Frederick II: A Medieval Emperor (Oxford Paperbacks)

483 Pages·1992·25.41 MB·English

by  David Abulafia

FtREDERICKI C C C K II
A MEDIEVAL EMPEROR

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DAVID ABULAFIA
FREDERICK ii
A MEDIEVAL EMPEROR
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York Oxford
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for Anna
ma eo no'I celeraggio,
com'altamente Amor m'ha meritato,
che m'ha data a servire
a lafiore di tutta caunoscenza
e di valenza . . .
Oxford University Press
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Berlin Ibadan
Copyright © 1988 by David Abulafia
First published by Allen Lane the Penguin Press,
an imprint of Penguin Books Limited, in the UK, 1988
First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 1992
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press, Inc.
Abulafia, David.
Frederick II: a medieval emperor / David Abulafia.
p. cm.
Originally published : London : Allen Lane, 1988.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-19-508040-8 (pbk.) : $13.95
1. Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, 1194-1250. 2. Holy Roman
Empire—History—Frederick II, 1215-1250. 3. Germany—History—
Frederick II, 1215-1250. 4. Holy Roman Empire—Kings and rulers-
Biography. 5. Germany—Kings and rulers—Biography. I. Title.
DD151.A28 1992
943'.025'092—dc20
[B]
2468109753
Printed in the United States of America
CONTENTS
1 Preface
PART ONE
11 Chapter One The Norman Inheritance
63 Chapter Two The German Inheritance: Frederick
Barbarossa and Henry VI
PART TWO
89 Chapter Three The Child King, 1194-1220
132 Chapter Four Roman Emperor, Defender of the
Church, 1220-27
164 Chapter Five The Journey to Jerusalem,
1227-30
202 Chapter Six Law and Monarchy in Sicily
226 Chapter Seven 'O Absalom, my son, my son'
PART THREE
251 Chapter Eight Culture at Court
290 Chapter Nine The End of Concord, 1235
321 Chapter Ten Remote Control
340 Chapter Eleven A Different Procedure, 1239-45
375 Chapter Twelve An Unending Crusade, 1245-50
408 Chapter Thirteen The Ghosts of the Hohenstaufen
440 Conclusion
440 Bibliography and Notes
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
10 Emperor Charles V in the coronation regalia earlier worn
by Frederick II
15 The coinage of Norman Hohenstaufen and Angevin
Sicily (A. Sambon, Le Monete del reams di Napoli e di Sici-
lia)
282 Reconstruction of the first-floor room of the left-hand
Capuan tower, excavated in 1930
282 Architectural plan of the Capuan archway and towers
283 Engraving of the statue of Ftederick II from the Capuan
archway
283 Ground-plan of the excavated Capua Gate
286 Ground-plan of Frederick's castle at Melfi
286 Section through the castle at Lucera, based on the draw-
ings of Jean L. Desprez
2871 Castel del Monte: ground-plan of the upper and lower
levels
287 Ground-plan of the castle at Bari

LIST OF MAPS
x The Mediterranean area in the central Middle Ages
xii The Kingdom of Sicily
xiii The Papal States in the thirteenth century
xiv Lombardy in the thirteenth century
xvi Germany in the thirteenth century