Frederick Barbarossa (1122 - June 10, 1190) was the Roman-German Emperor and King of Germany, playing a significant role in German history. He is closely associated with the Crusades. Sent by his uncle, the German King Conrad III, as the Duke of Swabia for the Second Crusade, Barbarossa ascended the throne on March 4, 1152, following Conrad's death, becoming the Holy Roman German King. Upon becoming king, he aimed to participate in the next Crusade, intending to seize the wealth of Muslims and bring bloodshed to Anatolia and the Middle East.
However, after ascending to power, Barbarossa clashed with Pope Eugene III. Upon Eugene's death, his successor, Adrian IV, crowned Barbarossa as king in 1155. Barbarossa's expedition to Italy, in response to conflicts in Sicily and the weakening of the Papacy's influence by King William of Sicily, led to the annexation of Italy to his territories. In 1159, when Pope Alexander III was elected, Barbarossa refused to recognize him and instead supported Pope Victor. Figures like King William of Sicily and Byzantine Emperor Manuel sided with Alexander. Subsequently, Alexander declared Victor excommunicated in 1160.
As French and Byzantine kings prepared to acknowledge Alexander, in 1162, Barbarossa razed and sacked Milan. In 1164, Victor, supported by Barbarossa, passed away. In 1166, when King William of Sicily also died, Barbarossa launched his fourth Italian expedition, seeking to decisively defeat those supporting Pope Alexander. However, the army was plagued by severe malaria, resulting in a complete failure of the Italian campaign. Despite embarking on a fifth Italian expedition with a weary army, Barbarossa couldn't achieve the desired outcome. He ultimately concluded these campaigns by reaching an agreement with Pope Alexander.
In 1157 and 1172, Barbarossa conducted campaigns in Poland, successfully incorporating the country into his realm. By 1188, Barbarossa had pledged to join the Crusade to Jerusalem. Due to extensive propaganda, the Crusader army gathered but became divided. Barbarossa's German Crusaders were to travel from the Balkans through Anatolia to reach Jerusalem, while Richard the Lionheart's English Crusaders would sail to Acre and then attack Jerusalem.
In May 11, 1189, Barbarossa and his army set out from Regensburg, joining forces with the Hungarian army on the way. This Crusader army, well-equipped with the finest weaponry and disciplined, left a bloody trail through Philippopolis and Adrianople in the Balkans.
Despite the Byzantines' reluctance to have the Crusaders in their lands, they couldn't oppose the sheer size of the army. According to some historical accounts, it's claimed that an agreement was reached between Saladin and Byzantine Emperor Isaac II, preventing the Crusaders from advancing on their territory.
In Anatolia, the Turks were present, but both sides preferred to avoid conflict. Barbarossa, aiming primarily for Jerusalem, sought a peaceful passage through Anatolia. Hence, an agreement was reached with Sultan Kilij Arslan II, allowing Barbarossa and his army to pass through Anatolia without incident. However, when the army began its passage, they started attacking nearby villages and towns, prompting Kilij Arslan II and Turkish warriors to track them from a distance, drying up water sources and depriving the Crusader army's horses of pasture. Additionally, Turkmen forces launched surprise attacks, weakening the Crusader army. Eventually, they captured the Seljuk capital, Konya, on May 18, 1190.
Barbarossa's main objective, however, was not Konya or the Turks. He wanted to reach Jerusalem as soon as possible. After spending five days in Konya, he departed with his army. When they reached the vicinity of Silifke on June 10, 1190, Frederick Barbarossa tragically drowned in the Göksu River. While it's certain that his body was found in the Göksu River, there are different claims about the circumstances of his death. The widely accepted belief is that Barbarossa, weighed down by his heavy armor, fell into the river while attempting to cross on horseback and drowned.
After Barbarossa's death, his army was left in disarray and barely managed to return. In terms of German history, Frederick Barbarossa was a highly significant commander, with the Nazis naming their Eastern Front campaign "Operation Barbarossa" in his honor. The Göksu River, where Barbarossa met his end, is commemorated with the Barbarossa Monument in the Silifke region.
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