How Did Barbarossa Influence The Relationship Between Germany And Italy
During his thirty-eight year reign, which was characterised by his attempts to develop, maintain and restore imperial traditions, Frederick I Barbarossa adopted a number of different approaches. His methods in both Germany and Italy were founded on feudal ideology. In Germany, he was pragmatic and realistic, following a policy of collaboration in order to establish peace and revive the imperial authority that had been lost during the Investiture Struggle. This differed from his approach in Italy, where he sought to restore the old imperial rights, and had the methodology and mind-set of an idealistic reactionary. Furthermore, his actions in both of these countries were influenced and at times determined by his relations with the Papacy and foreign powers such as the Normans in southern Italy. Frederick’s practical approach to the problems of government in Germany is evident in his initial actions following his designation by his dying uncle Conrad III. During the Investiture Contest, a new nobility had emerged, consisting of nobles who had usurped the royal rights and lands that the king could not attend to. Unlike other contemporary monarchs, Frederick did not pursue an anti-feudal policy as this was not tenable in Germany. He acknowledged
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While he succeeded in capturing Rome in 1167, his army was decimated by a malaria epidemic and he was unable to undertake the planned conquest of Sicily. A significant development occurred in 1167, when the ‘league of Verona’ which had been formed in 1164, expanded into an alliance of sixteen cities. This was the Lombard League (Societas Lombardie), which was founded on the basis of military and diplomatic co-operation in pursuance of the recovery of the independence of the communes. The league, beginning in April 1167, reconstructed Milan when the emperor was absent in Germany - where he remained for the next six
While he succeeded in capturing Rome in 1167, his army was decimated by a malaria epidemic and he was unable to undertake the planned conquest of Sicily. A significant development occurred in 1167, when the ‘league of Verona’ which had been formed in 1164, expanded into an alliance of sixteen cities. This was the Lombard League (Societas Lombardie), which was founded on the basis of military and diplomatic co-operation in pursuance of the recovery of the independence of the communes. The league, beginning in April 1167, reconstructed Milan when the emperor was absent in Germany - where he remained for the next six