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Universal power
In the Middle Ages, the term
universal powers referred to the Holy
Roman Emperor and the Pope. Both
were struggling for the so-called
Dominium mundi, or world
dominium, in terms of political and
spiritual supremacy. The emperor
and the pope maintained their
respective authorities through diverse
factors such as territorial dispersion,
low level of technic and productive
development in feudal mode of
production, and social and political
tendency of feudalism to
decentralization of power. The
universal powers continued into the
early 19th century until the Napoleonic Wars. The reshaping of Europe meant the
effective end of the Empire. Although the Papacy had its territorial limits confined
to the Vatican and lost influence in international relations, it retained its spiritual
influence in the contemporary world. (Picture: The pope Pius II and the emperor Frederick
III).
The Weakening of the Empire
1. The Papacy and the German Emperors — The Papacy and the German emperors
continued to struggle for control of Italy, which was symbolically significant and
offered a rich source of income. Barbarossa’s son married Constance, an heiress of
Sicily, but died before he could use his position in southern Italy to expand his
power. During his son Frederick II’s childhood, the German princes and the papacy
attempted to control the imperial office. Pope Innocent III crowned Otto of
Brunswick emperor in exchange for his promise not to invade Italy, a promise that
was soon broken. When Otto invaded Sicily in 1211, the pope excommunicated him.
In 1212, Innocent gave the crown to Frederick II (r. 1212–1250). Frederick was heir
to Sicilian and German culture. Innocent’s papacy was expansionistic and
determined to strengthen its claim to the Italian papal states and resist any
German expansion into Italy.
2. The Rule of Frederick II — Frederick sought to control Italy with a three-pronged
approach that involved strengthening his hold over Sicily, making concessions to
the German princes, and expanding his control of Italy by entering through
The Hohenstaufen Dynasty - Page 71 of 200