c. 1122–1190 · Holy Roman emperor and leader of the Third Crusade
Frederick Barbarossa
Other names · Frederick I Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (c. 1122–1190) — Holy Roman emperor and leader of the Third Crusade. This dossier combines the biographical record with dated events and the listed primary and secondary sources.
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.
Career during the Crusading era
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.
Documented activity: a chronological record
On 27 March 1188, Frederick Barbarossa appears in the atlas record “Assembly of Mainz and the Third Crusade vow” at Mainz. The event is documented through Norman P. Tanner, Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, Fordham Medieval Sourcebook, Evolution of Crusader Privileges 1095–1270, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’. On 1189–1192, Frederick Barbarossa appears in the atlas record “Third Crusade” at Anatolia and Levant. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’.
On 10 June 1190, Frederick Barbarossa appears in the atlas record “Death of Frederick Barbarossa” at Seleucia / Göksu. The event is documented through Historia de Expeditione Friderici, İbnü’l-Esîr, TDV İA, ‘Haçlılar’.
Allies, opponents and geographical range
Frederick Barbarossa appears in the same records as II. Philippe, Richard the Lionheart, Saladin, II. Kılıç Arslan. Co-occurrence does not always indicate alliance: the connection may involve command, dynastic rivalry, captivity, negotiation or direct conflict.
The principal geographical range represented in the atlas is Mainz; Anatolia and Levant; Seleucia / Göksu. These places record not only presence but also the supply lines, diplomatic contacts and limits of authority relevant to the biography.
Results of recorded decisions
The “Assembly of Mainz and the Third Crusade vow” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
The “Third Crusade” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
The “Death of Frederick Barbarossa” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
Sources and historiography
Papal letters, conciliar canons and preaching texts record normative aims, while chronicles describe their social reception. Later versions of speeches are not verbatim minutes and should be compared through their shared provisions, date and circulation.
Names and titles vary between languages; Frederick I Barbarossa should be searched together in catalogues and texts. Approximate dates remain marked as such, and later literary or visual fame is separated from contemporary testimony.
Biographical statements are tied to the sources listed on this page and to the connected event dossiers. Approximate or disputed dates remain marked; missing information is not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual representations are not treated as contemporary portraits.