4 S 1 
GERMAN Y. 
fares, Otlio haflencd into Germany, and profeciited tlie 
war with fiiccefs againfl: the rebels; but in attempting 
to weaken the power of l''raiu'c, he was defeated with 
prodigious flaughter; and his young competitor fue- 
ceeded fo efietfually in conciliating rlie edeem of tlie 
Germans, that he was eventually compelled to rell^u 
all preteiifions to the crown, and to feek a retreat in 
Brunfwic, where he died after a ihort and unfortunate 
reign. 
Frederic II. at about eiglitecn years of age, A.D. 
1215, afcended the throne in full polfellion of tiiofe ac- 
complifliments which are expefted to give luflre to a 
diadem, and to render a nation happy. He had been 
carefully educated, and liad (hidied, above all thin.;s, 
to imitate tlie condudl of liis illulh ious grandf^ather Fre¬ 
deric I. He was crowned at Aix-la-Chapelle witii great 
magnificence ; and, as an acknowledgement of the fa¬ 
vours which .Divine Providence had hitherto bellowed 
upon him, he made a vow to go in perfon to the Holy 
Land. 
Tile firll four years of Frederic’s reign having been 
fpent in arranging the affairs of the empire, and curbing 
the rebellious fpirit of Otho’s adlierents, he made a 
progrefs into Italy in the fummerof 1220, and received 
the imperial crown from Honorius III. Healfo caufed 
his foil Henry to be declared king of the Romans; and 
promil'ed, upon oath, that he would lead an army into 
Afia, at any time his holinefs fliould appoint. However 
he delayed fo long to perform his vow, that Honorius 
threatened him with excommunication ; and a rupture 
enfued which prefaged very ferious coiifequcnccs: for 
the emperor not only fent a fevere rernonffrance to the 
pope, but publiflied a manifefto for the jultification of 
his own condudt, and ordered his troops to march to the 
fronti'ers of tlie ecclefiaftical ftate. Honorius perceived 
the neceflity of apologizing for his ralhnefs ;^and a re¬ 
conciliation took place, in which Frederic agreed to 
marry Yolanda, daughter of the king of Jerufaleiii ; 
and promifed to fet out with an army in two years, for 
the recovery of Paleffine. But notwithffanding thefe 
frefli engagements, Frederic flill hefitated to take the 
crofs ; and a revolt of the Lombards excufed his delay ; 
but on the termination of thole troubles, Honorius re¬ 
newed his remonftrances, and a literary correfpondence 
commenced, in wiiicli he acciifed the emperor of ingra¬ 
titude and cruelty towards his father-in-law, who had 
ceded his title to the kingdom of Jerufalem ; and Fre¬ 
deric recriminated by charging his adverfary with 
having difturbed the peace of Italy, and granted an 
alylum to perl'ons who had dared to raife the Itandard 
of rebellion againfc their lawful fovereign. 
On the demife of Honorius, and the elevation of 
Gregory IX. to the apoftolic chair, in 1228, Frederic 
avowed his intention of performing his erigagenient, 
and actually let fail from Brundili, with a very powerful 
armament: but, about three days after .he had put to 
lea, a flight indifpolltion ferved him as an excule for 
returning. Hereupon the pope excommunicated him ; 
and Inch commotions enfued, that Frederic thought 
proper to fet out again for the Holy Land. As he did 
not wait, however, for an abfolution from the papal 
anathema, he met with a very cold reception at Jerufa¬ 
lem; tlie crufaders peremptorily refufed to acknow¬ 
ledge him as their chief; and the confequent improba¬ 
bility of acquiring any military reputation, induced him 
to conclude a treaty with the Saracens. Fie then caufed 
himfelf to be crowned at Jerufalem, and returned to 
Naples with an empty title, which however, from that 
time, has been preferved by the Sicilian monarchs. 
The emperor Hill laboured under the fentence of ex- 
communication ; and the Roman pontiff' was fo highly 
exafperated at his treaty with tlie fultanof Egypt, that 
the breach feemed to be confiderably widened. But 
Frederic refolved to fupport his authority by force of 
arms; and his foldiers committed fuch dreadful ravages 
VOL.VIII. No.jig. 
in the ecclefiaftical fta.te, that Gregory thought proper 
to lilten to terms of accommodation, and the papal tul- 
mination was witiidrawn. Tliis reconciliation, liow- 
ever, was followed by frefli troubles. Tlie Lombards 
peremptorily refilled to bear the imperial yoke ; and 
after Frederic had been employ'ed nearly five years m 
reducing tliem to obedience, Germany was luddenly in¬ 
volved in commotion, and Henry king of tlic R.oman.', 
forgetting or totally difreghrd ng the duties of a I'on, 
put liimll-lf at the head of the rebels. Tins prince, 
however, added with fuch extreme caution, tiiat many 
of the nobles approved without underltanding his con- 
diufl ; and altliougli, on Frederic’s return, he was lully 
convicted of rebellion, his crime was imputed entirely 
to evil counfellors, and he was permitted to retire into 
Sicily. Thus dil'milfed with impunity. Henry engaged 
in frefli fclicmes againfl: his father’s authority, and. even 
promifed to fiiccour thofc towns in Lombardy wliich 
ffill refufed to return to their aiiegiance. Frederic now 
perceived his danger; and liis ungrateful fon was clofeiy 
confined in the caftle of A.pulia. 
Some time after this event, the emperor, in 1237, 
caufed liis fecond fon, Conrad, to be elected king ot the 
Romans; and then repaired into Lombardy, where le. 
veral cities remained in arms under pretence of defend¬ 
ing certain liberties vvliicli had been granted them dur¬ 
ing the reign of Frederic Barbaroffi. This expedition 
pi'ovmd fuccefsful to the Impelialifts ; and upon the 
elevation of Innocent IV. to the papacy, the German 
princes congratulated themfelves on the profpect ot re¬ 
turning tranquillity; but Frederic poffefl'ed more pene¬ 
tration, and obferved that the caule of their rejoicing 
had deprived h.ini of a cardinal’s triendfliip, and en¬ 
tailed on him the hatred of a pope. The event foou 
juftified this afl’enion; for, iiotwithflaiiding the zeal 
which Innocent had hitherto expreffed for the emperor’s 
intereft, he now avowed himfelf his enemy ; caufed the 
election of Cionrad to be annulled in the council of 
Lyons ; advifed tlie nomination of Henry, landgrave ot 
Thurijigia, to fiiperfede Conrad ; and even procured a 
I'entence of depolltion againlt the emperor himfelf. _On 
hearing of tliele tranfaitions, Frederic placed the im¬ 
perial diadem on his head, faying, “Beiore this depoli- 
tion I was obedient to the pope and to the laws of the 
cluircli: but, now that he has releafed me from my 
duty in that particular, I no longer owe him any re- 
fpett, and will continue to be emperor in fpite ol all 
his exertions.” 
Henry of Thiirjngia being flain by an arrow at tlie 
fiege of Ulm, In 1247, the pope cauled an aliembly of 
the ffates to be held at Nuitz, w'here the title ot “ king 
of the Romans” was folcmnly conferred upon William 
count of Holland. But feveral cities ftill retained 
their allegiance to the emperor and his fon Conrad, 
notwithllanding all the exliortations and menaces ot the 
Roman pontiff. Meanwliile Frederic, wLo was bufily 
employed at the fiege of Parma, narfowly clcaped the 
treachery of his enemies, who had bribed both liis 
phyfician and his favourite chancellor to take him oft 
by poifon. He was, liowever, fortunately appriled ot 
their defign, and his infamous fervants received tiie juft 
reward of their villainous purpofe. Soon after this 
event, Frederic was totally defeated by the Parmefans, 
and was obliged to retire to his kingdom of Naples, ^ 
wliere lie died of a fever, in the fifty-fifth year ot his 
age and the thirty-fourth of his reign. Frederic II. 
was five times excommunicated by three popes; yet he 
prevailed fo far againfl Gregory IX. as to depole him 
from the papal chair. Thele reiterated contells be¬ 
tween him and the popes, gave rile to the two lamous 
factions of the Guelphs and Gibelliiie’s ; tlie former ad¬ 
hering to the popes, and the latter to tlie emperors. 
Conrad IV. was no fooner apprifed of his father’s 
death, in 1254, than he alfumed the imperial title, and 
let out to lake pofl’cftion of his Italian dominions. He 
6 G was, 
