Frederick II, Holy German Emperor

Frederick II (1161-1224) ruled as German Emperor from the age of eighteen until his death, following the relatively early death of his father Henry IV.

His early years in power were dominated by his powerful and influential mother, Matilda of Winchester, sister of King Henry of England and Normandy. This family backing led to Frederick backing his uncle's claim to the West Francian throne in 1183, and, upon Henry's accession, a large swathe of former West Frankish territory passed under Frederick's control. Much of Frederick's reign was focused upon his newfound Francian territories, as he campaigned to pacify the rebellious lords and nobles of Champagne and Flanders. A series of important victories were won in 1186/7 by the Germans, and the Archbishop of Laon was set up as the foremost imperial powerbroker in the region, but further tensions would continue to simmer.

Despite early successes, Frederick's reign would be a challenging one, with the death of first his mother Matilda in 1190 and then his wife Adelaide the Saxon in 1194. Adelaide's family had been one of the Emperor's most important allies, and without them, Frederick was left struggling to balance the demands of his old vassals in Germany and new ones in Francia. Further revolts broke out in 1202, and Frederick was forced to rely on the help of the first Patriarch of Paris, Michael, to bring the rebellion to an end. Four of his five children were forced into internal political marriages that did much to diminish imperial power and increase that of the landed magnates of the Empire, the only exception being his third daughter and middle child Matilda, who married Ladislaus I of Hungary.

Nonetheless, despite these problems, by the end of his reign Frederick could look back on a successful time in power, and a securing of his dynasty. Upon his death in 1224, he had an adult son, Frederick, and a newly married grandson, Otto, both of whom would follow him to the imperial throne.