462 ITALY. 
fee the long-clifputed inheritance of the countefs Matilda, 
and confirming the rights and privileges of the Italian ci¬ 
ties. But thefe conceflions, as far at lead as regarded the 
pope, were only a facrifice to prefent policy; Otho, there¬ 
fore, no fooner found himfelr in a condition to ait offen- 
fively, than he refumed his grant; and in 1210 not only 
recovered the pofleflions of the empire, but made hoftile 
Incurfions into Apulia, ravaging the dominions of young 
Frederic, king of Naples and Sicily, who was under the 
protection of the holy fee. For this reafon he was ex¬ 
communicated by Innocent; and Frederic, now feventeen 
years of age, was elected emperor by a diet of the Ger¬ 
man princes. Otho, however, on his return to Germany, 
finding his party ftill confiderable, and not doubting that 
he fliould be able to bumble his rival by means of bis fu- 
perior force, entered into an alliance with his uncle John 
king of England, againft Philip Augultus king of France, 
A. D. 1413. The unfortunate battle of Bouvines, where 
the confederates were defeated, completed the fate of 
Otho. He attempted to retreat into Germany, but was 
prevented by young Frederic ; who had marched into the 
empire at the.-head of a powerful army, and was every 
where received with open arms. Thus abandoned by all 
the princes of-Germany, and altogether without refource, 
Otho retired to Brunfvvick, where he lived four years as 
a private man, dedicating his time to the duties of re¬ 
ligion. 
Frederic-II. being now univerfally acknowledged em¬ 
peror, was crowned at Aix-la-Chapelle in iai 5, with great 
magnificence ; when, in order to preferve the favour of 
the pope, he added to the other folemnities of his coro¬ 
nation a vow’ to go in perfon to the Holy Land, which 
however he never intended to do; and in 1225, the pope, 
incenfed at the lofs of Damietta, wrote a fevere letter to 
him, taxing him with having facrificed the intereils of 
Chriftianity by delaying fo long the performance of his 
vow, and threatening him with immediate excommunica¬ 
tion if he did not inftantly depart with an army into Alia. 
Frederic, exafperated at theie reproaches, renounced all 
correfpondence with the court of Rome; renewed his ec- 
cletiattical jurifdiftion in Sicily; filled up vacant fees and 
benefices; and expelled fome bifhops, who were creatures 
of the pope, on pretence of their being concerned in 
practices againft the ltate. 
The pope at firtt threatened the emperor with the thun¬ 
der of the church, for prefuming to lift up his hand 
againft the fandluary; but, finding Frederic not to be in¬ 
timidated, he became fenfible of his own imprudence in 
wantonly incurring the refentment of fo powerful a prince, 
and thought proper to foothe him by fubmiflive apologies 
and gentle exhortations. They were accordingly recon¬ 
ciled, and conferred together at Veroli in 1226; where 
the ernperor, as a proof of his fincere attachment to the 
church, publifhed fome very fevere edicts againft herefy, 
•which teem to have authoriled the tribunal of the inqui- 
fition. A folemn aflembly was afterwards held at Feren- 
tino, where both the pope and the emperor were prefent, 
together with John de Brienne, titular king of Jerufalem, 
who was come to Europe to demand fuccours againft the 
the foldan of Egypt. John had an only daughter named 
Yolanda, whom he propofed as a wife to the emperor, 
■with the kingdom of Jerufalem as her dower, on condition 
that Frederic fhould within two years perform the vow 
he had made to lead an army into the Holy Land. Fre¬ 
deric married her on thefe terms, becaufe he chofe to 
pleafe the pope ; and fince that time the kings of. Sicily 
have taken the titlc-of king of. Jerufalem. But the emperor 
was in no hurry to go and conquer his wife's portion, 
having bufinefs of more importance on his hands at home. 
The chief cities of Lombardy had entered into a fecret 
league with a view, to renounce his authority. He con- 
v ked a diet at Cremona, where all the German.and I ta¬ 
li n noblemen were fummoned to attend. A variety of 
fubjects were there difc lifted; but nothing of confequence 
was fettled. An accommodation, however, was foou af¬ 
ter brought about by the mediation of the pope; who, a's- 
umpire of the difpute, decreed, that the emperor fhould' 
lay afuie his refentment againft the confederate towns, 
and that the towns fhould furnilh and maintain four hun¬ 
dred knights for the relief of the Holy Land. 
Peace being thus concluded, Honorius reminded the 
emperor of his vow; Frederic promifed compliance; but 
his holinefs died before he could fee the execution of a 
project which he feemed to have fo much ac heart. He 
was fucceeded in the papal chair by Gregory IX. brother 
of Innocent III. who, purfuing the fame line of policy, 
urged the departure of Frederic for the Holy Land ; and, 
finding the emperor ftill backward, declared him incapa¬ 
ble of the imperial dignity, as having incurred the fen- 
tence of excommunication. Frederic, incenfed at fuch- 
infolence, ravaged the patrimony of St. Peter ; and was 
atftually excommunicated. The animofity between the 
Guelphs and Ghibelines revived; the pope was obliged to 
quit Rome ; and Italy became a feene of war and defola- 
tion, or rather of an hundred civil wars ; which, by in¬ 
flaming the minds and exciting the refentment of the Ita¬ 
lian princes, accuftorned them but too much to the horrid, 
practices of poifoning and affaftination. 
During thefe tranfaCtions, Frederic, in order to remove, 
the caule of all thefe troubles, and gratify the prejudices 
of a fuperltitious age, by the advice of his friends refolved 
to perform his vow ; and he accordingly embarked for 
the Holy Land, leaving the affairs of Italy to the manage¬ 
ment of Rinaldo duke of Spoleto. The pope prohibited 
his departure before he fliould be abfolved from the cen- 
fures of the church ; but Frederic went in contempt of. 
the church, and fucceeded better than any perfon who 
had gone before him. He did not indeed defolate Alia*, 
and gratify the barbarous zeal of the times by fpilling the. 
blood of infidels; but he concluded a treaty with Miliden,. 
foldan of Egypt and mailer -if Syria ; by which the end 
of his expedition feemed fully anfwered. The foldan 
ceded to him Jerufalem and its territory as far as Joppa ; 
Bethlehem, Nazareth,, and all the country between Jeru¬ 
falem and Ptolemais; Tyre, Sidon, and the neighbouring 
territories; in return for which, the emperor granted the 
Saracens a truce of ten years; and in 1230 prudently re¬ 
turned to Italy, where his pretence was much wanted. 
Frederic’s reign, after his return from the eaft, was one 
continued quarrel with the popes. The cities of Lom¬ 
bardy had revolted during his abfence, at the mitigation 
of Gregory IX. and before they could be reduced, the 
fame pontiff excited the emperor’s foil Henry, who had 
been elected king of the Romans, to rebel againft his fa¬ 
ther. The rebellion was fupprefled, the prince was con¬ 
fined, and the emperor obtained a complete victory over 
the afi'oeiated towns. But his troubles were not yet ended. 
The pope excommunicated him anew, and lent a bull, 
filled with the mod abfurd and ridiculous language, into 
Germany, in order to fow divifion between Frederic and 
the princes of the empire. 
Frederic retorted in the fame drain, in his apology to 
the princes of Germany, calling Gregory the Great Dragon , 
the Autichriji, &c. The emperor’s apology was fuftained 
in Germany ; and, finding that he had nothing to fear 
from that quarter, he refolved to take ample vengeance 
on the pope and his aflbeiates. For that purpofe lie 
marched to Rome, where he thought his party was ltrong 
enough to procure him adiniflion ; but this favourite 
fclieme was defeated by the activity of Gregory, who or¬ 
dered 3 crufade to be preached againft the emperor, as an 
enemy of the Chriftian faith ; a ttep which incenfed Fre¬ 
deric fo much, that lie ordered all his prifoners who wore 
the crofs to be expofed to the molt cruel tortures. The 
two factions of the Guelphs and Ghibelines continued to 
rage with greater violence than ever, inyolving cities, 
diltridts, and even private families, in troubles, divitions; 
and civil butchery ; no quarter being given on either 
fide. Meanwhile Gregory IX. died, and was tucceeded 
in the fee or Rome by Celeftin IV. and afterwards by In- 
noc.eni 
