1149-1152
In his lst few years the ill and exhausted king Conrad III relies more and more on his nephew, Frederick, the duke of Swabia called Barbarossa becasue of his ginger beard.
Barbarossa forms the cornerstone linking the warring houses of Welf and Waiblingen. His military capabilities and diplomatic skills propell the barely 30 year olf to the top of domestic and international politics.
When Conrad III died suddenly, he sees his chance. Pushing aside his cousin, the 8-year-old son of Conrad III, he gains support from both the old family supporters of the Hohestaufen family as well as from its archenemies, Henry the Lion and Welf VI. With their support he gets elected and crowned in a record 24 days.
But that is where the hard work starts. Conrad had left a realm in anarchy. Can Barbarossa calm it down?
The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.
As always:
Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: www.historyofthegermans.com
Facebook: @HOTGPod
Twitter: @germanshistory
Instagram: history_of_the_germans
Reddit: u/historyofthegermans
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Historyofthegermans
