How Did Barbarossa Understand The Problems Of Government

Emperor Frederick 1st approach to problems of government in Germany and how they differ from his measures in Italy.

Emperor Frederick 1st (Barbarossa), was elected to the position of King of Germany at a time when the Kingdom was on the verge of Civil War over rightful inheritance and, the power of the Monarchy had been reduced to little more than that of a Duke or a Count; only holding power over the greatly diminished Crownlands. During his rule, he faced the monumental task of restoring the German Empire to its former glory and re-establishing the power and authority of the Crown once again. Barbarossa would come into conflict over his measures and would face several problems during his attempts to unite the Kingdoms of Germany and Italy
and create for himself what he would call, the re-established Holy Roman Empire. In his attempts to rule over the two great kingdoms, we can see how he needed to use different measures with each to ensure the cooperation of the governments and the peace of the Empire. It is necessary to understand the events of the years before Barbarossa ascended to the throne, as they would have a profound influence on his rule and, would characterise the problems that he would face during it.
The history of the Germanic Empire directly before Barbarossa's rule was a deeply troubled one, filled with War and Conflict which would lead to the Monarchy's power being diminished to what it was when Barbarossa took over the throne from Conrad the 3rd in 1152. As already stated, Barbarossa ascended the throne at a time when Monarchical power was extremely weak, something which can be attributed in many ways to the Investiture Struggle which had only ended officially in 1122 with the Concordat of Worms. During this strife, which was between the Pope and the Emperor over the Emperors right to appoint Bishops, the German Princes rebelled against the government in 1076 which lead to the undermining of the Crown's authority. With this developed the solely elective nature of the German Crown and paved a move away from the joint elective and hereditary nature of Monarchy in Germany. This in itself was not the downfall of the Crowns power, rather, the need for Henry 4th in 1100 to gift substantial amounts of Crownland to the Princes in order to ensure their loyalty and support, and later the division of the remaining land between Lothar 3rd and Conrad 3rd, again greatly diminishing the land the Crown held to virtually
nothing. Barbarossa had been elected in the hope that he could bring an end to the Civil War which had erupted between the Hohenstaufen and Guelf families over who held the rightful authority in the Duchy of Bavaria: Barbarossa or Henry the Lion. Barbarossa's approach to this problem, to enter into a collaboration with Henry the Lion allowed for both Houses to recognise the claims of Barbarossa over the Crown and of Henry over the duchy of Bavaria.[1] In Germany, Barbarossa recognised that, if he attempted to take power by force in the weakened state he was in politically, it would only result in universal rebellion. His decision to recognise the titles and land that nobles had claimed for themselves as legitimate, was one that, although it cost him nothing, as the land was no longer under his control, it gained him much in the rights of a Lord over a Vassal. This realistic feudal policy would ensure that his Kingdom in Germany would continue to develop and grow stronger in strength and power within Europe, but would also ensure loyalty among his Vassals, something which would allow him to pursue his policy of control in Italy.[2] Within the Empire, land equated to power, therefore, a Kings power lay in the hands of his Vassals, and not in those of the elected officials, such as Counts or Bishops. This created a vast problem for Barbarossa as, in Germany, the power was widely defused into the hands of nobles who had, during the years of upheaval within the Empire prior to his reign, seized control of old offices and the lands that came with them. Despite this, there still remained an astounding amount of land held by Barbarossa and by Henry the Lion however, the King was far more reliant on the land than Henry, thus hastening the development of the feudal institution system which before hand had remained to be in relatively low state of development within Germany.[3] It was Barbarossa's want to increase his power that lead him to devote himself to creating a grander Empire, combining the two kingdoms of Italy and Germany in what would become known as his first serious challenge to the independence of the Italian cities.[4] In Germany, Barbarossa had the mind of a realist when it came to governance, hence why he left Henry the Lion in virtual control of Northern and Eastern Germany allowing him to devote himself fully to his operations in Italy. Here he conducted himself with the head of a romantic reactionary; attempting to reinstate the office of Roman Emperor,and, being inspired by antiquity, the title of Emperor appealed to him more than that of King; Emperors were not bound by tradition, unlike kings and had the freedom to elect their heir as they pleased, unlike the nature of selection of a king. This was especially appealing to Barbarossa who sought to ensure the heir to his new Empire was someone who would continue to conquer greatness for Germany.[5] He attempted to demand the rights which were due to the Roman Emperor, and, so convinced that this was his destiny, he made little to no attempt to ensure his ambitions conformed with those of Italian politics. This increased hostility towards him from the three main groups within society; the Normans; the Papacy; and the Lombard communes. His attempts to re-establish order through the use of force, using terror to gain control in a country where cities fought their neighbours and rivalries were abundant between them,[6] caused these rivalries to turn into alliances, with the formation of the Lombard League in 1167. Barbarossa's increasingly persistent efforts of subdue these cities had forced them to unite together against the greater enemy of the German King due to his abundant use of terror and violence. It had been these cities, with their overwhelming wealth and beauty which had attracted Barbarossa to Italy in order to expand his Empire.[7] His actions in Italy at this time; the use of violence to ensure his rule was followed, and his complete disregard for Papal authority, caused the people to revolt against his insupportable tyranny which ultimately ended in defeat at the battle of Legnano 1176 when his attempt to establish a system of direct imperial administration failed. His methods had left himself unable to rely on the limited number of allies he had gained throughout Italy, forcing him to rely on the German nobility, the more noticeable being Henry the Lion. However his refusal to support the Emperor cost Barbarossa the battle and, ultimately, led to his surrender of his pursuit in Italy and his signing of the Treaty of Constance in 1183 which, although giving the cities a sense of independence, only defined his limits of feudal overlordship and did not force him to give back any of the land he had conquered.[8] Barbarossa had conquered as much as he could while in Italy, carving out new Crownlands for Germany, and ensuring the wealth and power of the Empire was once again back to the levels it had once been during the greatest times within Germanic history. The differences in approaches used by Barbarossa in Germany and Italy are staggeringly different, however they did share a common cause, which was the reinstallation of Germany as the impressive imperial power it had one been such as during the reign of Otto of Nordheim.
Barbarossa faced different challenges in Germany as he did in Italy, warranting the use of different approaches to the situations. In Germany he faced a divided country at war with itself, with his House being right in the centre, battling with the next most influential House. His decision to cut his losses as such, by his feudal policy and with legitimising such fiefs as those which had already been taken, not with his permission, nor the permission of any king, but at the insistence of the nobles who claimed them. These newly landed nobles took advantage of the situation during the Investiture Struggle in which anarchy descended within Germany due to the existence on two 'Kings'. Barbarossa's intelligent decision not to re-open this closed wound by claiming back the land and titles that had been unlawfully taken, and instead, by legitimising them, created a peace within Germany and gained him valuable allies within his own Vassals, allies whom he would need for his campaign in Italy to be a
success. The possible opposition and problem of Henry the Lion and his claim over Saxony and Bavaria was one that could have possibly derailed Barbarossa's chance of ever uniting the Italian and Germanic Kingdoms together, by the possibility of the Civil War escalating once again over who was the rightful heir to a title. This was, however, not the case due to Barbarossa's delicate handling of the situation through his appointment of Henry the Lion as ruler of Germany while he conquered Italy. This solution not only allowed Barbarossa to continue in his plans to conquer Italy while Germany remained under control, but also placated Henry the Lion in his want of power. By actively encouraging his policies and even offering advice as to what to improve next, Barbarossa ensured Germany was still being ruled as he would rule it, with its economy and boundaries being improved due to Henry's policies. Barbarossa handled problems faced in Italy with force and with a lack of mercy. His treatment of rebellious cities was such as to set an example to others as to what would happen to those who did not submit. His conquest of terror ensured, to a certain extent, that he was carving a path through Italy which led to Germany. Although his attempts at total conquest hardly turned out the way he planned, with his need for surrender at Legnano, highlighting that there were indeed problems developing in Germany, his defusing of a potential catastrophic situation through the signing of the Treaty of Constance in 1183 ensured that the progress he had made in Italy would indeed remain under his control. Ultimately the use of terror and ultimate man power was not how he succeed in handling problems in Italy, and it was indeed the use of political methods which ensured his conquest of Italy remained his. While his victories in Italy were just that, problems had developed in Germany, in particular with Henry the Lion and his grasp on the power within Germany. His refusal to help his Lord and the battle of Legnano emphasised this problem, however, although Barbarossa now held significant power within Italy, he was still incapable in Germany of deposing of Henry the Lion, however his alliances with the German Princes was what gave him the power to depose of Henry as it was through their power that the deposition stuck. Barbarossa needed their assistance and they were rewarded with the division of the deposed Henry's fiefs among them. It is clear that both Germany and Italy created different problems for Barbarossa, however he rightly recognised that there was a need for discrepancy in his treatment of these problems. He recognised that, in order for order to be restored, he would have to use non-violent means to ensure that his authority was not challenged the way the authority of the King had been in the past. This recognition for the need for legitimate means of control, and not just the use of violence and power, was what ensured that his campaigns in Germany and Italy turned out to be such relative successes. Barbarossa managed to defuse the tension within Germany and Italy through his intelligent handling of complex situations which ultimately proved that he was to be a capable ruler over such a vast Empire.