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FREDERICK I. (OF GERMANY). 



FREDERICK L (OF GERMANY). 



i m 



who were in coMrquence expelled by the Roman senate, and Arnold 

 beloK subsequently taken prisoner, was by Uie emperor delivered up 

 to the pope, who caused liim to be burnt alive. Having had 

 an interview with the pope, at which he ooniented to hold hi- 

 bolinrn'* atirmp, and baring re-established hu authority at Home, 

 and reecired the imperial crown from bin hand*, Frederick let out on 

 hi return to Germany. 11 u Tint care was to restore the peace of the 

 empire, which was disturbed by a diipute between the Archbishop 

 of HenU. and the Count Palatine of the Rliine; he likewise ended, 

 to the aatitfaetion of all parties, a most important question respecting 

 the dnchy of Bavaria. He bad reiolvcd to divorce his consort 

 Ail Uidr, because she bad no children ; but this not being a sufficient 

 ground for a divorce, the pic* of consanguinity was set up, and a 

 Mntunce of divorce was pronounced by Cardinal Joseph Orsini and 

 several prelates. Frederick then proposed to marry a Greek princess, 

 but thin negotiation failing, he married in 1156 Beatrice, heiress of 

 Burgundy, by which alliance be annexed that rich kingdom to his 

 dominions. Frederick soon afterwards compelled Boleslaus duke of 

 Poland to acknowledge himself a Tsssal of the empire, and ia the first 

 six years of his reign restored the empire to the same power and 

 extent of dominion which it had under Henry III. 



The affairs of Germany being settled, Frederick found it necessary 

 again to go to Italy, where the Milanese cruelly oppressed the towns 

 which would not submit to their orders. In 1158, Frederick with an 

 army of 100,000 infantry and 15,000 cavalry laid siege to Milan, and 

 the inhabitants, notwithstanding some previous successes, were 

 reduced, after an obstinate re-istsnco, to offer submission, which was 

 accepted. But they again rebelled, and Frederick resolved to make 

 an example of this haughty city, which was closely invested and com- 

 pelled to surrender at discretion. Frederick's, decision was that 

 " Milan should be a desert; that all the inhabitants should leave the 

 city in a week, and settle in four villages, ten miles distant from each 

 other." It has been often asserted that the city was raxed to the 

 ground, with the exception of the churches : but this seems to be an 

 exaggeration. The city was not plundered ; the order or permission 

 for the work of destruction extended only to the fortifications, and 

 even of these a considerable part was left standing. But the power 

 of Milan was broken. Its fall entirely discouraged the other cities. 

 Ire*cu and Piacenza were obliged to demolish their walls ; and the 

 other cities which had joined in the insurrection were deprived of 

 their right* and privileges. 



While Frederick was thus engaged, Pope Adrian, with whom he 

 was Utterly on very bad terms, died, on which a schism arose ; some 

 of the cardinals choosing Victor IV., who was inclined to the imperial 

 interests, and the others Alexander III. Frederick, who considered 

 himself as protector of the Church, called a council at Pavia. 

 Alexander not recognising this council, which consisted of fifty or 

 sixty German and Italian bishops, it proclaimed Victor IV. as the true 

 pope, who was acknowledged by the emperor. Alexander excom- 

 municated the emperor and all bis partisans; but though he was 

 recognised by the kings of France and England and the estates of 

 Ix>iubar<ly, Frederick's superiority obliged him to seek refuge in France. 

 Wheu the emperor returned to Germany he found that dissensions 

 bsd broken out between several of the princes, which he however 

 succeeded in appeasing ; and then set out to meet Louis the Young, 

 king of France, at Lances, near Dijon, where they bad agreed that a 

 council should be held to terminate the schism in the church, by 

 deciding between the two popes, who were to appear, accompanied by 

 the two sovereigns, their protectors. This plan however failed. The 

 death of Pope Victor IV. in 1164 teemed to offer a favourable oppor- 

 tunity for reconciliation between Frederick and Alexander HI., which 

 the former was inclined to embrace ; but before his orders reached 

 Rome his ambassador there bad concerted with the cardinals to proceed 

 to the election, and the choice fell on Gnido, bishop of Cream, who 

 took the name of Paschal III., and was acknowledged by the emperor. 

 Frederick crossing the Alps in 1165 marched direct to Rome, where 

 Paschal wa* solemnly installed, and then crowned the emperor and 

 his consort Beatrice. The power of the emperor now seemed to be 

 greater than ever, and he hoped entirely to reduce the cities of 

 Lombardy, which had formed a powerful league, being roused by the 

 cruelty and boundless extortion of his officers, even in those places 

 where bis authority was acknowledged. Frederick's plans were how- 

 ever defeated by a pestilential disorder, which carried off the greater 

 ]*rt of his army, and it was with no little difficulty that fie returned 

 in 1168 from bis third Italian campaign as a fugitive. He remained 

 six years in Germany to settle the wry complicated aff.iirs of that 

 country, where the ambition of the several princes led to continual 

 di*puU-s and feuds, the most important of which was the conflict 

 between Henry, surnamed the Lion, and many princes, bishops, and 

 counts, who formed a confederacy agaiont him. Henry however 

 defeated them, and soon afterward* married Matilda, daughter of 

 Henry II., kin? of Kngland. In 1169 Frederick prevailed on the 

 i of the empire to choose his son Henry, who was only five 

 yean old, king of the Romans, and he was accordingly crowned 

 at Aix- la -Chape He. Having appeased the disorders in Saxony, 

 and undertaken a luccrssful expedition against Boleslaus, duke of 

 Poland, he prepared for the fourth time to cross the Alps, The 

 negotiations in Italy bad not led to any favourable results. Soon after 



Frederick's return to Germany, Pope Paschal died, and the cardinals 

 in the inter sU of the emperor chose for his successor Calixtu 

 a man very inferior in talent to Alexander; but the laU-.r had an 

 consolidated his power, that Frederick thought he should giiin more 

 by opposing an anti-popo to him than by attempting a rcconcili 

 The cities of Lornbardy, encouraged by Alexander, extended their 

 confederacy, and built a new city, which they called Al>-xm<! 

 honour of him. Only Genoa and Pisa remained true to the emperor, 

 who, to prevent matters from going too far, sent Christian, archbishop 

 of MenU, with a small army to Italy. The archbishop was equally 

 distinguished as a prelate, a statesman, and a general ; but he waa not 

 able to effect much towards the establishment of peace. The emperor 

 himself having passed Mount Cenis, laid siege to Alexandria, and the 

 united Lombard army came to its relief. Negociations were however 

 opened, and a truce concluded. The emperor was so cure of the 

 result that he sent part of the army back to Germany, which he soon 

 hod reason to repent The Lombards grew bolder, and Henry tho 

 Lion, notwithstanding all the entreaties of tho emperor, refused to 

 proceed. A battle soon took place near Leguano, in which the 

 emperor was defeated by the Lombards with great Ions, and he him- 

 self being overpowered and supposed to be killed, his troops fled. A 

 few days afterwards however, to the unspeakable joy of tho army, he 

 appeared again at Pavia, where the empress bad already put on 

 mourning. 



This loss induced Frederick to think of peace. He treated first 

 with Alexander, whom he acknowledged as pope, and who relieved 

 him from the ban of excommunication. Ho then, by the mediation 

 of Alexander, concluded a treaty, or rather a truce, for six years, with 

 the cities of Lombardy, on very advantageous terms, for he iu fact 

 lost nothing essential, except that he gave up the cause of Ca!i.\tu, 

 who obtained a rich abbey. On his return from Italy, where he passed 

 the winter, he went to Burgundy, called a diet at Aries, and hud him- 

 self and his consort crowned king and queen of Burgundy ; whence 

 he returned to Germany much sooner and more powerful thau his 

 enemies expected. The peace of the empire being established, tho 

 princes and bishops who hod tilled with Alexander bccirne reconciled 

 to the emperor ; but new troubles arose in Saxony. Henry tho Lion 

 formed great plans to extend his power, but was in the end forced to 

 sue for peace. At Erfurt he appeared before the emperor au<l the 

 German princes, to whom Frederick had made a promise to decide 

 nothing respecting Henry without their approbation. The sentence 

 was that he should be relieved from the ban of the empire, retain his 

 family dominions of Brunswick and Liineburg, but for the preserva- 

 tion of peace, should go into banishment for seven years, which, at 

 the intercession of the pope and the king of England, wat reduced to 

 three years. Henry accordingly went with his wife au I children to 

 his father-in-law the king of England. 



The truce with Lombardy now approached its last year. After 

 several occurrences iu Italy, not unfavourable to Frederick, Alex- 

 ander III. died in IISI, and was succeeded by Lucius HI., who was 

 much inferior to him in ability and energy. The hostile dispositions 

 of b ith parties had greatly abated during the wars ; and the e:n] n>r 

 having summoned a diet of the empire at Constance, a definitive peace 

 was concluded, honourable and satisfactory to all parties. A ye ir 

 after the peace of Constance, order and tranquillity everywhere pre- 

 vailing, the emperor called a general diet at Mentz, one object of 

 which was to establish his five sons. This diet presented a scene of 

 unrivalled festivity and splendour. Tho Empress Beatrice, the 

 emperor's five sons, the archbishops, bishops, princes and nobles of 

 Italy and Germany, ambassadors from foreign sovereigns, 40,000 

 (some say 70,000) knights from all parts of Europe, and countless 

 multitudes of people of all classes were here assembled. Historians 

 have recorded those brilliant days, the wonders of which have been 

 handed down from generation to generation, and songs composed on 

 that occasion are still sung on the banks of the Rhine. A year after 

 this diet Frederick again went to Italy, where he was received with 

 extraordinary honours by the cities of Lombardy, and even concluded 

 an alliance with Milan. But new disputes arose with the papal s-e, 

 through Frederick's refusal to grant to Lucius, and afterwards to bis 

 successor Urban HI., the sovereignty of the territory called ' St. Peter's 

 Patrimony.' He however so increased bis power in Italy by the 

 marriage of his son Henry with the daughter and heiress of William, 

 king of Sicily, that the pope did not venture to proceed to extremities. 

 In Germany Frederick had declared Lubeck and Ratiubnn imperial 

 cities, and thereby bad laid tho foundation of a middle estate between 

 the princes and the emperor, by which the power of the latter was 

 increased, and the class of citizens elevated. The reparation of 

 Bavaria from Saxony, which Henry tho Lion had possessed together, 

 added indeed to the power of the emperor, but embittered the ani- 

 mosity between the party of the Quelphs and Ghibelines. 



Things were in this state when all Christendom was alarmed by the 

 news of the taking of Jerusalem by the infidels. This event led to 

 the Third Crui-ade. On the exhortation of the pope, Frederick took 

 the crofs in 1 1 88, with his 'ii Frederick and a number of the prin- 

 cipal German nobles. Upon mature deliberation it was resolved that 

 the army should go by land through Uermany, Hungary, and Axia 

 Minor. The army, consisting of l.'iii,(i()0 men, besides many thousand 

 volunteers, commenced its march in the spring of 1189. Though it 



