In the year following the peace of Constance, Frederic visited Italy for the last time. His object was to negotiate a marriage between his son Henry, and Constance, daugh ter of Roger I. king of Sicily and Naples, the aunt of Wil liam II. the present king ; and, from his want of family, considered the heiress presumptive of the crown. The emperor was, on this occasion, received with general re spect by the Lombard cities ; and, desirous to secure their support in the event of the Sicilian succession being con tested, his efforts were directed to maintain their union, and promote their prosperity.
An event which took place soon after tended still more to continue this good understanding, and for a time to occa sion a general cessation of hostilities throughout Europe. This was the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin, from King Guy of Lusignan, and the crusade undertaken for its reco very, in consequence of the exertions of the popes Gregory VIII. and Clement III. The Italian states obeyed with zeal the mandates of their pontiffs ; and the aged emperor himself, with his son Frederic, took the cross, and, at the head of an army of 90,000 men, marching through IIungary and Bulgaria, crossed at Gallipoli into Asia, and having taken Iconium, advanced into Armenia, where he died, having, while bathing in the little river Salef, 10th June, 1190, been either drowned, or struck with apoplexy, from the coldness of the water.
The death of Frederic was deplored, even by those very cities whose liberties he had invaded ; and the Milanese themselves acknowledged his magnanimity and fortitude. Their knowledge of his successor increased their regrets ; as, without possessing his father's talents, Henry's charac ter was infamous in war for brutal ferocity, and in peace for his perfidy and breach of his promises. William II. King of Sicily, died a few months before Frederic ; and Henry now prepared to take possession of his wife's inhe ritance. But the Sicilians, averse to a foreign sway, had chosen for their king, Tancred, grandson of King Roger, being the illegitimate offspring of his eldest son ; and the emperor was obliged to assert his rights by force of arms. For this purpose, he solicited the assistance of the ltaliani, especially the maritime republics. To the Genoese he even promised to cede the city of Syracuse and its depen dencies. Having, in consequence, obtained a considerable
fleet front them and the Pisans, lie proceeded to invade Sicily. But his expedition was unfortunate ; he himself escaped with difficulty ; and his empress fell into the hands of Tancred, by whom, however, she was immediately sent back without ransom.
This prince survived a short time only after this gene rous action ; his death being occasioned by grief for the loss of his eldest son. The Sicilians then submitted to the emperor ; but were treated by him in the most cruel and tyrannical manner, and he became the object of general detestation. He incurred, likewise, the resentment of the Genoese, by not performing his promises to them ; and even deprit ing them of the privileges which they had for merly enjoyed in the Neapolitan ports. His subjects were soon enfranchised, however, by his sudden death ; which was followed, the year after, by that of his wife Constance ; and Frederic II., a child of four years old, was left heir of the crowns of Sicily and Naples. Pope Innocent IiI. who had succeeded Celestine III. a few months before, was, on her death-bed, appointed by the empress guardian to the young king.
The imperial dignity was at this time disputed for in Germany, between Philip, duke of Suabia, brother of the late emperor, and Otho, duke of Aquitaine, son of Henry the Lion, formerly duke of Bavaria and Saxony, and chief of the Guelphs. The interests of the latter were embraced by the pope ; but the former, assisted by Philip Augustus, king of France, was successful ; and Otho was obliged to take refuge in England, where he obtained the powerful protection and alliance of Richard Coeur de Lion. In the mean time, the rights of the emperor in Italy were left without a defender. Innocent perceived all the advantages of his situation, and lost no time in exerting himself to esta blish the temporal power of the church. His first attempt was the abolition of the senate of Rome, in which he suc ceeded without difficulty, from the fickleness of the people themselves, who were not unwilling to try a new form of government. In the room of the senate, the pope substi tuted a military magistrate, who resided in the capitol, and enjoyed all the powers of that body, with the title of sena tor of Rome. Like the podestas, this magistrate was to be a foreigner.