480 G E R Ivl A N Y. 
amUaffadoi' to foUcit the future friendfliip of Richard, 
and to promife reftitution of the fum which had been 
exaited for his ranfom.—See the article England, 
vol. iv. p. i;72. 
Shortly after thefe tranfa€lions, Henry fent a confi. 
derable body of forces againft Naples, under the com. 
luandof his lieutenant Berthold, who, in 1194, obtained 
lome confiderable advantages during his march, and 
gave up the towns of Rccca, Sexti, and Venafro, to be 
pillaged by his followers. Tancred immediately made 
preparations for checking the progrefs of the imperial 
general ; but the death of his fon Roger made fo deep 
an impreilion on his fpirits, that he foon fell a vidlim to 
grief; and his furviving fon William, though in his 
cradle, was declared king of Sicily. Upon the firlt in¬ 
telligence of 'I'ancred’s death, the emperor repaired to 
Geiicsa, and thence to Naples, which, by the vigorous 
exertion^ of himfelf and his allies, was foon reduced, 
together with Apulia and Calabria. Palermo alfo was 
taken by atrault, and tlie citizens were treated with 
iucit feverity lor an infuit which they had formerly of- 
tered to the emprefs, that all the other towns were ter¬ 
rified into fubmiliion, and Henry found himfelf in 
peaceable poll'eliion of the two Sicilies. He then pre¬ 
vailed on 'lancred’s widow, with her infant fon and tw^o 
daughters, to lurrender theml'elves upon certain terms 
ot accommodation: but they were no fooner in his 
power, tlian, in diredl violation of his word of honour, 
he dripped them of all their treafures, caufed the 
harnilels infant to be emafculated and deprived of fight, 
and confined the widow and her unfortunate daughters 
in a monaftery.—Such were the infamous pradlices even 
ot kings, in the twelfth century] 
Having fettled the affairs of his new kingdom, and 
feized the immenfe treafures wdiich had been amalTed by 
Tancred, the emperor returned into Germany ; where 
he caufed his inrant Ion Frederic to be elected king of 
frre Romans ; and, in a general diet at Worms, declared 
his relolution of taking the crofs to fuccour the Chrif- 
ttans in the Holy Land. This declaration was received 
with general applaufe; apruiltitiide of foldiers from all 
ihe imperial provinces exprefl’ed a delire to engage in 
the purpoled expedition ; and even Margaret, queen- 
dowager ot Hungary, refolved to enlift among the cru- 
faders. 
But whilfl two powerful armies were fent toward 
Paleftine, Henry was obliged to employ a third againfl 
the Sicilians, who had railed a rebellion, and taken vi¬ 
gorous mealures for fliaking off the imperial yoke. On 
his arrival at Naples, he divefted all the Neapolitans, 
Calabrians, and Sicilians, of tiieir lucrative offices and 
employments, and even extended his feverity to the 
clergy, by annulling their exemptions from military fer- 
vice. Tills rigour, however, only ferved to infpire the 
Sicilians with a kind of defperate refentment; and even 
the emprefs Conffance was fo highly provoked at the 
unworthy treatment of her countrymen, that a general 
infiirredfion was fomented under her immediate encou¬ 
ragement ; and Ffenty, having permitted mofl: of his 
troops to embark for Paleftine, was compelled to con¬ 
clude a peace with the malcontents on very degrading 
terms. A few days after this accommodation the em¬ 
peror died, as was generally fiippofed, of a fever, occa- 
fioned by too violent exercife in hunting ; but other 
hiftorlans have hinted that he received a deleterious po¬ 
tion from the hands of Conftance, who dreaded the ef- 
fe6ls of his vindiftive difpofition. Henry VI. appears 
to have pofTeffed fomegood qualities, and was generally 
renowned for his prudence, eloquence, courage, and re- 
putation : but he was jiiftly charged with bloodfhed and 
cruelty ; and his perfidious behaviour towards the king 
of England, and the family of Tancred, were equally 
unworthy oi his character as a fovereign ora Chriftian. 
The troops whom he had fent into Afia abandoned their 
deCiga upon the firft intelligence of his death, and re- 
1 
turned into Europe, leaving Paleftine in the hands of 
the Saracens. 
Philip duke of Swabia afTiimed the adminiftration, 
A. D. 1197, in compliance v/ith the requeft of his dying 
brother, who fent him the regalia, and committed to 
his tuition the young king of the Romans. But pope 
Innocent HI. immediately declared againft thefe mea- 
fures, and not only exhorted the German princes to fet 
afide the houfe of Swabia and proceed to the eledtion of 
anotlter king of the Romans, but was even heard to 
affirm that Philip fhould lofe the empire, or he himfelf 
forfeit tlie papacy. This behaviour on the part of the 
fovereign pontiff foon occafioned violent diffenfions in 
Germany; and Otho duke of Saxony was folemnly 
crowned by one party, while Frederic’s election was 
confirmed by another, and Philip was chofen king of 
the Romans, that he might exercife the office of guar¬ 
dian with more authority. Thefe eleflions foon fpread 
flaughter and confternation over the empire. Otho was 
ftrongly fupported by the pope, and by his uncle Richard 
ot England; and Philip found a powerful patron in the 
king of France. Every nobleman was now at variance 
with his neighbour the ties of friendfliip and confan- 
guinity were difregarded; and the moft flagrant out¬ 
rages were committed by a licentlotis foldiery. 
After many defperate confii£ls, Otho was obliged to 
feek refuge in England, and Philip, in 1208, remained 
the undifputed mafter of the empire ; but whilfl he was 
labouring to conciliate the aft'eftions of his fubjefts; 
and endeavouring to procure an accommodation with 
the pope, he was bafely affaflinated by the count-pala¬ 
tine Otho of Wittlefbach, whom he had incenfed by re- 
tufing to give him one of his daughters in marriage. 
Such was the untimely end of Philip a prince en¬ 
dowed with many amiable qualities, and fincerely re¬ 
gretted by all wiio knew him. His countenance was 
comely and interefting, his behaviour remarkably affable, 
and his eloquence perfuafive. He adted with great pru¬ 
dence during his fhort adminiftration, and he poflelfed 
in an eminent degree the virtues of clemency and libe¬ 
rality. 
Otho IV. apprifed of his competitor’s death, haftened 
to Halberftadt, wdiere his eleHion was renewed by the 
princes of Saxony, Mifnia, and Thuringia; and he foon 
afterwards conciliated the efteem of the oppofite fac¬ 
tion by efpoufing Beatrice, daughter of the deceafed re¬ 
gent. Atter fettling the affairs of the empire, and fe- 
curing the loyalty of his clergy by many confiderable 
promifes, he fet out for Italy, and was folemnly crowned 
at Rome by the pope. But, notwithftanding the appa¬ 
rent friendfliip of Innocent, and fome important con- 
celTions on the part of the emperor, the Romans took 
up arms, on fome trifling occafion, and killed upwards 
ot a thoufand Imperialilts on the fpot; Otho’s remon- 
ftrances were but little regarded ; and the pope took 
an early opportunity of feizing Apulia, together with 
the marquifate of Ancona, and the county of Spoleto. 
Otho judged it advifable to dilfemble his refentment for 
the prefent, and accordingly quitted Rome in apparent 
friendfliip with his holinefs : but in the enfuing fpring 
he put himfelf at the head of a numerous army, and 
avowed his intention of re-ellablifliiiig his authority in 
thofe countries which had been luiiuflly withdrawn from 
the empire. This declaration was followed by feveral 
vitTories; the dominions of Frederic king of the Two 
Sicilies were ravaged by the conquering army ; and In¬ 
nocent learned, with equal grief and indignation, tliat 
the protection of the holy fee was too weak to repel the 
arms of his exafperated Otho. Recoiirfe was now had 
to the ecclefiaftical fulminations; and an affembly was 
held at Bamberg, in compliance with the pope’s defire, 
in which Otho was folemnly depofed, and F'rederic 
duke of Swabia and king of Sicily, who in his infancy 
had been proclaimed king of the Romans, was nomi¬ 
nated to the imperial throne. Alarmed at thefe mea. 
fu,*es, 
