c. 1122–1190 · Holy Roman emperor and leader of the Third Crusade
Frederick Barbarossa
Other names · Frederick I Barbarossa
Emperor who led one of the Third Crusade's largest land armies across Anatolia and drowned in the Saleph river.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Frederick of the Hohenstaufen dynasty became German king in 1152 and emperor in 1155. Much of his reign was occupied by long conflicts with the Italian communes and the papacy. After the defeat at Hattin and loss of Jerusalem he took the cross in 1188 and organised a large imperial expedition.
Role in the Crusades
Frederick led a disciplined army through Hungary, Byzantine territory and Anatolia. Despite attacks on supply lines in the lands of Kilij Arslan II, he took Iconium in May 1190. He drowned while crossing the Goksu River on 10 June; the army largely dispersed, and only a small remnant reached Acre.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.