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==Background==
In 1196, Henry VI Hohenstaufen secured the election of his infant son as Holy Roman Emperor. However, the German nobles rebelled and Frederick was raised in Sicily. His mother secured for him the Crown of Sicily, a large kingdom which included Sicily and all Southern Italy. Frederick was king in name and it was only when he gained manhood that he really ruled his kingdom. After the defeat of his rival in France, Frederick was crowned as Holy Roman Emperor.<ref>Abulafia, David. Frederick II. <i>A Medieval Emperor </i> (Penguin Press, London, 1988), p. 78</ref>. However, he resided in Sicily and he proved to be a shrewd and capable ruler. He managed to pacify the island and he was a tolerant ruler. He was greatly interested in other cultures and treated the Christian, Jewish and Muslim inhabitants of his kingdom equally. Soon his relationship with the Pope deteriorated as he broke a promise to separate southern Italy from his kingdom in Sicily.
Frederick ruled Germany through a regent and he ruled all his many lands from Palermo, Sicily<ref> Abulafia, p. 113</ref>. He created a modern state in his kingdom and transported rebellious Muslim inhabitants to the mainland. It was expected that as the most powerful monarchs in Christendom that he would go on a crusade and attempt to reclaim the Holy Land for the Christians. When he was unable to go on Crusade he was excommunicated by the Pope. At this time he began a conflict with the Northern Italian City States, that was to last until his death. Still excommunicated the Emperor went on crusade and entered into negotiations with the Fatimid Sultan and he secured a diplomatic coup. He was able to gain Jerusalem and Bethlehem through diplomacy and he later crowned himself King of Jerusalem.<ref> Smith, Thomas W. "Between two kings: Pope Honorius III and the seizure of the Kingdom of Jerusalem by Frederick II in 1225." <i>Journal of Medieval History 41 #1</i> (2015): 41-59</ref>
