r/HolyRomanEmperors • u/Cultural_Act_8513 Louis II • 13d ago
Ranking Every Holy Roman Emperor Day 23: Frederick I Barbarossa
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u/RichardMcSoc Frederick Barbarossa 13d ago
Great
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u/Cultural_Act_8513 Louis II 13d ago
Yeah you are obviously the 3rd best emperor hands down.
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u/Objective-Golf-7616 Frederick II 13d ago edited 13d ago
It’s rather astounding how able and proactively talented the three Staufen emperors were.
Barbarossa: the very defintion of a vigorous and formidable medieval emperor;
Henry VI: shrewd, capable and visionary, and more… had he lived another twenty years to solidify the formidable imperial reach he was creating, who knows what European history would have looked like.
Frederick II: good claim to be the powerful medieval ruler, and almost certainly the most singularly brilliant and gifted person to ever wear a crown.
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u/Objective-Golf-7616 Frederick II 13d ago edited 13d ago
Inarguably great (as all the Staufen emperors are). Barbarossa, though, is the very epitome of a High Middle Ages emperor.
Emperor: A+
Statesman and Politician: A+
State-builder and Lawgiver: A
Military Leader: A+
Dynast and House-builder: S
Cultural Figure: S
Legacy: S
Historical Reputation and Personality: S+
Overall: S (Great)
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u/KevanTheMan Charles IV 13d ago
Gotta be Great.
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u/Quick-Ad-2054 13d ago
There is the champion, who deserves very good.. Charles IV, I loved you're work and what you did was absolutely good.
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u/sketchbookamy 13d ago
Great! The man who made the Holy Roman Empire, well, a Holy Roman Empire, an incredible administrator and statesman, with a legacy only outmatched by Charlemagne himself
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u/JonyTony2017 13d ago
Top tier. He was a man who ruled a holy, roman, empire. An almost centralised state.
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u/Classic-Object-3118 Frederick II 13d ago
Great
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u/Quick-Ad-2054 12d ago
Just like when you are gonna be next Frederick II.
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u/Classic-Object-3118 Frederick II 12d ago
ofc and Karl IV
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u/Cultural_Act_8513 Louis II 12d ago
We call it charles IV here in uk canada south africa and usa.
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u/Classic-Object-3118 Frederick II 12d ago
And we call it Carlos IV here in Latin America and also Spain
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u/No_Captain2109 12d ago
Mass Extermination and germanisation of Polabian slavs started during his times. So according to german traditions he was great.
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u/Otherwise-Strain8148 13d ago
Very good because....
Come on it is a very stupid way to die!
His untimely demise relegates him from great tier.
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u/rapidla01 13d ago
Great aura farmer, mediocre otherwise. Italy is a cesspool, imperial policy completely fails, the schisma is a catastrophe. Could have gotten much better results with more moderation. Not helped by the Lion being unhelpful but I feel like that could have been anticipated. Decent swimmer.
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u/Legitimate-Data297 13d ago
He is overrated for me but still a legend the only thing that for me would keep him out of great would be his stupid death So for me he is in the very good
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u/JellyOpen8349 Frederick II 13d ago
Very good. I don’t think he quite deserves to be in the highest tier, if one looks past his aura. He managed to quiet down the conflict between Staufer and Welfen for a time and when it reignited was very effective in dealing with Henry the lion and he may have been one of, if not the last emperor who was, generally, actually seen as first among the European monarchs.
But I don’t think he has something on the level of Charlemagne and Otto I to show for. Being the founder of it all or beating the Hungarians so conclusively and starting the empire proper outranks Barbarossa imo. He was as I said very good but not quite on the same stage as the two greats. He also struggled a lot in Italy with mixed results.
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u/Cultural_Act_8513 Louis II 13d ago
Great! His efforts to centralize power in the Holy Roman Empire, his military campaigns, particularly in Italy, and his promotion of German unity and identity. He also fostered German cultural and economic development and played a significant role in a crusade, despite his initial conflict with the Papacy. His ambitious vision for a strong, unified empire, though ultimately unmet, laid significant groundwork for future German history. He is going to the great tier, I don't care what any of you haters gotta say.