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desperately in Germany, then went down to the south, leaving the field to William
of Holland. In Italy he obtained some military successes, but died in 1255 at
twenty-six. Henry (his brother), the son of Isabella, had died the previous year at
the age of fifteen years. Manfredi, who later became the King of Sicily, was killed in
1266 in the battle of Benevento; he was replaced by Charles of Anjou. Charles was
the youngest son of Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile, and hence younger
brother of Louis IX of France and Alfonso II of Toulouse. He conquered the
Kingdom of Sicily from the Hohenstaufen and acquired lands in the eastern
Mediterranean. However, the War of the Sicilian Vespers forced him to abandon
his plans to reassemble the Latin Empire.
MANFRED HOHENSTAUFEN, KING OF SICILY
Manfredi (Manfred 1232 – 26 February 1266) was the King
of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the
emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother,
Bianca Lancia (or Lanza), is reported by Matthew of Paris
to have been married to the emperor while on her
deathbed.
(Coat of arms of Manfred of Hohenstaufen)
Manfred was born in Venosa. Frederick II appears to have
regarded him as legitimate, and by his will named him as
Prince of Taranto and appointed him as the representative in Italy of his halfbrother,
the German king, Conrad IV. Manfred, who initially bore his mother's
surname, studied in Paris and Bologna and shared with his father a love of poetry
and science.
At Frederick's death, Manfred, although only about 18 years old, acted loyally and
with vigor in the execution of his trust. The reign was in turmoil, mainly due to
riots spurred by Pope Innocent IV. Manfred was able to subdue numerous rebel
cities, with the exception of Naples. When his legitimate brother Conrad IV
appeared in southern Italy in 1252, disembarking at Siponto, his authority was
quickly and generally acknowledged. Naples fell in October 1253 into the hands of
Conrad. The latter, in the meantime, had grown distrustful of Manfred, stripping
him of all his fiefs and reducing his authority to the principality of Taranto.
In May 1254 Conrad died of malaria. Manfred, after refusing to surrender Sicily to
Innocent IV, accepted the regency on behalf of Conradin, the infant son of Conrad.
The pope however, having been named tutor of Conradin, excommunicated
Manfred in July 1254. The regent decided to open negotiations with Innocent. By a
treaty made in September 1254, Apulia passed under the authority of the pope, who
was personally conducted by Manfred into his new possession. But Manfred’s
The Hohenstaufen Dynasty - Page 78 of 200