Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 04.djvu/250

LEFT rBEDERICK II. 206 FREDERICK I. sieged Ancona, and had himself crowned a second time at Rome by the anti-pope Pascal. A fresh league being formed against him, he put its members under the ban of the empire and returned to Germany. In 1174 he besieged unsuc- cessfully the newly founded town of Alessandria, and in the following year was totally defeated by the Milanese at Como. Soon after he made peace with the Pope and the towns of Lombardy. In 1188 he assumed the cross, set out in the following year on the third crusade, was opposed on the march by the Greek emperor and the sultan, arrived in Asia, and was drowned while ci'ossing a river. Fredei'ick was gi-eat, not only as a soldier, but as a ruler. His memory is still cherished among the peasants of Germany, who dream of the return of Fritz Redbeard, as the Welsh did of King Arthur. He died in June, 1190. FREDERICK II., Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, son of Henry VI. and Constance, of Sicily; born in Jesi, Dec. 26, 1194, elected king of the Romans in 1196, again after his father's death, and a third time on the excommunica- tion of Otho IV., in 1211. He was al- ready King of Sicily, and Duke of Sua- bia, under the joint regency of his mother and Pope Innocent II. He made a league with Philip. Augustus, King of France, and after the defeat of Otho by the latter at the battle of Bouvines, was crowned at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1215. Five years still elapsed before he re- ceived the imperial crown at Rome; on which occasion he had to renew a vow previously extorted from him to take the cross. In 1225 he married Yolande, daughter of John of Brienne, King of Jerusalem, and two years later, after several delays, he embarked for the Holy Land. Illness compelled him in a few days to land again, and for this he was excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX., the first of 10 thunders of the Vatican against him. He set out again in 1228, and the Pope exciting opposition to him, and invading his hereditary states, he at once concluded a truce with Kameel, the Sultan of Egypt, by which he became master of Jerusalem. He entered the city, crowned himself (no priest daring to do it), and returned to Europe. He recovered his states, made peace with the Pope, and suppressed the revolt of his son Henry, who was then imprisoned for life. In 1235 Frederick began the war with the cities of Lombardy, having for his ally Eccelino, tyrant of Verona. After his victory of Cortenuova, most of the cities submitted to him, and he ap- proached Rome, but did not attack it. He took Ravenna, Faenza, and Bene- vento; and, in 1241, his fleet, commanded by his natural son, Enzio, whom he made King of Sardinia, defeated that of the Genoese. Frederick promoted the elec- tion of Innocent IV., who had been his friend, and made a treaty with him; but he soon found Innocent a most deter- mined enemy. Rival emperors were set up, the war in Italy continued, Parma was lost in 1248, Enzio was defeated and made prisoner in the following year. Frederick was the most accomplished sovereign of the Middle Ages; but his strong sympathies with his Italian motherland, and his endeavors to estab- lish an all-supreme empire in Italy, caused not only his own misfortunes, but the miseries which he brought on the Gei'man empire. He died in Fioren- tino, Dec. 13, 1250. FREDERICK III., Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, a title sometimes applied to the son of Albert I., who was chosen emperor by some of the electors in 1314, but was defeated by Louis of Bavaria and taken prisoner in 1322. He died Jan. 11, 1330. The Frederick III. of history, however, was the son of Ernst, and was born in Innsbruck, Dec. 21, 1415. He was elected emperor in 1440 and ruled for 53 years, the longest German reign. His soubriquet was "the Pacific," owing to his plans for the pacification of the empire. He left it to his son Maximilian to carry out the device inscribed upon his palaces and books. A, E, I, 0, U; which characters are generally supposed to rep- resent the motto, Axistrise est Imperare Orbi Umverso (Austria is to rule the world). He died in Linz, Aug. 19, 1493. BOHEMIA Frederick V., Elector-Palatine and King of Bohemia; born in Amberg, in 1596; succeeded his father, Frederick IV., in 1610. In 1618 he married the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Jamer I. of England, and in the following year accepted the crown of Bohemia. He made a triumphal entry into Prague, followed in 1620 by his total defeat by the Imperial forces at the battle of Prague, and the loss of his kingdom and hereditary States. He took refuge in Holland, and died in Mentz, Nov. 19, 1632. DENMARK. Frederick I., King of Denmark and Norway; born in 1473, succeeded his nephew Christiern (or Christian) II., on the deposition of the latter, in 1523, and entered into an alliance with Gustavus I., King of Sweden. After taking Copen- hagen, he gained over all the nobility,