Frederick I (Holy Roman Empire), called Frederick BarbaRossa (1123?-90),
Holy Roman emperor and king of Germany (1152-90), king of Italy (1155-90),
and as Frederick III, duke of Swabia (1147-52, 1167-68). He was born in
Waiblingen, the son of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, duke of Swabia
(1090-1147), and the nephew of Conrad III, king of Germany. Conrad III,
favoring Frederick over his own son, on his Deathbed recommended to the
German princes that Frederick be chosen for the German kingship and the
imperial throne. Accordingly, after the Death of his uncle in 1152,
Frederick BarbaRossa was made German king and elected Holy Roman emperor.
He conceived of his imperial title as a grant from God, through the German
princes, and wished to restore the glory of the Roman Empire. He
consequently decided to consolidate the imperial position in Germany and
Italy and began by issuing a general order for peace among the princes of
Germany, at the same time granting them extensive concessions. In 1154 he
proceeded to Italy, where he received the Lombard crown at Pavia. The
following year he was crowned Holy Roman emperor by Pope Adrian IV, whose
authority Frederick had reinstated before his coronation.
In 1156 Pope Adrian aroused Frederick against the papacy by implying in a
letter to him that the emperor held lands only as a fief from the Pope.
Two years later Frederick incurred the hostility of the Lombards by
demanding recognition of all his royal rights, including his power to
appoint the imperial podesta, or governor, in every town. Such cities as
Milan, Piacenza, Brescia, and Crema considered that demand a denial of
their communal liberties and in 1158 began a struggle that lasted until
1183 and required Frederick to lead five expeditions to Italy. Between
1158 and 1162 Frederick warred with Milan and its allies, subduing that
city and confirming claims to other Italian cities. Meanwhile Frederick
had set up a series of antiPopes in opposition to the reigning Pope,
Alexander III, who espoused the cause of the MiLanese and their allies and
who, in 1165, excommunicated Frederick. By attacking the Leonine City in
Rome in 1167-68, Frederick was able to install one of the antiPopes,
Paschal III (died 1168), on the papal throne. The Lombard League,
consisting of the cities of Milan, Parma, Padua, Verona, Piacenza,
Bologna, Cremona, Mantua, Bergamo, and Brescia, was formed in 1167 and
eventually acknowledged Pope Alexander as leader. During the next seven
years the league acquired military strength, rebuilt Milan, constructed
the fortress city of Alessandria, and organized a federal system of
administration. The fifth expedition (1174-76) of Frederick to Italy
terminated in defeat by the Lombard League at Legnano. The defeat was
significant in military history, because it was the first major triumph of
infantry over a mounted army of feudal Knights. Frederick was forced in
1177 to acknowledge Alexander III as Pope and in 1183 to sign the Peace of
Constance, acceding to the demands of the Lombards for autonomy but
retaining imperial suzerainty over the towns.
Although imperial control in Italy was virtually ended by his defeat at
Legnano, Frederick managed to enhance his prestige in central Europe. He
made Poland tributary to the empire, raised Bohemia to the rank of a
kingdom, and erected the margravate of Austria into an independent
hereditary duchy. His own power as emperor in Germany was firmly
established in 1180, when he ended his Long struggle with the Welfs by
putting Down a revolt led by the Welf Henry the Lion and depriving him of
most of his lands.
Frederick initiated the Third Crusade in 1189, and in the next year,
having resigned the government of the empire to his son Henry, later Holy
Roman Emperor Henry VI, set out for Asia Minor. After gaining two great
victories over the Muslims at Philomelion (now Ak³ehir) and Iconium (now
Konya), he was drowned in the Calycadnus (now G?) River in Cilicia (now
in Turkey) on June 10, 1190.
