1152 imperial election

1152 German royal election Holy Roman Empire Flag Germany Emperors Banner.svg presidential no 1147 imperial election 1147 1169 imperial election 1169 4 March 1152 Elected by the stem dukes and the nobilityThe exact number of participating electors is unrecorded, as was typical for early imperial elections. However, the chronicler Otto of Freising described the attendance as the "entire company of the princes."Consensus needed to winAll electors present were required to reach a unanimous agreement for the election to be valid. Result Friedrich I. Barbarossa.jpg Frederick Barbarossa House Hohenstaufen Elected King Conrad III House of Hohenstaufen Frederick Barbarossa House of Hohenstaufen Frederick Barbarossa was elected King of Germany on 4 March 1152 in Frankfurt am Main. Frederick's uncle, Otto of Freising, was an eyewitness and is the most important source for the 1152 election. According to him, "the entire company of the princes ... from the immense extent of the transalpine realm (as well as certain barons from Italy)" met in Frankfurt by early March to elect a successor to King Conrad III, who had died barely two weeks earlier at Bamberg on 15 February 1152. Only five days after his election, on 9 March, Frederick was crowned in the Aachen Chapel.Freed 2016 60–61 Unusual haste in deciding the election The apparent quickness of the election of 1152 contrasts with those of 1125 and 1138. In his own letter to Otto of Freising listing the accomplishments of his first five years on the throne, Frederick does not mention his election, but says only that "we were anointed at Aachen and received the crown of the German realm." According to Otto, Conrad had on his deathbed designated Frederick as his choice of successor, because he knew that the princes would not elect his young son, Frederick. He then entrusted his son and the royal insignia to Frederick.Freed 2016 60–61 Reasons for Frederick's political supporters Conrad's designation was not sufficient to make Frederick king or determine his election. This is shown from a diploma—D.38 in Heinrich Appelt's edition of Frederick diplomas—drawn up for Alteburg Abbey during the brief interregnum. A blank space was left for the king's name and Frederick himself was a witness to the document as Duke of Swabia. As king, he confirmed the document in December and his name was then added by a notary to the blank space.Reuter 1977 597 Since no document was issued during Frederick's brief time in Frankfurt, the names of those participating in his election are not directly attested and can only be inferred.Freed 2016 60–61 The witness list of D.38 offers some evidence of those present for the negotiations or debate on Conrad's succession. Frederick's cousin Henry the Lion was among them.Reuter 1977 597 According to Otto, the princes choice of Frederick was unanimous. They preferred him for his proven valour and his descent from "two renowned families", the Staufer on his father's side and the Welfs on his mother's. It was thought that Frederick could bring a measure of stability of "universal advantage" to the kingdom.Freed 2016 60–61 Letter to Pope Eugene III concerning the election's results Frederick sent a letter—Appelt's D.5—to inform Pope Eugene III of his election. It was carried by Bishop Eberhard II of Bamberg, who has been accused of altering the text of the only copy that survives in Wibald of Stavelot's letter book.Reuter 1977 596 Notes References Bibliography Freed John B. 2016 Frederick Barbarossa: The Prince and the Myth Yale University Press Timothy Reuter Timothy Reuter Review of Die Urkunden Friedrichs I. 1152–1158 by Heinrich Appelt The English Historical Review 92 364 1977 596–598 10.1093/ehr/XCII.CCCLXIV.596 566080 Björn Weiler 2012 Tales of Trickery and Deceit: The Election of Frederick Barbarossa (1152), Historical Memory and the Culture of Kingship in Later Staufen Germany Journal of Medieval History 38 3 295–317 10.1080/03044181.2012.694336 153508121 Category:1150s in the Holy Roman Empire Category:1152 in Europe Category:12th-century elections Category:Elections in the Holy Roman Empire Category:Frederick Barbarossa