Federico
Nobody would have thought that the grandson of Barbarossa who grew up in the narrow streets of Palermo would become such a famous Emperor. Frederic the Second of Hohenstaufen (1194 to 1250) impressed his contemporaries as an outstanding and versatile personality. He was a statesman of high talent, an ardent supporter of science and the arts and, at the same time, a person who - in the deep Middle Ages - somewhat anticipated the Renaissance. He was named - for his wisdom and his justice, but also for his cruelty and vindictiveness - the 'amazement of the world'. While being furiously attacked by the Pope, he became the impassioned hope of the people who saw in him the 'Messiah Emperor'.
Waltraut Lewin describes this fascinating life in her intricate novel, a life marked by power struggles and diplomatic calculation, love and sensuality, highlights and bitter defeats. She describes how the monarch's attempt to create a model state was doomed to fail.