Known as the stupor mundi—“wonder to the world”—King Frederick II baffled and enraged his peers in Europe throughout his life. Ruler of Italy, Germany, Burgundy and Sicily, Frederick was frequently at war with the Pope and was excommunicated twice. His persistent refusal to persecute Muslims earned him hatred from many quarters. He led the Sixth Crusade against Egyptian-held Jerusalem in 1228, but the wily king was to get his way in the end through diplomacy rather than through war.
Born to Emperor Henry VI and Queen Constance of Sicily in 1194, Frederick’s life was riddled with legends from its beginning. It is said that a 40 year-old Constance gave birth to Frederick in the town square, in order to dispel any doubt of his origins. And since the embattled Pope Gregory IX referred to Frederick as the Antichrist, a legend sprung up that Frederick would be resurrected after his death to rule for a thousand years.
Frederick was notoriously friendly with Muslims and Arab peoples in general, allowing Saracens in Sicily to build mosques and even to join his army. For this outrage against medieval Christian mores, Dante consigns Frederick to the sixth circle of hell in his “Inferno.”
Later in life, Frederick crowned himself King of Jerusalem. He began this process by marrying Yolanda of Jerusalem, a French princess whose mother was the official Queen of Jerusalem. Frederick married Yolanda by proxy in the city of Acre to solidify his claim to the region.
In 1228, Frederick initiated the Sixth Crusade, which he had delayed for years. His method of conquering Jerusalem was unusual in comparison to prior Crusades: Frederick negotiated with the Sultan of Egypt, Al-Kamil, for five months. The sultan eventually invited Frederick to his headquarters in Jerusalem, and there entertained him with honor. Ultimately Frederick succeeded in convincing the sultan—who was harassed with war troubles in Egypt—to surrender Jerusalem to his army, with the caveat that the Muslims would retain control of the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Crusades were a turbulent time in the history of the Holy City—hundreds of years of warfare, political intrigue, and brutal massacres.
Graden Tomb
Western Wall
