← Annalium map

Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor

1194 CE – 1250 CE

Retrace Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor's life across the map — 10 events in chronological order, from a cinematic flythrough to a full timeline.

Life journey

1. War of the Keys1228 CE
   The War of the Keys (1228–1230) was the first military conflict between Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Papacy. Fighting took place in central and southern Italy. The Papacy made strong gains at first, securing the Papal States and invading the Kingdom of Sicily, while Frederick was away on the Sixth Crusade. Upon his return, he defeated the papal forces, forcing Pope Gregory IX to begin peace talks. After drawn-out negotiations, the treaty of San Germano terminated the conflict with no territorial changes.
2. Treaty of Jaffa (1229)1229 CE
   The Treaty of Jaffa, sometimes the Treaty of Jaffa and Tall al-ʿAjūl, was an agreement signed on 18 February 1229 between Frederick II, Holy Roman emperor and king of Sicily, and al-Kāmil, Ayyubid sultan of Egypt. It brought an end to the Sixth Crusade, led by Frederick, by restoring the city of Jerusalem and a few other territories to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, whose king at the time was Frederick's infant son Conrad.
3. Treaty of San Germano1230 CE
   The Treaty of San Germano was signed on 23 July 1230 at San Germano, present-day Cassino, ending the War of the Keys that had begun in 1228. The parties were Pope Gregory IX and Frederick II, king of Sicily and Holy Roman emperor. On 28 August at Ceprano, the peace was finalized with the readmission of the excommunicated Frederick into the church.
4. Treaty of Ceprano1230 CE
   The Treaty of San Germano was signed on 23 July 1230 at San Germano, present-day Cassino, ending the War of the Keys that had begun in 1228. The parties were Pope Gregory IX and Frederick II, king of Sicily and Holy Roman emperor. On 28 August at Ceprano, the peace was finalized with the readmission of the excommunicated Frederick into the church.
5. Battle of Cortenuova1237 CE
   The Battle of Cortenuova was fought on 27 November 1237 in the course of the Guelphs and Ghibellines Wars: in it, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II defeated the Second Lombard League.
6. Siege of Brescia1238 CE
   The siege of Brescia occurred in 1238. After his victory the previous year at the battle of Cortenuova, Emperor Frederick sought to bring about the unconditional surrender of the city of Milan and its allies. Assembling his army in Verona in April 1238, which included a contingent of Nicaean troops dispatched by Emperor John III, he decided to besiege the Guelf town of Brescia. Emperor Frederick began the siege on 11 July 1238 and it lasted until a successful sortie by the city's defenders in early October forced him to lift the siege.
7. Siege of Faenza1240 CE
   The siege of Faenza occurred from August 1240 to April 14, 1241, during the course of the wars of the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. In this military confrontation, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II aggressively laid siege to the town of Faenza and successfully captured the city.
8. Battle of Giglio1241 CE
   The naval Battle of Giglio or Montecristo was a military clash between a fleet of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and a fleet of the Republic of Genoa in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It took place on Friday, May 3, 1241 between the islands of Montecristo and Giglio in the Tuscan Archipelago and ended with the victory of the Imperial fleet.
9. Siege of Viterbo1243 CE
   The siege of Viterbo was fought in 1243 between the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and the rebellious city of Viterbo, 50 km north of Rome.
10. Battle of Parma1248 CE
    The siege of Parma by the forces of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II began in 1247. It ended with the battle of Parma on 18 February 1248, when Frederick's forces were defeated by those of the Lombard League, who attacked the Imperial camp when Frederick II was away. Much of Frederick's treasure was lost in the defeat.

Event data from Wikipedia/Wikidata (CC-BY-SA). Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected].