I have been looking for a coin of this king for sometime. One popped up at auction today so I bought it. Here is a snippet from Wikipedia. " Frederick II (26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250; Sicilian: Fidiricu, Italian: Federico, German: Friedrich) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusalem from 1225. His mother Constance was Queen of Sicily and his father was Henry VI of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. Frederick's reign saw the Holy Roman Empire reaching its all time territorial peak. Dominions of Frederick II His political and cultural ambitions were enormous as he ruled a vast area beginning with Sicily and stretching through Italy all the way north to Germany. As the Crusades succeeded, he acquired control of Jerusalem and styled himself as its king. However, the Papacy became his enemy as time went by and it eventually prevailed. His dynasty collapsed soon after his death. Historians have searched for superlatives to describe him, as in the case of Donald Detwiler, who wrote: Viewing himself as a direct successor to the Roman emperors of antiquity,[3] he was Emperor of the Romans from his papal coronation in 1220 until his death; he was also a claimant to the title of King of the Romans from 1212 and unopposed holder of that monarchy from 1215. As such, he was King of Germany, of Italy, and of Burgundy. At the age of three, he was crowned King of Sicily as a co-ruler with his mother, Constance of Hauteville, the daughter of Roger II of Sicily. His other royal title was King of Jerusalem by virtue of marriage and his connection with the Sixth Crusade. He was frequently at war with the papacy, hemmed in between Frederick's lands in northern Italy and his Kingdom of Sicily (the Regno) to the south, and thus he was excommunicated four times and often vilified in pro-papal chronicles of the time and since. Pope Gregory IX went so far as to call him an Antichrist. Speaking six languages (Latin, Sicilian, Old Germanic, Langues d'oïl, Greek and Arabic[4]), Frederick was an avid patron of science and the arts. He played a major role in promoting literature through the Sicilian School of poetry. His Sicilian royal court in Palermo, from around 1220 to his death, saw the first use of a literary form of an Italo-Romance language, Sicilian. The poetry that emanated from the school had a significant influence on literature and on what was to become the modern Italian language.[5] He was also the first king who explicitly outlawed trials by ordeal as they were considered irrational.[6] After his death, his line quickly died out and the House of Hohenstaufen came to an end." Please post any medieval coins you may have. GERMANY. Nuremberg. Friedrich II (Holy Roman Emperor, 1220-1250). Pfennig. Obv: Crowned head facing; annulet to left right; all within border of lis. Rev: Figure standing facing, holding lis and banner. Erlanger 21. Condition: Very fine. Weight: 0.9 g. Diameter: 19 mm.
I recently bought a Sicilian denier of his, and have been putting together a write-up. Ho picture at the mint ment, though...
Great coin of the Stupor Mundi @Orfew ! I have wanted one of his for some time. His gold coinage struck in Italy is incredible and individual coins go for 4 or 5 figures.
I forgot to add a coin. Here is a homely Henry III I picked up for under $60. For the price I couldn't resist. Henry III (1216-1272), Penny, 1.43g., Voided Long Cross Coinage, Class 3c, (1248-1250), Nicole - London, Obv - crowned facing bust of Henry, i.m. star, HENRICVS REX III, Rev - voided long cross with trefoil of pellets in each angle, NICOLE ON LVND, N.988; S.1364
Nice coin. I missed out on one of these at the latest Spink sale. Lucky for me they have another auction very soon.
That's a cool medieval coin @Orfew ! I have this contemporary coin minted not far away. Also sas the same crazy style and a totally wrecked reverse. Holy Roman Empire, Archbishopric of Salzburg, Eberhard II, 1200-1246 AD
