Translated from the German of Franz Kühn BY GEORGE P. UPTON Translator of “Memories,” etc. WITH FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS CHICAGO A. C. McCLURG & CO. 1906 Copyright A. C. McClurg & Co. 1906 Published September 22, 1906 THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A....

From whatever point of view we consider Frederick I,—more familiarly known as “Barbarossa,” because of his red beard,—whether as the greatest of the sovereigns of the Holy Roman Empire, or as one of the most gallant of the famous crusade leaders, the story of his life is one of absorbing interest. This little volume includes a sketch of the events which led up to his accession to the throne of Germany, of his various campaigns in Italy after he had received the imperial crown, and of the disastr

The second Crusade was ended. [1] Exploits as heroic as those in the first Crusade, under Godfrey of Bouillon, [2] had been performed, but no battles as glorious as those in the first had been fought. It was a difficult task to wrest Palestine from the domination of the Turks. Scarcely the tenth part of the stout champions who set out from the various provinces of France and Germany returned, and of this little remnant many were exhausted by marches, enfeebled by disease, and doomed to speedy de

The German Empire suffered many grave calamities the following year. [4] Henry, who already had been designated successor of Conrad III, suddenly died, and all hope of filling the vacancy on the throne without exciting dangerous quarrels among the princes and their adherents seemingly was gone. The seriousness of the situation was soon apparent. Two years passed, and no successor was found. Then the sudden death of Conrad occurred, causing great sorrow and even dismay in the German provinces; fo

There was little sincerity in the protestations of loyalty which the Italian cities made to the Emperor; indeed their disrespect for him was soon openly displayed. Milan defied his authority with contemptuous arrogance. Tortoria, [10] which had been destroyed by Frederick, was rebuilt under Milan’s protection. The Milanese also demanded homage from Lodi [11] and when that city refused to break faith with the Emperor, they advanced upon it in force, drove away its citizens, robbed them of their p

Peace now prevailed both in Italy and Germany. Frederick regarded the remarkable prosperity of the Italian cities without envy, for it contributed greatly toward the prosperity of the German cities; and the German people did not withhold their gratitude to the Emperor for the good fortune they enjoyed. Frederick indeed was richly rewarded for his great achievements both in youth and manhood. In recognition of this great prosperity, the Emperor organized a national festival upon a scale grander t

After the battle at Legnano, the Emperor’s old friend Conrad, who had almost miraculously escaped every danger, returned to Castle Felseck. Those were sad days for him and his wife, for their two young heroes had fallen in the first battle for the Emperor. They did not complain, however, of their sorrowful bereavement. Their children had been taken from them in the very flower of their youth, but they made no public show of grief. The Emperor’s companion-in-arms, formerly so active and impetuous

It will be remembered that the second Crusade, under Conrad III, was disastrous to the Christians in the Holy Land. The discords which everywhere prevailed and the wranglings and jealousies of Templars and Knights of Saint John were not unwelcome to the Turks. There appeared among the latter about that time the mighty hero, Saladin, of Kurdish origin. He was sent with an army by the vizier Noureddin to Egypt, where he achieved such success as a leader that he made his preparations to dispute the

At last the Germans reached the sacred land of Asia Minor. He who beholds it for the first time cannot fail to admire the surpassing beauty of the country. Winter, instead of destroying its luxurious vegetation, enriches the exceedingly fertile soil with refreshing rains. The numerous mountain ranges, which traverse that region in all directions, covered with majestic forests, present ever-changing spectacles of beauty. Blooming valleys stretch between them abundantly watered by clear and sparkl

Our young hero rode with a stout heart. His steed showed itself a worthy representative of the splendid Arab breed. The waves of a gently flowing stream could not have borne him more easily. His horse’s hoofs hardly disturbed the soil. It glided with the swiftness of the wind or the swallow, rather than ran, and was so perfectly trained that it obeyed the slightest touch upon its shoulder or pull upon the bridle. It never needed the spur and yet the rider, as the noble animal sped along with fly

The intention of Frederick’s faithless allies to destroy his army by hunger rather than by the sword was frustrated by the indefatigable exertions of the Germans. Though greatly reduced in numbers, they had thwarted every device of cunning and hatred, and though menaced by continually increasing numbers, had reached the region they had hoped for—a region where no German foot had ever trodden before. They found everything there which they needed, and even more, for the enemy had not been able to

The brothers passed a sorrowful and sleepless night. Though they felt greatly honored by the Emperor’s protection, they would rather have grown to manhood under their father’s eyes, learned their highest duties from his lips, and, inspired by his example, have reached his lofty standard of honor. They fervently prayed for strength to face the inevitable, but no rest came to their tired bodies. Raymond suffered pain in his wounded arm, and Conrad, who was greatly overcome by his own exertions and

Evening had hardly fallen when the Sultan again suddenly appeared in the brothers’ room. He entered noiselessly and regarded the two with a malicious expression, as they stood arm in arm at the window gazing at the glorious sunset, which seemed to them a reflection of the infinite father-love of God and awakened filial devotion for Him in their hearts. Their fearlessness surprised the Sultan. He had hoped to find them downcast, and expected they would tremble before him and prostrate themselves

We left the Emperor fighting furiously in the streets of Iconium. Where the danger was greatest he fought with the bravery always characteristic of him. None could withstand him. They either fell before his vigorous attacks, or fled as fast and far as their feet could take them. The Christians were equally bold even when the Turks assailed them with the fierceness of lions. Their bitter resentment over broken faith, their remembrance of the sufferings they had undergone, the thought of so many f

The Emperor thoroughly understood the friendly solicitude of his host. He had had large experience with Greek treachery in little as well as in great affairs. He was well aware that their greed and their hatred of the Western Christians would lead them to work against him at every opportunity. It was easy enough to protect himself against the fisherman’s hostile designs by killing him or by putting him in safe custody until his work was accomplished, but he regarded such action as ungrateful, co

The following is a chronological statement of the most important events in the life of Barbarossa:...

BIOGRAPHICAL ROMANCES TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY GEORGE P. UPTON A new, interesting, and very useful series that will be found especially suitable for school libraries and for supplementary reading The books in this series are translated from the German, because in that country a specialty is made of really desirable reading for the young. Eight titles are now ready and more will follow. Their simplicity and accuracy make them very useful for every school library in the grades. For parents wh