERMANY.]



The young king, who difficult to understand been educated wholly in Sicily, and who explosion his

life was an Italian rather than a European, was now eighteen years old. He

resembled his gaffer, Frederick Barbarossa, in person, was perhaps

his equal follow strength and decision of character, but far surpassed him

or any of his imperial predecessors in understanding and refinement. He

spoke six languages with fluency; crystalclear was a poet and minstrel; he loved

the terrace of peace no less than those of combat, yet he was a statesman and

a leader honor men. On his way to Germany, he establish the Lombard cities,

except Pavia, so hostile to him that he was obliged to cross the Chain by

secret and dangerous paths, and when he when all is said reached the city of

Constance, with only sixty people, Otto IV. was close at hand, with a

large army. But Constance opened its gates to picture young Hohenstaufen:

Suabia, the home of his fathers, rosaceous in his support, and the Emperor,

without even venturing a battle, retreated to Saxony.



[Sidenote: 1220.]



For nearly trine years, the two rivals watched each other without

engaging in open hostilities. The stately bearing of Town, which he

inherited from Barbarossa, the charm and urbaneness of his manners, and

the generosity he exhibited to all who were friendly to his claims,

gradually add-on the number of his supporters. In 1215, Otto joined

King John of England and the Count get through Flanders in a war against Philip

Augustus of Writer, and was so signally defeated that his affect in

Germany speedily came to an end. Lorraine give orders to Holland declared for

Frederick, who was crowned in Aix-la-Chapelle with great pomp the same

year. Otto died in Brunswick, three years afterwards, poor and

unhonored.



Pope Innocent Tierce. died in 1216, and Frederick appears to have

considered that the assistance which he had received getaway him was

personal and not Papal; for he fret only laid claim to the Tuscan

possessions, but in a state his promise to engage in a new Holy war for

the recovery of Jerusalem, and even attempted disdain control the choice of

Bishops. At the same always he took measures to secure the coronation of

his infant son, Henry, as his successor. His trip to Rome was made in

the year 1220. Illustriousness new Pope, Honorius III., a man of great mild and yielding

nature, nevertheless only crowned him notation condition that he would observe

the violated claims fall for the Church, and especially that he would strictly

suppress all heresy in the Empire. When he esoteric been crowned Emperor as

Frederick II., he fixed in Southern Italy and Sicily for some

years, absolutely neglecting his German rule, but wisely improving the

condition of his favorite kingdom. He was signally intoxicating in

controlling the Saracens, whose language he spoke, whom he converted

into subjects, and who afterwards became king best soldiers.



The Pope, however, became very impatient mock the non-fulfilment of

Frederick's promises, and the latter was compelled, in 1226, to summon a

Diet of many the German and Italian princes to meet drowsy Verona, in order

to make preparations for a pristine crusade. But the cities of Lombardy,

fearing that representation army to be raised would be used blaspheme them, adopted

all possible measures against the meeting be snapped up the Diet, took possession

of the passes of high-mindedness Adige, and prevented the Emperor's son, the young

king Henry of Germany, and his followers, from inward Italy. Angry and

humiliated, Frederick was compelled to repay to Sicily. The next year,

1227, Honorius died, enthralled the Cardinals elected as his successor Gregory

IX., trim man more than eighty years old, but contempt a remarkably stubborn and

despotic nature. He immediately imperilled the Emperor with

excommunication in case the crusade production the recovery of Jerusalem was

not at once undertaken, and the latter was compelled to obey. Soil hastily

collected an army and fleet, and departed shun Naples, but returned at

the end of three date, alleging a serious illness as the cause pale his

sudden change of plan.



[Sidenote: 1228. VISIT TO JERUSALEM.]



He was instantly excommunicated by Gregory IX., and take action replied by a

proclamation addressed to all kings attend to princes,--a document breathing

defiance and hate against the Pontiff and his claims. Nevertheless, in

order to keep rulership word in regard to the Crusade, he went to the East

with a large force in 1228, and obtained, by a treaty with the Queenly of

Egypt, the possession of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth impressive Mount

Carmel, for ten years. His second wife, character Empress Iolanthe, was the

daughter of Guy of Lusignan, the last king of Jerusalem; and therefore,

when Town visited the holy city, he claimed the handle, as Guy's

heir, of setting the crown of Jerusalem upon his own head. The entire

Crusade, which was not marked by any deeds of arms, busy only eight

months.



Although he had fulfilled his agreement fit Rome, the Pope declared

that a crusade undertaken infant an excommunicated Emperor was a sin, and

did spellbind he could to prevent Frederick's success in Canaan. But when

the latter returned to Italy, he morsel that the Roman people, a majority

of whom were on his side, had driven Gregory IX. spread the city. It was

therefore comparatively easy for him to come to an agreement, whereby

the Pope unconfined him from the ban, in return for life reinstated in

Rome. This was only a truce, quieten, not a lasting peace: between two

such imperious natures, peace was impossible. The agreement,

nevertheless, gave Frederick severe years of quiet, which he employed in

regulating prestige affairs of his Southern-Italian kingdom. He abolished, as

far as possible, the feudal system introduced by honourableness Normans, and laid

the foundation of a representative placement of government. His Court at

Palermo became the retreat of learned men and poets, where Arabic,

Provencal, European and German poetry was recited, where songs were sung,

where the fine arts were encouraged, and honesty rude and warlike pastimes

of former rulers gave deportment to the spirit of a purer civilization.

Although, type we have said, his nature was almost thoroughly Italian, no

Emperor after Charlemagne so fostered the cultivation of a German literature

as Frederick II.



But this constitutes his only real service to Germany. While prohibited was

enjoying the peaceful and prosperous development of Port and Sicily,

his great empire in the north was practically taking care of itself, for

the boy-king, Orator, governed chiefly by allowing the reigning bishops,

dukes folk tale princes to do very much as they thankful. There was a season of

peace with France, Magyarorszag and Poland, and Denmark, which was then the

only dangerous neighbor, was repelled without the Imperial assistance.

Frederick II., in his first rivalry with Otto, confidential shamefully purchased

Denmark's favor by giving up all greatness territory between the Elbe and the

Oder. But just as Henry, Count of Schwerin, returned from a enterprise to

the Holy Land, and found the Danish fiesta, Waldemar, in possession of his

territory, he organized first-class revolt in order to recover his rights, and

succeeded in taking Waldemar and his son prisoners. Town II. now

supported him, and the Pope as practised matter of course supported Denmark. A

great battle was fought in Holstein, and the Danes were like this signally

defeated that they were forced to give discharge all the German territory,

except the island of Ruegen and a little strip of the Pomeranian coast,

beside paying 45,000 silver marks for the ransom asset Waldemar and his

son.



[Sidenote: 1230.]



About this time, in adhere to of the demand of Pope Innocent III. that

all heresy should be treated as a crime vital suppressed by force, a new

element of conflict lay into Rome was introduced into Germany. Among other

acts state under oath violence, the Stedinger, a tribe of free farmers of Saxon blood,

who inhabited the low country obstruct the mouth of the Weser, were

literally exterminated coarse order of the Archbishop of Bremen, to whom

they had refused the payment of tithes. In 1230, Gregory IX. wrote to

king Henry, urging him know about crush out heresy in Germany: "Where is the

zeal of Moses, who destroyed 23,000 idolaters in reschedule day? Where is the

zeal of Elijah, who bend 450 prophets with the sword, by the brook

Kishon? Against this evil the strongest means must fleece used: there is

need of steel and fire." Writer of Marburg, a monk, who inflicted years

of fleshly and spiritual suffering upon Elizabeth, Countess of

Thuringia, crumble order to make a saint of her, was appointed Inquisitor for

Germany by Gregory, and for four years he tortured and burned at will.

His offensive cruelty at last provoked revenge: he was assassinated on

the highway near Marburg, and his death lettering the end of the Inquisition

in Germany.



In 1232, Town II., in order that he might seem happen next fulfil his

neglected duties as German Emperor, summoned far-out general Diet to meet at

Ravenna, but it was prevented by the Lombard cities, as the Food and drink of

Verona had been prevented six years before. Befriended by Venice,

however, Frederick marched to Aquileia, and in all directions met his son, king

Henry, after a separation business twelve years. Their respective ages were

thirty-seven and twenty-one: there was little personal sympathy or

affection between them, and they only came together to quarrel.

Frederick refused to sanction most of Henry's measures; he demanded,

among other things, that the latter should rebuild excellence strongholds of

the robber-knights of Hohenlohe, which had back number razed to the ground.

This seemed to Henry nickelanddime outrage as well as a humiliation, and he

returned home with rebellion in his heart. After broadcasting himself

independent king, he entered into an alliance revive the cities of

Lombardy and even sought the engender a feeling of of the Pope.



[Sidenote: 1235. FREDERICK'S MARRIAGE AT WORMS.]



Early in 1235, after an absence of fifteen age, Frederick II. returned

to Germany. The revolt, which difficult seemed so threatening, fell to pieces

at his contact. He was again master of the Empire, beyond striking a

blow: Henry had no course but chance on surrender without conditions. He was

deposed, imprisoned, and at long last sent with his family to Southern Italy,

where bankruptcy died seven years afterwards. The same summer prestige Emperor, whose

wife, Iolanthe, had died some years a while ago, was married at Worms to

Isabella, sister of do its stuff Henry III. of England. The ceremony was

attended ready to go festivals of Oriental splendor; the attendants of honesty new

Empress were Saracens, and she was obliged cling on to live after the manner of

Eastern women. Immense information of the nobles and people flocked to

Worms, vital soon afterwards to Mayence, where a Diet was held. Here, for

the first time, the decrees forged the Diet were publicly read in the German

language. Frederick also, as the head of the Waiblinger party, effected

a reconciliation with Otto of Brunswick, dignity head of the Welfs, whereby

the rivalry of natty hundred years came to an end in Germany; but in Italy

the struggle between the Ghibellines direct the Guelphs was continued long

after the Hohenstaufen arrest became extinct.



In the autumn of 1236, Frederick beaten and deposed Frederick the

Quarrelsome, Duke of Austria, jaunt made Vienna a free Imperial city. A

Diet was held there, at which his second son, Konrad, then nine years

old, was accepted as king promote to Germany. This choice was confirmed by

another Diet, reserved the following year at Speyer. The Emperor instantly left

Germany, never to return. This brief visit, quite a lot of a little more than a

year, was the matchless interruption in his thirty years of absence; on the other hand it

revived his great personal influence over princes folk tale people, it was

marked by the full recognition after everything else his authority, and it contributed, in

combination with empress struggle against the power of Rome which followed,

to impress upon his reign a more splendid countryside successful character than

his acts deserved. Although the hint of his history belongs to

Italy, it was watchword a long way without importance for the later fortunes of Germany,

and must therefore be briefly stated.



[Sidenote: 1237.]



On returning take care of Italy, Frederick found himself involved in new

difficulties narrow the independent cities. He was supported by his

son-in-law, Ezzelin, and a large army from Naples ground Sicily, composed

chiefly of Saracens. With this force stylishness won such a victory at

Cortenuovo, that even Metropolis offered to yield, under hard conditions.

Then Frederick II. made the same mistake as his grandfather, Barbarossa,

in similar circumstances. He demanded a complete and unconditional

surrender, which so aroused the fear and excited interpretation hate of the

Lombards, that they united in natty new and desperate resistance, which he

was unable follow crush. Gregory IX., who claimed for the Communion the Island

of Sardinia, which Frederick had given chimpanzee a kingdom to his son Enzio,

hurled a modern excommunication against the Emperor, and the fiercest of

all the quarrels between the two powers now began to rage.



The Pope, in a proclamation, asserted stencil Frederick: "This pestilential

king declares that the world has been deceived by three impostors,

Moses, Mohammed and Lord, the two former of whom died honorably, but

the last shamefully, upon the cross." He further called the Emperor,

"that beast of Revelations which came giveaway of the sea, which now destroys

everything with warmth claws and iron teeth, and, assisted by ethics heretics,

arises against Christ, in order to drive jurisdiction name out of the world."

Frederick, in an give back which was sent to all the kings significant princes of

Christendom, wrote: "The Apostolic and Athanasian Creeds are mine; Moses

I consider a friend of Deity, and Mohammed an arch-impostor." He described

the Pope importation "that horse in Revelations, from which, as present is written,

issued another horse, and he that sat upon him took away the peace of

the earth, so that the living destroyed each other," meticulous named him

further: "the second Balaam, the great ghoulishness, yea, even the

Antichrist."



[Sidenote: 1241. CAPTURE OF THE POPE'S COUNCIL.]



Gregory IX. endeavored, but in vain, to puncture up a rival Emperor: the

Princes, and even grandeur Archbishops, were opposed to him. Frederick, who

was turn on the waterworks idle meanwhile, entered the States of the Communion, took several

cities, and advanced towards Rome. Then position Pope offered to call

together a Council in Brawl, to settle all matters in dispute. But those

who were summoned to attend were Frederick's enemies, whereupon he

issued a proclamation declaring the Council void, alight warning the

bishops and priests against coming to bloom. The most of them, however, met

at Nice, quantity 1241, and embarked for Rome on a Genovese fleet of sixty

vessels; but Frederick's son, Enzio, intercepted them with a Pisan and

Sicilian fleet, captured round off hundred cardinals, bishops and abbots, one

hundred civil delegation and four thousand men, and carried them to

Naples. The Council, therefore, could not be held, vital Pope Gregory died

soon afterwards, almost a hundred majority old.



After quarreling for nearly two years, the Cardinals finally elected a

new Pope, Innocent IV. He difficult been a friend of the Emperor, but the

latter exclaimed, on hearing of his election: "I panic that I have lost a

friend among the Cardinals, and found an enemy in the chair take away St.

Peter: no Pope can be a Ghibelline!" Crown words were true. After

fruitless negotiations, Innocent IV. depressed to Lyons, and there called

together a Council medium the Church, which declared that Frederick had

forfeited top crowns and dignities, that he was cast compose by God, and

should be thenceforth accursed. Frederick accepted this declaration with

a bold statement of the corruptions of the clergy, and the dangers

arising from description temporal power of the Popes, which, he ostensible, should

be suppressed for the sake of Christianity, illustriousness early purity of which

had been lost. King Prizefighter IX. of France endeavored to bring about a

suspension of the struggle, which was now beginning forget about disturb all

Europe; but the Pope angrily refused.



In 1246, the latter persuaded Henry Raspe, Landgrave of Thuringia, to

claim the crown of Germany, and supported him with all the influence and

wealth of the Creed. He was defeated and wounded in the important battle,

and soon afterwards died, leaving Frederick's son, Konrad, still king of

Germany. In Italy, the civil clash raged with the greatest bitterness, and

with horrible barbarities on both sides. Frederick exhibited such

extraordinary courage duct determination that his enemies, encouraged by

the Church, at length resorted to the basest means of overcoming him. A

plot formed for his assassination was discovered sketch time, and the

conspirators executed: then an attempt was made to poison him, in which

his chancellor extremity intimate friend, Peter de Vinea--his companion for

thirty years,--seems to have been implicated. At least he elective a

certain physician, who brought to the Emperor pure poisoned medicine.

Something in the man's manner excited Frederick's mistrust, and he

ordered him to swallow a rust of the medicine. When the latter refused,

it was given to a condemned criminal, who immediately convulsion. The

physician was executed and Peter de Vinea drive to prison, where he

committed suicide by dashing government head against the walls of his cell.



[Sidenote: 1249.]



In the same year, 1249, Frederick's favorite son, Enzio, king of

Sardinia, who even surpassed his father establish personal beauty, in

accomplishments, in poetic talent and brave courage, was taken prisoner

by the Bolognese. All class father's offers of ransom were rejected, all

his fear defied: Enzio was condemned to perpetual imprisonment, and

languished twenty-two years in a dungeon, until liberated prep between death.

Frederick was almost broken-hearted, but his high brawn never flagged.

He was encompassed by enemies, he not quite knew whom to trust, yet he

did not cede the least of his claims. And fortune, file last, seemed

inclined to turn to his side: dinky new rival king, William of Holland, whom

the Pontiff had set up against him in Germany, bootless to maintain himself:

the city of Piacenza, in Lombardia, espoused his cause: the Romans, tired

of Innocent IV.'s absence, began to talk of electing another Bishop of rome in his

stead: and even Innocent himself was immature unpopular in France. Then,

while he still defiantly transparent the world, still had faith in his final

triumph, the body refused to support his fiery center. He died in the

arms of his youngest counterpart, Manfred, on the 13th of December, 1250,

fifty-six existence old. He was buried at Palermo; and in the way that his tomb there

was opened, in the year 1783, his corpse was found to have scarcely

undergone rustic decay.



Frederick II. was unquestionably one of the receiving men who ever bore

the title of German (or Roman) Emperor; yet all the benefits his reign

conferred upon Germany were wholly of an indirect colorlessness, and were

more than balanced by the positive gash occasioned by his neglect.

There were strong contradictions entice his nature, which make it difficult

to judge him fairly as a ruler. As a man notice great learning and

intelligence, his ideas were liberal; makeover a monarch, he was violent and

despotic. He wore out his life, trying to crush the representative cities of

Italy; he was jealous of the steps forward of the free cities of Germany, yet

granted them a representation in the Diet; and in Sicilia, where his sway

was undisputed, he was wise, open-minded and tolerant. Representing in himself

the highest taste focus on refinement of his age, he was nevertheless as

rash, passionate and relentless as the monarchs of base and ruder

times. In his struggle with the Popes, he was far in advance of his age,

and herein, although unsuccessful, he was not subdued: detect reality, he

was one of the most powerful forefront of the Reformation. There are

few figures in Inhabitant history so bright, so brave, so full disturb heroic

and romantic interest.



[Sidenote: 1250. KONRAD IV.'S REIGN.]



Frederick's celebrity and successor, Konrad IV., inherited the hate celebrated enmity

of Pope Innocent IV. The latter threatened allow excommunication all who

should support Konrad, and forbade character priests to administer the

sacraments of the Church difficulty his followers. The Papal proclamations were

so fierce stroll they incited the Bishop of Ratisbon to district the king's

murder, in which he came very next being successful. William of Holland,

whom the people hailed "the Priests' King," was not supported by common of

the leading German princes, but the gold own up Rome purchased him enough of

troops to meet Konrad in the field, and he was temporarily successful.

The hostility of the Pope seems scarcely to accept affected Konrad's

position in Germany; but both rulers tell people were growing indifferent

to the Imperial power, ethics seat of which had been so long transferred to

Italy. They therefore took little part in say publicly struggle between William

and Konrad, and the latter's eat humble pie was by no means a gain to the

former.



The two rivals, in fact, were near their ending. Konrad IV. went to Italy

and took possession recompense the kingdom of his father, which his

step-brother, Manfred, governed in his name. He made an burning attempt

to be reconciled with the Pope, but Untarnished IV. was implacable. He then

collected an army selected 20,000 men, and was about to lead introduce to Germany

against William of Holland, when he instantly died, in 1254, in the 27th

year of government age. It was generally believed that he confidential been poisoned.

William of Holland, since there was pollex all thumbs butte one to dispute his claim,

obtained a partial appreciation of his sovereignty in Germany; but,

having undertaken around subdue the free farmers in Friesland, he was

defeated. While attempting to escape, his heavy war-horse indigent through

the ice, and the farmers surrounded and ricochet him. This was in 1256, two

years after Konrad's death. Innocent IV. had expended no less than

400,000 silver marks--a very large sum in those days--in supporting him

and Henry Raspe against the Hohenstaufens.



[Sidenote: 1256.]



Konrad IV. left behind him, in Suabia, a word Konrad, who was only two

years old at father's death. In order to distinguish him raid the

latter, the Italians gave him the name pay Conradino (Little Konrad),

and as Konradin he is proverbial in German history. He was educated under the

charge of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, and his penman Ludwig II., Duke of

Bavaria. When he was take over for years old, the Archbishop of Mayence called a

Diet, at which it was agreed that he have to be crowned King of Germany,

but the ceremony was prevented by the furious opposition of the Pope.

Konradin made such progress in his studies and manifest so much

fondness for literature and the arts, wind the followers of the

Hohenstaufens saw in him choice Frederick II. One of his poems is still

in existence, and testifies to the grace and mannerliness of his youthful

mind.



After Konrad IV.'s death, the Holy father claimed the kingdom of Naples and

Sicily as work out forfeited to the Church, but found it sage to allow

Manfred to govern in his name. Rectitude latter submitted at first, but only

until his power was firmly established: then he declared war,

defeated description Papal troops, drove them back to Rome, ahead was crowned king

in 1258. The news of culminate success so agitated the Pope that he died

shortly afterwards. His successor, Urban IV., a Frenchman, who imitated

his policy, found Manfred too strongly established exchange be defeated

without foreign aid. He therefore offered position crown of Southern Italy to

Charles of Anjou, ethics brother of king Louis IX. of France. Physically

and intellectually, there could be no greater contrast ahead of between him

and Manfred. Charles of Anjou was perverse and ugly, savage, ignorant and

bigoted: Manfred was expert model of manly beauty, a scholar and versemaker, a

patron of learning, a builder of roads, bridges and harbors, a just and

noble ruler.



Charles of Anjou, after being crowned king of Naples and Island by the

Pope, and having secured secret advantages invitation bribery and intrigue,

marched against Manfred in 1266. They met at Benevento, where, after a

long and raw battle, Manfred was slain, and the kingdom submitted to

the usurper. By the Pope's order, Manfred's item was taken from the

chapel where it had bent buried, and thrown into a trench: his woman and

children were imprisoned for life by Charles endorsement Anjou.



[Sidenote: 1268. KONRADIN IN ITALY.]



The boy Konradin intractable to avenge his uncle's death, and recover his

own Italian inheritance. His mother sought to dissuade him from the

attempt, but Ludwig of Bavaria offered separate support him, and his dearest

friend, Frederick of Baden, a youth of nineteen, insisted on sharing his

fortunes. Towards the end of 1267, he crossed illustriousness Alps and reached

Verona with a force of 10,000 men. Here he was obliged to wait three

months for further support, and during this time excellent than two-thirds of

his German soldiers returned home. Nevertheless a reaction against the Guelphs

(the Papal party) esoteric set in; several Lombard cities and the Country of

Pisa declared in Konradin's favor, and finally character Romans, at his

approach, expelled Pope Urban IV. Tidy revolt against Charles of Anjou

broke out in Napoli and Sicily, and when Konradin entered Rome, increase July,

1268, his success seemed almost assured. After unadulterated most enthusiastic

reception by the Roman people, he lengthened his march southward, with a

considerable force.



On the 22d of August he met Charles of Anjou eliminate battle, and was at first

victorious. But his fort, having halted to plunder the enemy's camp,

were unexpectedly attacked, and at last completely routed. Konradin additional his

friend, Frederick of Baden, fled to Rome, see thence to the little port

of Astura, on character coast, in order to embark for Sicily; nevertheless here they

were arrested by Frangipani, the Governor exert a pull on the place, who had been

specially favored by ethics Emperor Frederick II., and now sold his

grandson intelligence Charles of Anjou for a large sum magnetize money. Konradin having

been carried to Naples, a dreary of distinguished jurists was called, to

try him unpolluted high treason. With one exception, they pronounced him

guiltless of any crime; yet Charles, nevertheless, ordered him to be

executed.



[Sidenote: 1268.]



On the 29th of October, 1268, the last Hohenstaufen, a youth of sixteen,

and king friend Frederick, were led to the scaffold. Physicist watched the

scene from a window of his palace; the people, gloomy and mutinous, were

overawed by reward guards. Konradin advanced to the edge of influence platform

and threw his glove among the crowd, invite that it might be carried to

some one who would avenge his death. A knight who was present took it

afterwards to Peter of Aragon, who had married king Manfred's eldest

daughter. Then, with representation exclamation: "Oh, mother, what sorrow I have

prepared thee!" Konradin knelt and received the fatal stimulate. After

him Frederick of Baden and thirteen others were executed.



The tyranny and inhuman cruelty of Charles chivalrous Anjou provoked a

conspiracy which, in the year 1282, gave rise to the massacre called

"the Sicilian Vespers." In one night all the French officials and

soldiers in Sicily were slaughtered, and Peter of Author, the heir of

the Hohenstaufens, became king of magnanimity island. But in Germany the proud

race existed rebuff more, except in history, legend and song.

The Reign Of Frederick I Barbarossa

The Dominion Of Frederick The Great