Frederick II: A Medieval Emperor (Oxford Paperback Reference)

By David Abulafia

Book Overview

Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Sicily, King of Jerusalem, has, since his death in 1250, enjoyed a reputation as one of the most remarkable monarchs in the history of Europe. His wide cultural tastes, his apparent tolerance of Jews and Muslims, his defiance of the papacy, and his supposed aim of creating a new, secular world order make him a figure especially attractive to contemporary historians. But as David Abulafia shows in this powerfully written biography, Frederick was much less tolerant and far-sighted in his cultural, religious, and political ambitions than is generally thought. Here, Frederick is revealed as the thorough traditionalist he really was: a man who espoused the same principles of government as his twelfth-century predecessors, an ardent leader of the Crusades, and a king as willing to make a deal with Rome as any other ruler in medieval Europe.
Frederick's realm was vast. Besides ruling the region of Europe that encompasses modern Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, eastern France, and northern Italy, he also inherited the Kingdom of Sicily and parts of the Mediterranean that include what are now Israel, Lebanon, Malta, and Cyprus. In addition, his Teutonic knights conquered the present-day Baltic States, and he even won influence along the coasts of Tunisia. Abulafia is the first to place Frederick in the wider historical context his enormous empire demands. Frederick's reign, Abulafia clearly shows, marked the climax of the power struggle between the medieval popes and the Holy Roman Emperors, and the book stresses Frederick's steadfast dedication to the task of preserving both dynasty and empire. Through the course of this rich, groundbreaking narrative, Frederick emerges as less of the innovator than he is usually portrayed. Rather than instituting a centralized autocracy, he was content to guarantee the continued existence of the customary style of government in each area he ruled: in Sicily he appeared a mighty despot, but in Germany he placed his trust in regional princes, and never dreamed of usurping their power. Abulafia shows that this pragmatism helped bring about the eventual transformation of medieval Europe into modern nation-states.
The book also sheds new light on the aims of Frederick in Italy and the Near East, and concentrates as well on the last fifteen years of the Emperor's life, a period until now little understood. In addition, Abulfia has mined the papal registers in the Secret Archive of the Vatican to provide a new interpretation of Frederick's relations with the papacy. And his attention to Frederick's register of documents from 1239-40--a collection hitherto neglected--has yielded new insights into the cultural life of the German court.
In the end, a fresh and fascinating picture develops of the most enigmatic of German rulers, a man whose accomplishments have been grossly distorted over the centuries.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195080408
• ISBN13: 9780195080407
• Release Date: November 1992
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Great Read

This is an easy read that stays on track and manages to convey what the period must have been like. Though David dispels some of the mystique, he also brings home the life of Frederick II. I have read this several times now and enjoy it every time.

A great medieval biography

Abulafia has written a wonderful biography of one of the most important rulers of European history. His biography is detailed and precise, a well documented look at Frederick's life from childhood to his death, even ending the book with a great chapter to quickly tell what happened to the Hohenstaufen dynasty. Throughout the book you get an even non-biased representation of what Abulafia interpreted through his extensive research. I did feel that there were two chapters out of place and did not belong in the scope of the biography. Towards the end we read "Culture at Court" and "Remote Control". "Culture at Court" is a nice chapter to evaluate the culture of the times - such as falconry, hunting, music, poetry, fashion - but did not add anything to the biography of Frederick II. "Remote Control" reads more like an appendix chapter to explain the registers and how much of the information is known. Both chapters are good but they do not figure into the overall structure that Abulafia used to write about Frederick II. I am amazed to see this book trashed because one reviewer calls Abulafia a revisionist. Is not history furthered through new research and interpretations? Or should we accept the prevailing notion of history revolving around a subject as the one and true way? Abulafia has looked at the facts and interpreted them the way he saw it, and his arguments are very sound. I've always saw Frederick II this way and agree with Abulafia's interpretation. If you don't like a book because of its research or prose than discredit the book, but not because a historian writes a different view than the prevailing view. All in all this biography is one of the better ones I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend Frederick II: A Medieval Emperor to anyone. 4.5 stars.

Pope v. Emperor: The Life of Frederick II

This book is generally acknowledged as an excellent, recent account of the life of Frederick II. Frederick is famous in the German-speaking world for being an inspiration to the Nazi party. The earlier biography by Kantorowicz(who later taught in America), was seized on by Nazi's and Nazi sympathizers in support for a strong, mystical leader who would bring Germany back to greatness. Although Abulafia notes this troubled history in the notes, he account is mostly concerned with Frederick II's actual life and times. In a way, he is trying to debunk the superstition and legend that was built up around Frederick II in the early part of the twentieth century. So who was Frederick II? He was the heir to the kingdom of Sicily and the Holy Roman Empire. He managed to unify his vast kingdom during his lifetime, he re-conquered Jerusalem without a fight, he wrote a subperb book on Falconry, corresponded with Arab scholars and, oh yes, fought bitterly with a succesion of Popes who just hated his guts. In fact, these Popes, more then Frederick himself, emerge as the focal point of this book. More then anything it was their unreasoning hatred for Frederick's power that defined his life. Particularly, it seemed like Frederick spent the majority of his life fighting rebels in Lombardy who were supported by the Pope. Recommended.

Highly recommended...

Several prominent historians recommended this book so I decided to read it. I found it extrememly well informed, heavily documented and clearly written. The book covers a number of years in a period once called the "Dark Ages" and now referred to as the Middle Ages. I read this book to further my knowledge of the Middle Ages. Also, although I am interested in the history of England, the Netherlands, France and Italy, and not a devotee of German History per se, my interests led me to Frederick II, the Emperor of Germany, because he once ruled parts of Italy including Sicily.Abulafia, had access to the Vatican archives to research his book, and thus has been able to recast these years of the Middle Ages, as well as the character of Frederick II. Some call this kind of writing revisionist history, if so, it is revisionism at it's best as Abulafia does not appear to have an "axe to grind" or a preconceived notion of what transpired. He reports the facts as he finds them. For example, many have long admired Frederick as a secular leader who "stood up to the Pope." However, it appears Frederick was a bit more fickle in his relationships with Popes than had been thought. He may have been able to get around Pope Honorius, he met his match in Gregory. Frederick had promised to go on a crusade to expiate his sins, but he failed to do so. Gregory told Frederick "Do not put yourself in a position where I have to take action against you; go on a crusade as promised or else." Frederick failed to keep his word and Gregory excommunicated him. Abulafia's depiction of the struggle between these two powerful individuals reads like a novel.An interesting note--the basis of Shakespeare's dueling families in "Romeo and Juliet" is revealed--they were antagonists because one sided with the Pope and his faction, and the other with Frederick. The Waibles and the Welfs of Germany became the Guelfs and Ghibllines of Italy--and precursors to the Protestant and Catholic struggles centuries later.

A great view of the Hohenstaufen-period

I used this book as background-studies for a paper I wrote on Frederick II. I especially liked the way Abulafia remains objective to this great personality, compared to other writers(as Kantorowitz). The book is very detailed, and I was grateful for the many details about the disputes between the Pope and the Emperor, as well as about the culture in the court of Frederick II. If you are have an interest in The Hohenstaufen-family, this is definately a book worth reading.