Book Description: Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Sicily, King of Jerusalem, has, since his death in 1250, enjoyed a reputation as one of the most remarkable monarchs in the history of Europe. His wide cultural tastes, his apparent tolerance of Jews and Muslims, his defiance
of the papacy, and his supposed aim of creating a new, secular world order make him a figure especially attractive to contemporary historians. But as David Abulafia shows in this powerfully written biography, Frederick was much less tolerant and far-sighted in his cultural, religious, and political ambitions than is generally thought. Here, Frederick is revealed as the thorough traditionalist he really was: a man who espoused the same principles of government as his twelfth-century predecessors, an ardent leader of the Crusades, and a king as willing to make a deal with Rome as any other ruler in medieval Europe.

Frederick's realm was vast. Besides ruling the region of Europe that encompasses modern Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, eastern France, and northern Italy, he also inherited the Kingdom of Sicily and parts of the Mediterranean that include what are now Israel, Lebanon, Malta, and Cyprus. In addition, his Teutonic knights conquered the present-day Baltic States, and he even won influence along the coasts of Tunisia. Abulafia is the first to place Frederick in the wider historical context his enormous empire demands. Frederick's reign, Abulafia clearly shows, marked the climax of the
power struggle between the medieval popes and the Holy Roman Emperors, and the book stresses Frederick's steadfast dedication to the task of preserving both dynasty and empire. Through the course of this rich, groundbreaking narrative, Frederick emerges as less of the innovator than he is usually portrayed. Rather than instituting a centralized autocracy, he was content to guarantee the continued existence of the customary style of government in each area he ruled: in Sicily he appeared a mighty despot, but in Germany he placed his trust in regional princes, and never dreamed of usurping their power. Abulafia shows that this pragmatism helped bring about the eventual transformation of medieval Europe into
modern nation-states.

The book also sheds new light on the aims of Frederick in Italy and the Near East, and concentrates as well on the last fifteen years of the Emperor's life, a period until now little understood. In addition, Abulfia has mined the papal registers in the Secret Archive of the Vatican to provide a new interpretation of Frederick's relations with the papacy. And his attention to Frederick's register of documents from 1239-40--a collection hitherto neglected--has yielded new insights into the
cultural life of the German court.

In the end, a fresh and fascinating picture develops of the most enigmatic of German rulers, a man whose accomplishments have been grossly distorted over the centuries.

Frederick the Great: King of Prussia
by David Fraser

From Publishers Weekly
An oval portrait of Frederick the Great hung in Hitler's East Prussian headquarters behind the Russian front, yet the king can hardly be counted the spiritual progenitor of the dictator. An Enlightenment man, Frederick (1712-1786) wrote elegantly (in French; his German was execrable), composed music, corresponded with philosophers, introduced a humane penal code, tolerated all religions but adhered to none and led brilliant military maneuvers. Inheriting, in 1740, a small kingdom with an oversized army from a cruel father, he made Prussia into a major European power. He chose a Spartan lifestyle: his arranged marriage to an absent princess was unconsummated, his attraction to men suppressed. He wanted to be buried at night, without ceremony, at Sans Souci, his castle at Potsdam, to which he returned only once during the Seven Years War. His blunt, witty, oft-quoted maxims are relished by Fraser, British general and author of Rommel's biography and 10 novels. Fraser is second to none in his adulation of Frederick and sometimes employs admiring if dubious anecdotes, telling us, for example, that Frederick's "regiment" of "Giant Grenadiers" allegedly included guardsmen over eight feet tall. Fraser's principal sources are the king's 30,000 letters, published between 1879 and 1939. This often stirring biography would be more gripping with fewer pages. Some readers will be deterred by Fraser's thorough accounts of military activity, others by his reluctance to translate French and German. Overall, this is an admirable and comprehensive work. 16 pages of b&w photos, 18 maps. BOMC and History Book Club selections. (May)Forecast: Fraser's reputation as soldier and author should help sales. Some readers, however, may look to Theodor Schieder's recently translated authoritative biography or to Giles MacDonogh's recent biography. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

An Uncommon Woman : Empress Frederick, Daughter of Queen Victoria, Wife of the
Crown Prince of Prussia by Hannah Pakula

The New York Times Book Review, Olivier Bernier
...An Uncommon Woman is far more interesting than the usual princely product: as the German Empire was forged--by blood and iron, to use Bismarck's phrase--the Crown Princess was in the midst of the action. Still, the question remains: do we really need a biography of a woman who, for all her efforts, never really became a major player? It is Ms. Pakula's great achievement that the answer must be a resounding yes--and not just because this is a well-written and lively book.... a highly readable book that manages to be both a history of the times and a highly personal portrait.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Germany Under the Old Regime, 1600-1790 (The History of Germany)
by John Gagliardo

German Seed in Texas Soil: Immigrant Farmers in Nineteenth-Century Texas
by Terry G. Jordan

Book Description Terry Jordan explores how German immigrants in the nineteenth century influenced and were influenced by the agricultural life in the areas of Texas where they settled. His findings both support the notion of ethnic distinctiveness and reveal the extent to which German Texans adopted the farming techniques of their Southern Anglo neighbors.

German Settlement in Missouri: New Land, Old Ways (Missouri Heritage Readers Series)
by Robyn Burnett, Ken Luebbering