Frederick II: A Medieval Emperor (Oxford Paperbacks) [Paperback]

David Abulafia (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 1992 | Series: Oxford Paperbacks

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fine piece of scholarship on a subject which has lain in neglect for far too long."--Eric D. Kohler, University of Wyoming

"A most illuminating, judicious, and readable work. It will be blessed by teachers and students of medieval history."--Journal of Ecclesiastical History

"This is that rarest of books, a biography which is both a persuasive and compelling portrait of a man, and of genuine and major historical importance. Nobody will read it without pleasure."--Times Higher Educational Supplement

"A brilliant book....Abulafia systematically destroys the myths surrounding Frederick....The subtlety of this book lies in Abulafia's instinctive sense of how power has won nd lost."--The Evening Standard (London)

"This is that rarest of books, a biography which is both a persuasive and compelling portrait of a man, and of genuine and major historical importance. Nobody will read it without pleasure."--The Times Higher Education Supplement

From the Inside Flap

Frederick II (1194-1250) - King of Sicily, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Jerusalem, expert ornithologist, Wonder of the World, has long been considered the first Renaissance ruler. A visionary autocrat who embraced the religious divisions within his empire to challenge the armies and oppressive limitations of the medieval church, he has also been denounced as the Antichrist, a heretic and a heathen, who died condemned by the papacy to eternal damnation.


From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 26, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195080408
• ISBN-13: 978-0195080407
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #968,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Abulafia is Professor of Mediterranean History at Cambridge University and the author of The Mediterranean in History. (Photo Credit: Yao Liang)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great view of the Hohenstaufen-period, June 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Frederick II: A Medieval Emperor (Oxford Paperbacks) (Paperback)

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.

21 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended..., June 2, 2000

By 

Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Frederick II: A Medieval Emperor (Oxford Paperbacks) (Paperback)

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.

24 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing introduction to an enigmatic figure, July 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Frederick II: A Medieval Emperor (Oxford Paperbacks) (Paperback)

I was somewhat disppointed by Dr Abulafia's introduction to the enigma of Frederick II Hohenstaufen, other wise known as Stupour Mundi, the Wonder of the World.

Dr Abulafia tries to remove the surreal mystique surrounding his person and his achievements. He attempts, through regular comparisons with Toledo and Aragon , to present Frederic as a man of his time. That he was largely misunderstood, excommunicated and his dynasty exterminated within 20years of his death would suggest otherwise.

Dr Abulafia provides erudition but not soul to this offering and one cannot help but mourn that more humane and reasoned accounts of this brightest of all the hohenstaufen should be treated with so little enthusiasm. His achievements-notably the sixth crusade, which was more a cultural exchange rather than a war demonstrated a belief in the commonality of human beings which transcends race, religion, culture, education, something that was not to find expression in international politics until the latter half of the 20th century.

Whereas german historians in the 1930's were keen to encourage the myth of FREDERIC as a German hero, and Dr Abulafia commendably seeks to explode this myth, alas, he fails to demonstrate what motivated Frederic, and to what aim, beyond dynastic concerns, he challenged the Church, invoking their terrible anger, and the utter destruction of his heritage and bloodline.