| Description |
xxxiv, 676 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black and white), maps (black and white), genealogical tables ; 24 cm |
| ISBN |
9780300122763 hardback : alkaline paper |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [540]-660) and index. |
| Contents |
Introduction -- "Two renowned families" -- Baptismal hopes -- A fortunate youth -- King of the Romans -- Itinerant kingship -- The Romzug -- New arrangements -- The Holy Empire -- The Second Italian Campaign -- The schism -- The defeat of Milan -- In pursuit of Alexander -- A bitter homecoming -- The Fifth Italian Campaign -- The downfall of Henry the Lion -- New entanglements -- The Third Crusade -- Conclusion -- Epilogue. |
| Summary |
"Frederick Barbarossa, born of two of Germany's most powerful families, swept to the imperial throne in a coup d'état in 1152. A leading monarch of the Middle Ages, he legalized the dualism between the crown and the princes that endured until the end of the Holy Roman Empire. This new biography, the first in English in four decades, paints a rich picture of a consummate diplomat and effective warrior. John Freed mines Barbarossa's recently published charters and other sources to illuminate the monarch's remarkable ability to rule an empire that stretched from the Baltic to Rome, and from France to Poland. Offering a fresh assessment of the role of Barbarossa's extensive familial network in his success, the author also considers the impact of Frederick's death in the Third Crusade as the key to his lasting heroic reputation. In an intriguing epilogue, Freed explains how Hitler's audacious attack on the Soviet Union in 1941 came to be called 'Operation Barbarossa'" -- Dust jacket. |
| Library Class |
History FF660
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| Subject |
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, approximately 1123-1190.
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Holy Roman Empire -- History -- Frederick I, 1152-1190.
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Germany -- Kings and rulers -- Biography.
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