Frederick+Barbarossa

Frederick Barbarossa (1122-1190) was crowned [|King of Germany] in 1152 and [|Holy Roman Emperor] in 1155. Born as the heir to the duchy of Swabia, he was originally known as Frederick III. Descendant to the two greatest German families, the [|Hohenstaufen] dynasty and the house of Welf, Frederick possessed the ideal lineage to unify chaotic twelfth century Germany and was famous for leading multiple expeditions to Italy. His contributions include reunifying Germany, helping develop the distinction between church and state, and contributing to the body of public law.

Stable Reign


Frederick was elected as King of Germany in 1152 following his uncle's death. He achieved great success in stabilising Germany, which had become chaotic under his previous imperial ancestors. Frederick was able to maintain this peace throughout his reign and maintained control of over one thousand German princes and districts, uniting them during the crusades and expeditions to Italy. The main source of domestic tension during Frederick's reign was from his maternal cousin [|Henry the Lion], who resented the Hohenstaufen rule and refused to come to his king's aid in battle in 1174. Frederick had him tried under Imperial law, resulting in Henry being stripped of most of his lands and outlawed to England.

Extending the Holy Roman Empire


Successful in re-establishing the original boundaries of the [|Holy Roman Empire], Frederick desired to expand them further and was primarily focussed on the regions of Italy. His first achievement was conquering Lombardy and subsequent coronation at Pavia in 1155 making him King of Lombardy. Frederick was then proclaimed Holy Roman Emperor by [|Pope Adrian IV] in the same year. His second marriage to [|Beatrice of Burgundy] expanded the empire's influence to the north and resulted in numerous offspring who perpetuated the Hohenstaufen reign of the German monarchy. Frederick utilised the Justinian Code in his power struggle with the papacy over the role of the Emperor in church business. He continually antagonised the papacy, establishing his own bishops, supporting antipopes, engaging in feuds over broken treaties, and engineering his son Henry's (later to become [|Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor)] marriage to [|Constance of Sicily] despite protests made by [|Pope Urban III]. The struggle for supreme power between the papacy and the Emperor gave rise to the notion of distinction between church and state affairs, while Frederick's rulings as Emperor advanced matters of public law.

Death


Frederick remained loyal to the Holy Roman Church and his involvement in the Third Crusade to reclaim Jerusalem ultimately resulted in his premature death in 1190 by drowning in the Saleph River. He was beloved by the German people and was idolised in folklores as a sleeping hero, fearsome warrior and good king.