Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Frederick II by Jesse Russell When A Terrible Medieval War Was Fought Because Of A Bucket Full of Treasure. In 1325, two armies clashed near what is today the Italian town of Castello di Serravalle in the region of Emilia-Romagna. It was a huge medieval battle which cost thousands of men their lives, changed the history of , plunged the peninsula into a centuries-long conflict, and ensured papal supremacy. While such bloodshed was common in Europe, its cause was not, for it was waged over a wooden bucket. A bucket made of oak, to be precise. It all began in October 1154 when the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa (who was also the King of Germany) invaded Italy. Frederick did so because he believed that he was God’s chosen representative on earth, not the . The Italians disagreed, however. It was Pope John XII who crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor, and based on that logic, it was , not emperors, who were the conduit between God and the world. And since popes conferred spiritual legitimacy to Christian rulers, they were therefore seen as the true leaders of Christendom. So Frederick took the Italian cities of , , and where he became the King of Italy. He then took and Tuscany before making his way to where he spoke with Pope Alexander III, though they resolved nothing. And because of that, the emperor continued his invasion of other cities till his defeat by the pro-papal at the Battle of on 29 May 1176. Frederick was forced to return to Germany, but his revenge was to leave behind a political divide that went on for centuries. On the one side were the Ghibellines who supported the emperor, while on the other were the pro-papal Guelfs. At the time, Italy wasn’t a unified country but a collection of city-states which often warred with each other. As a result, Modena was Ghibelline, while Bologna was Guelf. The boundaries between pro-emperor and pro-papal cities had been set by Frederick before they kicked him out, but things in Modena and Bologna were a lot more complicated. Barely more than 31 miles apart, divided and changing loyalties ensured that tensions between the two always remained high. The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. In 1296, the Bolognese attacked Modena lands, seizing Bazzano and Savigno. Those who supported the emperor began moving out, while those who supported the pope began leaving Bolognese territory. Such border skirmishes became common as each side seized territory from the other only to lose it again. In 1309, Rinaldo “Passerino” Bonacolsi became the ruler of Mantua, Modena, Parma, and Reggio. Under his rule, more attacks were launched on Bolognese territories, so Pope John XXIII declared Bonacolsi to be an enemy of the Church. To make his edict stick, the pope offered indulgences to anyone who successfully attacked Bonacolsi and his property. Indulgences were a guarantee that sins were either forgiven or lightened to the extent that one didn’t have to burn in hell. Not even for the sin of murder. By the start of 1325, border skirmishes between the two cities increased. In July, the Bolognese raided Modenese farms, slaughtered people, and burned several fields before retreating. Others managed to do some looting before they returned to Bologna to display their catch. They did so again the following month, doing as much damage as they could during a two-week spree. Bonacolsi had his revenge in September when his Mantuan troops captured the Bolognese fort at Monteveglio. Located a mere 12 miles west of Bologna, the fort had been betrayed not by pro-Ghibellines, but by malcontents. Taking advantage of the chaos and confusion, some Modenese soldiers snuck into Bologna. There in the town’s center was the main well next to the San Felice gate. Beside it rested a bucket filled with Modenese loot. Unable to resist, the soldiers stole the bucket and its contents, then proudly displayed it beside Modena’s main well. Ottavio Baussano’s painting of the Guelph and Ghibelline families. Furious, Bologna demanded the return of the bucket and its loot. As far as they were concerned, they had stolen it fair and square. The Modenese refused, of course, so Bologna declared war. Everything that had taken place up to that point was mere child’s play. The War of the Oaken Bucket began on the Friday morning of 15 November 1325. Malatestino dell Occhio, Lord of Rimini, led the Bolognese and their allies from Florence and Romagna to besiege Monteveglio and take it back. Giovanni Sercambi of Lucca’s depiction of a 14th-century skirmish between the Guelfs and the Ghibellines in Bologns. They were met by Bonacolsi who led soldiers from Modena, Mantua, and Ferrara, as well as German troops, sent over by the emperor. With him were Cangrande della Scali, Lord of (and patron of the poet Dante Alighieri), as well as Azzone Visconti, the Lord of Milan. Having repelled the Bolognese, a larger force assembled outside the town of Castello di Serravalle, in today’s hamlet of Ziribega. Pope John XXIII led an army of 30,000 footsoldiers and 2,000 on horseback. These were arrayed on the slope which descended from Bersagliera toward the Bolognese town of Valsamoggia (now a suburb of Bologna). Around 23 miles separates Modena from Bologna in a straight line (Imagery Ⓒ2016 Google, Map data Ⓒ2016 Google) The Modenese had a smaller force of about 5000 foot soldiers and 2000 mounted knights. They were deployed on the plain where Ziribega now stands. Despite their smaller numbers, the Modenese made their move just as the sun began to set. The larger Guelf force was routed and fled back to Bologna. According to the Bolognese chronicler, Matteo Griffoni, it was over by nightfall. The Torre Ghirlandina where the replica bucket is still displayed. Bergonzc – CC BY-SA 3.0. The Modenese advanced toward the city walls, but instead of besieging it, they instead destroyed the outer protective castles of Crespellano, Zola, Samoggia, Anzola, and Castelfranco. They also captured 26 nobles and took them back to Modena as hostages. It’s estimated that about 2,000 men were killed on both sides. The following year in January, a treaty was made returning Monteveglio and other properties to Bologna, but peace did not return. The Palazzo Comunale in Modena. DoppiaDi – CC BY-SA 3.0. Ghibelline-Guelf wars continued till 1529 when Charles I of Spain (who was also the Holy Roman Emperor) invaded Italy. This forced the two factions to unite, something that led to the decline of the Ghibelline faction in favor of the papacy. After the war, the oaken bucket was proudly displayed in Modena and kept in the Torre della Ghirlandina as a memorial of the city’s victory. The one today is just a replica, however. If you want to see the original, go to the Palazzo Communale. When A Bloody Medieval War Was Fought Because Of A Bucket Full of Treasure. In 1325, two armies clashed near what is today the Italian town of Castello di Serravalle in the region of Emilia-Romagna. It was a huge medieval battle which cost thousands of men their lives, changed the , plunged the peninsula into a centuries-long conflict, and ensured the papal supremacy that Italians today take for granted. While such bloodshed was common in Europe, its cause was not, for it was waged over a wooden bucket. A bucket made of oak, to be precise. It all began in October 1154 when the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa (who was also the King of Germany) invaded Italy. Frederick did so because he believed that he was God’s chosen representative on earth, not the Pope. The Italians disagreed, however. It was Pope John XII who crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor, and based on that logic, it was popes, not emperors, who were the conduit between God and the world. And since popes conferred spiritual legitimacy to Christian rulers, they were therefore seen as the true leaders of Christendom. The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. So Frederick took the Italian cities of Milan, Tortona, and Pavia where he became the King of Italy. He then took Bologna and Tuscany before making his way to Rome where he spoke with Pope Alexander III, though they resolved nothing. And because of that, the emperor continued his invasion of other cities till his defeat by the pro-papal Lombard League at the Battle of Legnano on 29 May 1176. Frederick was forced to return to Germany, but his revenge was to leave behind a political divide that went on for centuries. On the one side were the Ghibellines who supported the emperor, while on the other were the pro-papal Guelfs. At the time, Italy wasn’t a unified country but a collection of city-states which often warred with each other. As a result, Modena was Ghibelline, while Bologna was Guelf. The boundaries between pro-emperor and pro-papal cities had been set by Frederick before they kicked him out, but things in Modena and Bologna were a lot more complicated. Barely more than 31 miles apart, divided and changing loyalties ensured that tensions between the two always remained high. In 1296, the Bolognese attacked Modena lands, seizing Bazzano and Savigno. Those who supported the emperor began moving out, while those who supported the pope began leaving Bolognese territory. Such border skirmishes became common as each side seized territory from the other only to lose it again. Ottavio Baussano’s painting of the Guelph and Ghibelline families. In 1309, Rinaldo “Passerino” Bonacolsi became the ruler of Mantua, Modena, Parma, and Reggio. Under his rule, more attacks were launched on Bolognese territories, so Pope John XXIII declared Bonacolsi to be an enemy of the Church. To make his edict stick, the pope offered indulgences to anyone who successfully attacked Bonacolsi and his property. Indulgences were a guarantee that sins were either forgiven or lightened to the extent that one didn’t have to burn in hell. Not even for the sin of murder. By the start of 1325, border skirmishes between the two cities increased. In July, the Bolognese raided Modenese farms, slaughtered people, and burned several fields before retreating. Others managed to do some looting before they returned to Bologna to display their catch. They did so again the following month, doing as much damage as they could during a two-week spree. Giovanni Sercambi of Lucca’s depiction of a 14th-century skirmish between the Guelfs and the Ghibellines in Bologns. Bonacolsi had his revenge in September when his Mantuan troops captured the Bolognese fort at Monteveglio. Located a mere 12 miles west of Bologna, the fort had been betrayed not by pro-Ghibellines, but by malcontents. Taking advantage of the chaos and confusion, some Modenese soldiers snuck into Bologna. There in the town’s center was the main well next to the San Felice gate. Beside it rested a bucket filled with Modenese loot. Unable to resist, the soldiers stole the bucket and its contents, then proudly displayed it beside Modena’s main well. Furious, Bologna demanded the return of the bucket and its loot. As far as they were concerned, they had stolen it fair and square. The Modenese refused, of course, so Bologna declared war. Everything that had taken place up to that point was mere child’s play. The War of the Oaken Bucket began on the Friday morning of 15 November 1325. Malatestino dell Occhio, Lord of Rimini, led the Bolognese and their allies from Florence and Romagna to besiege Monteveglio and take it back. They were met by Bonacolsi who led soldiers from Modena, Mantua, and Ferrara, as well as German troops, sent over by the emperor. With him were Cangrande della Scali, Lord of Verona (and patron of the poet Dante Alighieri), as well as Azzone Visconti, the Lord of Milan. Having repelled the Bolognese, a larger force assembled outside the town of Castello di Serravalle, in today’s hamlet of Ziribega. Pope John XXIII led an army of 30,000 footsoldiers and 2,000 knights on horseback. These were arrayed on the slope which descended from Bersagliera toward the Bolognese town of Valsamoggia (now a suburb of Bologna). The Torre Ghirlandina where the replica bucket is still displayed. By Bergonzc – CC BY-SA 3.0. The Modenese had a smaller force of about 5000 foot soldiers and 2000 mounted knights. They were deployed on the plain where Ziribega now stands. Despite their smaller numbers, the Modenese made their move just as the sun began to set. The larger Guelf force was routed and fled back to Bologna. According to the Bolognese chronicler, Matteo Griffoni, it was over by nightfall. The Modenese advanced toward the city walls, but instead of besieging it, they instead destroyed the outer protective castles of Crespellano, Zola, Samoggia, Anzola, and Castelfranco. They also captured 26 nobles and took them back to Modena as hostages. The Palazzo Comunale in Modena. By DoppiaDi – CC BY-SA 3.0. It’s estimated that about 2,000 men were killed on both sides. The following year in January, a treaty was made returning Monteveglio and other properties to Bologna, but peace did not return. Ghibelline-Guelf wars continued till 1529 when Charles I of Spain (who was also the Holy Roman Emperor) invaded Italy. This forced the two factions to unite, something that led to the decline of the Ghibelline faction in favor of the papacy. After the war, the oaken bucket was proudly displayed in Modena and kept in the Torre della Ghirlandina as a memorial of the city’s victory. The one today is just a replica, however. If you want to see the original, go to the Palazzo Communale. St. Agnes of Prague Feast day: Mar 02. St. Agnes was born in Prague in the year 1200, and probably died in the year 1281. She was the daughter of Ottocar, King of Bohemia and Constance of Hungary, who was a relative of St. Elizabeth. At an early age she was sent to the monastery of Treinitz, where she was educated in the hands of the Cistercian religious, who would eventually become her rank. She was betrothed to Henry, son of the Emperor Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, but when the time arrived for the solemnization of the marriage, they backed out of the agreement. Ottokar then planned for Agnes to marry Henry III of England, but this was vetoed by the Emperor, who wanted to marry Agnes himself. She then dedicated herself to the resolution of consecrating herself to the service of God in the sanctuary of the cloister. Emperor Frederick is said to have remarked: "If she had left me for a mortal man, I would have taken vengeance with the sword, but I cannot take offence because in preference to me she has chosen the King of Heaven." The servant of God entered the Order of St. Clare in the monastery of St. Saviour at Prague, which she herself had erected. She was elected abbess of the monastery, and through this office became a model of Christian virtue and religious observance for all. God favored her with the gift of miracles, and she predicted the victory of her brother Wenceslaus over the Duke of Austria. The exact year of Agnes' death is not certain, but 1281 is the most probable date. She was beatified in 1874 by Pope Pius IX and canonized by Pope John Paul II on November 12, 1989. St. Elizabeth of Hungary Feast day: Nov 17. As the daughter of the Hungarian King Andrew II, Elizabeth had the responsibilities of royalty thrust upon her almost as soon as her short life began in 1207. While she was still very young, Elizabeth's father arranged for her to be married to a German nobleman, Ludwig of Thuringia. The plan forced Elizabeth to separate from her parents while still a child. Adding to this sorrow was the murder of Elizabeth's mother Gertrude in 1213, which history ascribes to a conflict between her own German people and the Hungarian nobles. Elizabeth took a solemn view of life and death from that point on, and found consolation in prayer. Both tendencies drew some ire from her royal peers. For a time, beginning in 1221, she was happily married. Ludwig, who had advanced to become one of the rulers of Thuringia, supported Elizabeth's efforts to live out the principles of the Gospel even within the royal court. She met with friars of the nascent Franciscan order during its founder's own lifetime, resolving to use her position as queen to advance their mission of charity. Remarkably, Ludwig agreed with his wife's resolution, and the politically powerful couple embraced a life of remarkable generosity toward the poor. They had three children, two of whom went on to live as as members of the nobility, although one of them –her only son– died relatively young. The third eventually entered religious life and became abbess of a German convent. In 1226, while Ludwig was attending to political affairs in Italy, Elizabeth took charge of distributing aid to victims of disease and flooding that struck Thuringia. She took charge of caring for the afflicted, even when this required giving up the royal family's own clothes and goods. Elizabeth arranged for a hospital to be built, and is said to have provided for the needs of nearly a thousand desperately poor people on a daily basis. The next year, however, would put Elizabeth's faith to the test. Her husband had promised to assist the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sixth Crusade, but he died of illness en route to Jerusalem. Devastated by Ludwig's death, Elizabeth vowed never to remarry. Her children were sent away, and relatives heavily pressured her to break the vow. Undeterred, Elizabeth used her remaining money to build another hospital, where she personally attended to the sick almost constantly. Sending away her servants, she joined the Third Order of St. Francis, seeking to emulate the example of its founder as closely as her responsibilities would allow. Near the end of her life, she lived in a small hut and spun her own clothes. Working continually with the severely ill, Elizabeth became sick herself, dying of illness in November of 1231. After she died, miraculous healings soon began to occur at her grave near the hospital, and she was declared a saint only four years later. Pope Benedict XVI has praised her as a “model for those in authority,” noting the continuity between her personal love for God, and her public work on behalf of the poor and sick. Patronage: Bakers; beggars; brides; charitable societies; charitable workers; charities; countesses; death of children; exiles; falsely accused people; hoboes; homeless people; hospitals; in-law problems; lacemakers; lace workers; nursing homes; nursing services; people in exile; people ridiculed for their piety; Sisters of Mercy; tertiaries; Teutonic Knights; toothache; tramps; widows. Representation: A queen distributing alms; woman wearing a crown and tending to beggars; woman wearing a crown, carrying a load of roses in her apron or mantle. Hildegarde of Swabia (c. 757–783) Queen of the Franks. Name variations: Hildigard; Ildegarde; Saint Hildegarde; Hildegarde of Vinzgau. Born around 757 or 758; died on April 30, 783; daughter of Hildebrand, count of Souave; became third wife of Charles I also known as Charlemagne (742–814), king of the Franks (r. 768–814), Holy Roman emperor (r. 800–814), in 771; children: Adelaide (773–774); Bertha (779–after 823); Rotrude (c. 778–after 839); Gisela of Chelles (781–814); Charles (772–811), king of Neustria; Pepin I (773–810), king of Italy (r. 781–810); Louis I the Pious (778–840), king of Aquitaine (r. 781–814), king of (r. 814–840), and Holy Roman emperor as Louis le Debonaire (r. 814–840); Lothar (778–780). Legend has it that Hildegarde of Swabia, third wife of Charlemagne, king of the Franks, was falsely accused of infidelity by a servant named Taland and was subsequently divorced by Charlemagne. She retired to Rome, where she led a life of great piety, devoting herself to tending the sick. There, she met Taland, wandering about, blind, and restored his sight. Overcome by gratitude and stricken by remorse, Taland confessed his lies and led her back to Charlemagne. Charlemagne's other wives were Himiltrude, Desiderata (d. 773), Fastrada (d. 794), and Luitgarde (d. 800). Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. MLA Chicago APA. "Hildegarde of Swabia (c. 757–783) ." Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia . . Encyclopedia.com. 16 Jun. 2021 < https://www.encyclopedia.com > . "Hildegarde of Swabia (c. 757–783) ." Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia . . Retrieved June 16, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hildegarde-swabia-c-757-783. Citation styles. 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