Frederick Barbarossa Essays - Hohenstaufen Dynasty,

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa, like other men of his age, was influenced by a growing resurgence of neoclassical sensibilities. It should not therefore be considered surprising that he would have considered himself ruling as Frederick, by the grace of God emperor of the Romans and august forever...(A letter to Otto of Freisling) He like other leaders before and since saw and welcomed the prestige and sense of legitimacy offered by the title of Roman Emperor. To achieve this, kings since the time of Charlamegne had often traveled to Rome in order to be crowned Emperor. The pope as heir to the Church of Constantine provided the symbolic link between the Roman past and the present Empire. It was in this light that in 1154 Frederick entered Italy, to be crowned in Rome and assert his domination over Northern Italy as such. His subsequent involvement in Italy was to bring him and his family line into conflicts, which would have severe effects on the future of the Hohenstaufen line and the German M onarchy. As a result, at a time when other dominant royal families were laying the cornerstones of powerful national monarchies, Hohenstaufen power and the Holy Empire crumbled. Frederick Barbarossa's mother, Judith, was a Guelph , Frederick acted as a mediator between his Hohenstaufen uncle Conrad, and his Guelph cousin, Henry the Lion. Prior to his death Conrad III named Frederick as his successor, hoping that Frederick's reign would end the discord between the rival houses of Hohenstaufen and Guelphs. In 1152, Frederick pacified Germany by proclaiming a general land peace to end the anarchy, and in 1156 he satisfied Henry the Lion by restoring the duchy of Bavaria to him, at the same time making Austria into a new duchy as a counterweight to Henry's power. In Italy, Frederick's policy was to restore the imperial power, which had virtually disappeared as a result of neglect by previous emperors. It was thus necessary for him to reconcile with the pope. In a Treaty in 1153 with Pope Eugene III, Frederick promised to assist him against Arnold of Brescia and against the powerful Normans in Sicily. Frederick entered Italy in 1154 and was crowned in Rome on June 18, 1155. The reluctance of his troops to remain in Italy forced him to return to Germany without assisting the new pope, Adrian IV, against King William I of Sicily. Adrian, allied himself with William in 1156, turned against Frederick. At the Diet of Besan?on in 1157 the papal legate presented a letter that Frederick interpreted as a claim by the pope that the empire was a papal fief. Frederick replied that he held the throne through the election of the princes from God alone and prepared to invade Italy, where Milan had begun the conquest of Lombardy. Adrian explained that he had not intended that interpretation of his words, but Frederick entered Italy, seized Milan, and at the Diet of Roncaglia in 1158 laid claim, as emperor and king of the Lombard's, to all imperial rights, inc luding the appointment of an imperial governor, in every town. The heavy handedness of his German officials led to the revolt of Milan, Brescia, Crema, and their allies, in 1159. The revolt was secretly encouraged by Adrian IV. After a long siege, Frederick stormed and burned Milan in 1162. He also set up an antipope to Adrian's successor, Alexander III, who excommunicated him. Frederick withdrew temporarily, but returned in 1166, captured Rome, and was preparing to attack the pope's Sicilian allies when his army was hit by an epidemic and he was forced to withdraw. In 1167 the Italian communes united against Frederick in the form of the Lombard League, and Frederick retreated with difficulty to Germany, where he turned to increasing his territorial power and pacifying the constantly feuding German princes. In 1174 he returned to Italy. He was decisively defeated at Legnano by the Lombard League in 1176, partly because of lack of support from the German princes, perhaps most notably Henry the Lion. After his defeat Frederick submitted to the pope; he agreed to recognize Alexander III as pope and was afterwards restored to communion. He made peace with the Lombard towns, which was later confirmed by the Peace of Constance

10+1 Reasons Why Students HATE College

10+1 Reasons Why Students HATE College This article’s going to bluntly set the record straight and explain why modern students increasingly hate college. Is it just the unwillingness to wake up in the morning and go to classes? Boring lectures? Poor grades? Teacher-student relations? We believe there is much more about the college hating issue and we are going to dig deeper. It’s not going to be pretty so be forewarned. Read at your own risk and enjoy! Reason #1: Students Feel Forced Into It Many youngsters see no other good options, it’s â€Å"student debt or bust.† The workforce seems in rapid systemic decay and the military isn’t their cup of tea. For whatever reason, these folks don’t believe they’re ready to be entrepreneurs. So, while they go through the motions and get decent grades perhaps, their heart really isn’t in it because they feel backed into a corner where college is the only escape. Reason #2: College is Earning a Bad Rap In the Western World â€Å"college† is definitely on the decline. 60% of college graduates are living at home with parents or working minimum wage jobs that don’t technically even require a high school diploma. The central banks high-jacked college educated and turned it into a debt-disbursement mechanism that few students seem to be benefiting from and the overall morale is suffering. Reason #3: The Costs are Getting Ridiculous It’s insane. In America over the last 30 years the price of a general college degree has risen by over 1000%! Interest rates have also gone up, along with the amount of student loans (over a trillion in the student loan bubble so far) bogging down the system. The whole mess wanes on the minds of students†¦ Reason #4: Social Anxiety Awkwardness Some college cultures are awesome beyond words, while others are hell holes for those that aren’t socially proficient or who havent yet matured enough to get along with the general college-going crowd. Reason #5: High School Days are OVER! In high school they were kick ass. In high school they were popular. In high school they rolled with the cool kids. In high school they were someone. Then they arrive on a four year college campus as a freshmen and find out that a) all that’s gone and b) they aren’t nearly as talented as they thought. This happens often in music departments, among thespians, sports, the arts, etc. Reason #6: Most Course Knowledge is Online Now Seriously, the system’s charging outrageous rates for knowledge that can be found via a quick Google search for free. How about all the free and inexpensive e-courses showing up online? How about the increasing library of free and inexpensive e-books containing the same knowledge directly from experts in their fields? The list goes on and on†¦yet still many are compelled by the â€Å"piece of paper† the established route awards (diploma). Reason #7: The Food’s Crummy With the amount of cash flowing into the bank coffers you’d think colleges could afford to feed students nothing but the best. They should be shelling out 5-Star delicacies for these prices! But, alas, dorm food is usually crummy and anything bought on-campus tastes like cheap buffet grubs. Reason #8: Indecisiveness Students get to college and have no idea what to do, what to major or minor in, or why they’re on campus at all. This indecisiveness can be crippling, daunting, and overwhelming to say the least. It causes both social and scholastic paralysis and this does not make their experience all that pleasant. Reason #9: Low Grades and Gargantuan Classes These two things go together because they feed on one another. Low grades obviously suck, but oftentimes the reason behind poor performance has to do with a lack of proper engagement with experts within the major. Being just another face in a crowd, or one in 50-100 students in a classroom, isn’t inspiring. Reason #10: Dashed Expectations Throughout middle school and high school they built up this fantasy of what college would be like, or should be like. Within a couple months of their freshmen year all these expectations are promptly laid to waste. Maybe they aren’t being invited to the mega parties. Maybe they didn’t make the team. Maybe the major they chose turned out to be a bummer in terms of course work. You get the idea. Extra Reason: The Future of College is Uncertain So there’s all of that stuff†¦ coupled with the rise of automation, AI, the digital workforce (no college necessary), and culture-wide disillusionment with â€Å"higher† education. Where will the traditional college institution be in another 4 or 5 years? It’s hard to say. Many will have closed their doors, while others will have transitioned into something else altogether. Speaking of which, when you picture the colleges of the future, what do you see? Do they even exist or has the internet and mobile devices completely taken over? Do you hate college too? Or is there a bright side?