frederick barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa, like other men of his age, was influenced by a growing resurgence of neoclassical sensibilities. It should not therefore be considered surprising that he would have considered himself ruling as "Frederick, by the grace of God emperor of the Romans and august forever..".(A letter to Otto of Freisling) He like other leaders before and since saw and welcomed the prestige and sense of legitimacy offered by the title of Roman Emperor. To achieve this, kings since the time of Charlamegne had often traveled to Rome in order to be crowned Emperor. The pope as heir to the Church of Constantine provided the symbolic link between the Roman past and the present Empire. It was in this light that in 1154 Frederick entered Italy, to be crowned in Rome and assert his domination over Northern Italy as such. His subsequent involvement in Italy was to bring him and his family line into conflicts, which would have severe effects on the future of the Hohenstaufen line and the German Monarchy. As a result, at a time when other dominant royal families were laying the cornerstones of powerful national monarchies, Hohenstaufen power and the Holy Empire crumbled.
In order to gain support for his rule, Frederick II, promised Pope Innocent III that when crowned Holy Roman emperor he would separate Sicily from the empire by establishing regency there for his infant son Henry. Frederick issued a decree against the pope and seized most of the Papal States. Prior to his death Conrad III named Frederick as his successor, hoping that Frederick's reign would end the discord between the rival houses of Hohenstaufen and Guelphs. In the end, the intense struggle between Frederick and the papacy led to the eventual ruin of the house of Hohenstaufen. In 1167 the Italian communes united against Frederick in the form of the Lombard League, and Frederick retreated with difficulty to Germany, where he turned to increasing his territorial power andpacifying the constantly feuding German princes. He continued southward, but failed in the initial attempt to take Sicily. Unlike other Monarchs of the era, the attempts made by the Hohenstaufen line to make the crown hereditary were unsuccessful. After his defeat Frederick submitted to the pope; he agreed to recognize Alexander III as pope and was afterwards restored to communion. Adrian explained that he had not intended that interpretation of his words, but Frederick entered Italy, seized Milan, and at the Diet of Roncaglia in 1158 laid claim, as emperor and king of the Lombard's, to all imperial rights, including the appointment of an imperial governor, in every town. The heavy handedness of his German officials led to the revolt of Milan, Brescia, Crema, and their allies, in 1159. This subsequently made it much more difficult for German Emperors to acquire new lands, as compared with other European Monarchs of the time. r, Judith, was a Guelph , Frederick acted as a mediator between his Hohenstaufen uncle Conrad, and his Guelph cousin, Henry the Lion. Henry VI, was crowned German king at Aachen in 1169 and king of Italy at Milan in 1186 after his marriage to Constance, heiress presumptive to the throne of Sicily. After his coronation Frederick returned to Sicily. The revolt was secretly encouraged by Adrian IV.
Common topics in this essay:
Henry Lion,
Germany Frederick,
Frederick Barbarossa,
Alexander III,
Italy Frederick's,
Frederick II,
Southern Italy,
Honorius III,
Diet Wurzburg,
Diet Besancon,
henry lion,
frederick ii,
german princes,
entered italy,
return germany,
roman emperor,
hohenstaufen line,
frederick entered,
frederick entered italy,
lombard league,
crowned holy roman,
pope's sicilian,
pope's sicilian allies,
holy roman emperor,
|
Acceptance Essays
