Open and Closed. Sicilian Society Before and During the Reign of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen

Abstract

Amy Chua's Day of Empire. How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance - and Why They Fall argues that open, tolerant empires are becoming more powerful and closed; intolerant empires are losing influence. Her book can serve as a model for exploring a variety of imperial aspirations throughout history, both on a global and local scale. With this model, developments in Sicily in the 12th and 13th centuries can be cast in the form of a narrative of ascent and descent. It shows two different sociological orders: Roger II of Altavilla (1095-1154) created a fairly open society, while his grandson Frederick II of Hohenstaufen (1196-1250) turned it into a rather closed society. Especially with Frederick this contrasts with his image as a tolerant ruler. In this article I show that he is less openminded than is often thought. Frederick created a regime in southern Italy that was more authoritarian and intolerant than that of his Sicilian predecessor. The cause is his desire to restore the Roman Empire. From Ranke in the nineteenth century to Rader, born in 1961, Frederick was primarily seen as a Sicilian monarch who strove for 'Weltherrschaft'. One of the main representatives of this idea is Ernst Kantorowicz, but his thoughts are not without controversy. Theo Kölzer states that "there is no Staufen ambition for world domination". This idea is confirmed by David Abulafia who sees Frederick as an ordinary emperor. In my opinion, both Kantorowicz and Abulafia are right: the former in attributing great plans to Frederick, the latter in noting that nothing much came of it.