Kaiser Friedrich II

Friedrich II, Kaiser (Iesi nr. Ancona, 1194-1250, Fiorentino), was the son of the Emperor Heinrich VI, and so came of the Staufen line. From his mother, before her marriage Princess Constance of Sicily, he inherited a claim to the Sicilian crown. He was elected Deutscher König at the age of 2 (1196); his father died in the following year, and his mother in 1198. He grew up in Italy, which was his true homeland, and in 1208 was declared of age by his guardian, Pope Innocent III. His claim to the imperial throne had lapsed in 1198 because of his tender age. In 1212, however, he appeared unexpectedly in Germany, was acclaimed on all sides, and staked anew his claim as king against Otto IV, though he was obliged by the Golden Bull of Eger (1213) to make substantial concessions to the Papacy in Italy. By 1214 his position as German King was secure. In 1220 he had his 9-year-old son Heinrich crowned as German King, and thereupon returned to Italy, where he was crowned emperor in the same year.

Friedrich devoted himself to the ruthless and efficient reorganization of his Sicilian kingdom. He fell out with his former ally, Pope Gregory IX, and, while excommunicated, undertook a crusade in 1228, crowning himself king of Jerusalem in 1229. In 1234 his eldest son Heinrich VII revolted against his rule, but rapid and energetic intervention in Germany by Friedrich extinguished the revolt in 1235. In his later years he was for a second and final time excommunicated by Gregory (1239). An attempted reconciliation with Gregory's successor Pope Innocent IV failed. The Pope deposed him (1245) and encouraged the election of rival kings in Germany, but Friedrich maintained his supremacy until his death. He was followed by a younger son, Konrad IV.

Friedrich's reign is remarkable for his ability to assert his rule while spending only two periods in Germany, from 1212 to 1220 and from 1235 to 1237. He maintained his position partly by the prestige of his Staufen descent and by his recognized energy and ability; he also pursued a policy of concessions to territorial princes and imperial cities, which were to make centralized rule more difficult in future. His real interest was the extension of his sway and the intensification of his administrative control in Italy.

A man of culture, who wrote poetry in Italian, Friedrich had an alert and open mind and was avidly interested in the scientific knowledge of his day. He was particularly attentive to natural history, and is the author of a notable treatise on falconry, De arte venandi cum avibus, which contains much accurate observation (printed in 1546, 1896, and 1942). At his court he showed religious tolerance and he employed Saracens in his army, but he saw to it that religious orthodoxy was maintained in his states. He supported the persecution of heretics in Germany in 1230 and 1232. He could also be ruthlessly cruel in the treatment of persons who evoked his disfavour. He is often regarded as a man born before his time, but it is easy to misread his medieval Italian character. Since his rule in Germany depended upon his personal standing, it is not surprising that after his death a period of disintegration supervened.

The legend, popularized soon after his death, that he was not really dead and would return reflects his prestige. It was afterwards Germanized, and by 1519 had been transferred to Barbarossa (see Friedrich I, Kaiser). Friedrich II is the king whom Walther von der Vogelweide mentions in a poem of gratitude for the grant of a fief: ‘der edel künec, der milte künec’.