873 years ago today, on March 9, 1152 (February 2, 1152 lunar calendar), Frederick I was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. March 9, 1152 Frederick I was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1. Frederick I (Swabia) Frederick I von Stauffen FriedrichIvonStaufen (1050-July 21, 1105) German princes, Duke of Swabia from 1079. He was the first ruler of the prominent Hohenstaufen dynasty in German history in Swabia. It was a coincidence that Frederick von Stauffen became Duke of Swabia. In the battle between Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire and the popes and princes, Rudolf von Rheinfelden, Duke of Zywaben, who was born in the Welves family, was punished by Henry IV for cutting off his arm and losing his territory because he firmly opposed the emperor and was promoted as a hostile king. Henry IV instead gave the Duchy of Swaben to Frederick. In 1089, Frederick I married Agnes of Germany, daughter of Henry IV, further solidifying the relationship between the Hohenstaufens and the Franconian family. The Frederick couple's children included Frederick II, the heir to the dukedom (father of Frederick with a red beard), and Konrad III, the first king of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. Frederick I (Holy Roman Empire) (photo) Friedrich I, nicknamed Barbarossa, (c. 1122 - 10 June 1190) King of Germany of the Hohenstaufen dynasty (reigned 1152-1190) and Holy Roman Emperor (crowned in 1155). He was also the German Duke of Siswaben (known as Frederick III, from 1147) and the King of Italy (1154-1186). His father was Frederick II, Duke of Swabia, and his mother was Judith of Bavaria (of the Welves). He was a nephew of Emperor Conrad III by family. 1. Domestic policy Frederick I, like all able emperors, tried to control the rebellious princes within Germany. In 1158 he issued the fiefdom decree, requiring all who accepted the fiefdom to perform military service for the emperor. His other major move was to divide the large princely territories into pieces, so in 1156 Austria was separated from the Principality of Bavaria and made it an independent principality. Frederick I attempted to unite the royal territories and rule from his retainers. 2. Invasion of Italy Frederick I's strong interest in Italy made Italian affairs the most important part of his life. In order to conquer the cities of Lombardy and make these fertile regions a source of tax revenue for the empire, Frederick I carried out a long policy of aggression against Italy. He made five military invasions of Italy (1154, 1158, 1163, 1166, and 1174). In 1158 Frederick I issued the so-called Edict of Lombardy, forcibly placing the cities of the Lombardy region under the jurisdiction of the mayor appointed by the emperor. The most powerful of these cities, Milan, refused to obey orders, resulting in Frederick I's invasion in 1158. The Germanic cavalry almost completely destroyed Milan. The atrocities of the German knights united the cities, and they joined forces with the Pope to form the Lombardy League in 1167. In 1176, the Lombardy League completely defeated Frederick I, forcing him to cancel all decisions of the Edict of Lombardy in the Peace of Constance in 1183. However, Frederick I's Italian policy also achieved some results. The Hohenstaufen dynasty achieved dominion over Sicily by arranging for his son Henry to marry Constantia, the heir to the Kingdom of Sicily. However, it was the territory of Sicily that became the source of the later brutal battle between the Hohenstaufen dynasty and the Pope, which ultimately led to the extermination of the Hohenstaufen family. 3. The struggle with Henry the lion Although Frederick I and his empire were famous, his centralization policy was still strongly challenged in Germany, which had formed a divided princely power. His main enemy and rival was Henry the lion, Duke of Saxony, who also took over Bavaria in 1156. In 1174, due to Henry the Lion's refusal to participate in military operations against Italy, Frederick I attacked Henry and defeated him. Most of Henry's land was taken away, only Brunswick and Lüneburg were preserved. But Frederick I did not include the confiscated lands of Henry the Lion in the royal domain, but gave them to other dukes. From then on, it became a custom in Germany that the confiscated duchies could only be owned by the emperor for a short time. 4. The Third Crusade and the Death of Frederick I In 1189, Frederick I led the Third Crusade with Richard the Lionheart and Philip II Augustus after reconciling with the Pope. However, he failed to reach the Holy Land after all. He accidentally drowned in the Sarefa River in Asia Minor. 5. Evaluate and be evaluated "The enemy forced you, and you did not once destroy the chains with your own strength... so you called the Franks; it was a prayer, what honor was there" - Frederick I sneered at the Romans "You must set an example for others, that a shaken empire may be healed through you" - Frederick I persuaded Henry the Lion to join the expedition "Defender of justice, lover of the law" - What contemporaries said about Frederick I