Contents

Welcome Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dedication

Prefatory Note

Translator’s Note

List of Maps

Chronological Table

Summary Of Sources

I. Frederick’s Childhood

Prophecies

Birth in Jesi, Dec. 26, 1194

Character of Henry VI

Hohenstaufen conception of Empire

Baptism

Death of Henry VI

Philip of Swabia; Otto of Brunswick

Sicilian hatred of Germans

Papal policy towards Sicily

Constance’s Concordat with Rome; death, 1198

Innocent: Deliberatio super facto imperii

The Sicilian myth

Markward of Anweiler; Walter of Palear; Walter of Brienne

The Saracens of Sicily

Pisa and Genoa

San Germano

Frederick of age, 1208

Episcopal elections

Wedding with Constance of Aragon, 1209

Death of Aragon knights

Revolt of island barons

II. Puer Apuliae

Innocent III becomes Pope

Theories of the Papacy

The Priest-State

Murder of Philip of Swabia

Otto of Brunswick crowned in Rome, 1209

Revolt of Apulian nobles

Otto deposed

Frederick sets out for Rome, March 1212

Genoa, Cremona, Chur, Constance

The Children’s Crusade

Alliance with French

Re-elected German King, Dec. 1212

Crowned in Mainz, 1212

The regia stirps of the Hohenstaufen

The Welf-Waibling feud

Guelf and Ghibelline in Italy

The Ghibelline spirit

Bouvines, 1214

Golden Bull of Eger

Lateran Council, 1216

Innocent’s death, 1216

Frederick’s entry into Aix; coronation

Barbarossa’s re-interment of Charlemagne, 1165

Frederick takes the Cross

III. Early Statesmanship

Death of Otto

Dawn of national consciousness in Germany

Knight and Monk

The Cistercians

The Templars

The Teutonic Order: Hermann of Salza

War with Denmark

The Golden Bull of Rimini, 1226

Pope Honorius III

King Henry elected King of the Romans

Diplomatic victory over the Papacy

Coronation in Rome; ceremonial

De resignandis privilegiis

The Sicilian barons

Diet of Capua

Count of Molise

Deportation of people of Celano

Remodelling of the Feudal System

Architecture

Diet of Messina, 1221

Syracuse

Measures against foreign trade

Creation of Sicilian fleet

Saracen war

Lucera

University of Naples

Crusading disasters; San Germano

Death of Constance of Aragon, 1222

Marriage with Isabella of Jerusalem, 1225

Birth of Conrad

Berard of Palermo

Lombard League

Feud of Cremona and Milan

Franciscans and Dominicans

Diet of Cremona prevented by Lombards, 1226

Leonardo of Pisa

St. Francis

Death of Honorius III

Gregory IX

IV. The Crusade

Rendezvous in Brindisi, 1227

Plague

Frederick falls ill and turns back

Hostility of Gregory IX

Excommunication

Gregory’s entente with Lombards

Loyalty of Rome to Frederick

Frederick’s first manifesto

Frederick sails for East, June 1228

Gregory attacks Sicily

Frederick recovers Cyprus

Lands at Acre

Treaty with al Kamil; 10-year truce

Saracen chivalry

Treachery of Templars

Influence of East on Frederick

Entry into Jerusalem, March 17, 1229

Self-Coronation, March 18

Jerusalem manifesto

Last scenes in Palestine

Frederick lands at Brindisi, June 1229

Exeunt papal troops from Sicily

Attitude of Gregory IX; truce

Peace of Ceperano

V. Tyrant of Sicily

Influence of Eastern success

Affection for Sicily

Three emperor models

Constitutions of Melfi, 1231

Expectation of Golden Age and End of World

Augustales minted

Frederick’s birthday a public holiday

I

Liber Augustalis

Cult of Justitia

Invocation of imperial name

“Crown Prosecution”

Theory of the “Fall”

Necessitas

Dante’s de Monarchia

The Divine Comedy

II

Pope Gregory and the Liber Augustalis

Relation of Church and State

Zeal against heretics

Muslims and Jews

State organisation: justiciars, notaries

Conditions of service

Treatment of suspects

Rebellious towns

Augusta

Uniformity and simplification of government

Town-creation; frontier protection

Monopolies

Customs and revenue

Weights and measures

Fairs and markets

The Emperor as trader

Taxation

Commercial agreements

Overseas consuls and embassies

A Sicilian nation

Marriage ordinances

III

Triumph of lay culture

Petrus de Vinea (Piero della Vigna)

Frederick’s public speaking

Frederick amongst intimates

Youthfulness of Sicilian court

Frederick’s retainers; menagerie

Famous families in his service

Thomas Aquinas

Valetti imperatoris

Frederick’s sons

Chivalry at court

Foggia: banquets, revelry

Michael Scot

Sicilian poetry; use of vernacular

Intellectual thought at court

Learning at court

Astronomy and Astrology

Hebrew scholars

Spirit of Enquiry; Ibn Sabin of Ceuta

Research and experiment

De arte venandi cum avibus

The art of seeing “things that are, as they are”

Frederick’s personal appearance

VI. German Emperor

Pope and Emperor in harmony

Diet of Ravenna, 1231

King Henry; Diet of Worms, 1231

Diet of Friuli, 1232

Growing autonomy of German Princes

Theory of German Empire

Burgundy

Loss of Cyprus

Frederick aids Pope against Romans

Ideal relation of Empire and Papacy

Inquisition

Dominicans and Franciscans

Joachim of Flora: Three Ages of the world

John of Vicenza

Conrad of Marburg

King Henry’s rebellion and treason

Fate of Henry

Frederick marries Isabella of England

Diet and Landpeace of Mainz

Use of German for imperial proclamation

End of Welf-Waibling feud

Jew ritual murder case

War with Lombardy

Pope’s manoeuvres

Re-burial of St. Elizabeth. 1236, at Marburg

“Execution of Justice” against Lombardy

Appeal to all Christian monarchs

Appeal to Romans

Art of war in Middle Ages

Frederick of Babenberg “the Quarrelsome”

Arrogance of Gregory IX

“Donation of Constantine”

Capture of Vicenza

Diet of Vicenza

Conrad, King of the Romans

Cortenuova, 1237

The “Triumph” in Cremona

VII. Caesar and Rome

The magic of Rome

Renovatio imperii

Identification with Caesar

Spolia opima from Cortenuova

Lust for personal glorification

Frederick’s wooing of the Romans

Cardinals and Pope

Progress in Lombardy

Diets of Pavia and Turin, 1238

Siege of Brescia; Calamandrinus

Coalition against Frederick

Enzio

Imperial Court at Padua

Frederick’s appeal to the Cardinals

Frederick excommunicated

Death of Hermann of Salza

Reorganisation and defence of Sicily

Destruction of Benevento, 1241

Reorganisation of Italy

War of manifestos and propaganda

Brother Elias

Brother Jordan and the Pope

Christmas in Pisa

Frederick invades the Papal States

Letter to Jesi

At the gates of Rome

Gregory turns the multitude

VIII. Dominus Mundi

Cult of the Emperor

The sacratissimum ministerium

Outburst of Sicilian art

Capuan Gate

Nicholas of Pisa

St. Francis and “Gothic” painting

Diet in Foggia, 1240

Inefficacy of papal ban

Princes’ effort to mediate

Surrender of Ravenna

Resistance of Faënza

Cost of prolonged operations

Issue of leather coins

Hostilities against Venice

Gregory’s General Council

Frederick’s counter-measures

Gregory’s pact with Genoa

Fall of Faënza, April 14, 1241

Destruction of Benevento

Victory at sea, 1241; capture of 100 prelates

Mongol threat

Battle of Liegnitz, 1241

Pope hinders Crusade

Muslims retake Jerusalem, Nov. 1240

Frederick negotiates recovery of Jerusalem

Advance on Rome; death of Pope Gregory

Status of Empire in Europe

Relations between Frederick and brother kings

Saint Louis

Stirps caesarea; deification of the Hohenstaufens

Conclave of Terror, 1241

Innocent IV elected Pope

Defection of Viterbo

Treachery of Cardinal Rainer

Provisional peace, 1244; breaks down

Flight of Innocent IV

Lyons

Diet of Verona

Rainer’s hostile propaganda

Council of Lyons

Thaddeus of Suessa

Deposition of Frederick II

IX. Antichrist

Dual interpretation of Frederick’s life

Frederick’s posterity

Satellite giants : Eccelino, Guido of Sessa, Hubert Pallavicini

“Labour of Love”: to purge the Church

Reform manifestos

Pope’s counter-activities

Increasing savagery of Frederick

Lure of the East

Conspiracy of intimates, 1246

Distrust of subordinates

Punishment of conspirators

Complicity of Pope

Henry Raspe

Italy partitioned amongst the Hohenstaufen

March on Germany; threat to Lyons

Defection of Parma

“The Cardinal”

Siege of Parma

Saracens as executioners

Victoria

Defeat before Parma

Money shortage

German knights in Italy

German influence on Renaissance art

Renewed threat to Lyons

Fall of Piero della Vigna

Attempt to poison Frederick

Piero della Vigna’s suicide

Enzio taken prisoner

Fate of King Conrad

Manfred’s rise and fall

Conradin’s coronation

Tagliacozzo; Conradin’s execution

Death of Enzio

Curse on the Hohenstaufen

Parma avenged

Death of Frederick, December 13, 1250

Burial at Palermo

The Frederick myth

An Invitation from the Publisher