During World War II, Hitler named his plan to invade the Soviet Union "Project Red Beard". Why was he named it after "Red Beard"?

Frederick was the second son of Frederick, Duke of Schwaben of the Hohenstaufen family. In 1152, his uncle, King Conrad III of Germany, died. Frederick, 29, was elected King of Germany as Duke of Schwaben on March 4 of that year, and was called Frederick I. He was tall, with a strange appearance and a red beard. Therefore, he was nicknamed "Frederick the Red Beard" at that time.

Frederick was well educated, talented and ambitious since childhood, and considered himself the successor of the Roman emperor. In 1153, a coup d'état occurred in Rome. Merchants, craftsmen and little knights represented by Arnold seized urban power from the Pope and established the Roman Republic. The Pope wrote to Frederick, asking Germany to march into Rome and attack Arnold, and promising to crown Frederick after the matter was completed and allow him to seize power in the Roman Empire. This was exactly what Frederick wanted. Frederick immediately entered Rome, captured and hanged Arnold. In this way, the Pope crowned him, and Frederick also sat on the throne of Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

The coronation of the Pope did not mean that Frederick had truly conquered Italy. In order to realize his ambition to rule Italy, he launched six armed invasions. Who knew that what awaited him was failure after failure. Among them, the fourth expedition to Italy in 1166 was attacked head-on by the Italian people. In addition, the German army was infected with the epidemic. It was really a heavy casualty. Frederick himself had to flee home alone. Successive defeats did not dispel Frederick's expansionist ambitions. In 1189, at the age of 65, he participated in the Third Crusade and carried out a cruel plunder of Byzantium. While heading east to the Selef River, the expansionist fell into the water and drowned.

Frederick the Red Beard finally died.