Thread by @Arby_K

Named after an ancient Emperor, a multi lingual, multi ethnic Emperor in Europe.

Conqueror of a holy city, but deemed unholy.

A dynastic collapse and a vacuum in power that lasted decades.

Story in the evening ...

Konstantin Roger Friedrich von Staufen was born in 1194 to Henrich von Staufen, Holy Roman Emperor (King of Germany) and Constance, Queen of Sicily. Heinrich's death in 1197 led to the disarray of his realms. Opposing factions elected two new Kings to succeed Heinrich. 1/10

Otto of Brunswick and Heinrich's younger brother, Philipp von Staufen, were both elected. In 1198, Constance died, and young Konstantin became King of Sicily taking the name Federigo (Friedrich). Federigo remained in Sicily with Pope as Regent, away from the German rivalry. 2/10

But the Pope struggled to maintain control. In 1209, Friedrich married Constanza de Aragon. The marriage, arranged by the Pope, got him military support with which he regained control of Sicily. Just in time too, since Otto was marching towards Sicily. 3/10

In 1208, Philipp von Staufen had been assassinated in Bamberg, leaving Otto with no rivals, except Friedrich. Friedrich marched into Germany to counter Otto, and was elected King by Otto's rivals. He also allied with France against Otto. 4/10

In 1214, Otto was defeated by the French, and Friedrich consolidated his new title. His son, Heinrich, was made in charge of Germany ruling through a Council of Regency. But the Pope was worried about Staufen dominance. To pacify Pope, Friedrich committed to lead a Crusade. 5/10

But he was more interested in his rule in Sicily, fortifying it and enlarging its harbours. He also founded a state university in Naples and worked towards the reorganization of the bureaucracy. In 1225, Friedrich married Queen Isabelle of Jerusalem. 6/10

Though Jerusalem had fallen to Salah al-Din ibn Ayyub (Saladin) in 1187, the Kingdom continued in Acre. But civil strife persisted after Saladin's death in his Empire. Friedrich managed to make peace with the Sultan of Egypt and gain shared control of Jerusalem for a decade. 7/10

Friedrich's stay in Jerusalem was short and the city was lost again in 1239. In Germany, Heinrich had come of age and ruled independently, allying with cities in northern Italy. This led to conflict between father and son, which ended in 1235 with Heinrich's imprisonment. 8/10

In 1237, Friedrich got his son, Konrad, elected as King, in place of Heinrich. But Friedrich's conflict with the Pope and northern Italy continued. Friedrich marched through northern Italy capturing cities. But as he marched on, the Pope died & Friedrich withdrew to Sicily. 9/10

In 1245, Pope Innocent IV excommunicated Friedrich from the Church. This led to German nobles electing a King against Friedrich. Friedrich retained most of his rule, but his unexpected death in 1250, followed soon by Konrad's in 1254 led to a long interregnum in the Empire. 10/10