he was witty. He was at home in Arabian philosophy, and had friendly relations with
Mohammedans, which scandalized pious Christians. He was a Hohenstaufen, and in Germany
could count as a German. But in culture and sentiment he was Italian, with a tincture of Byzantine
and Arab. His contemporaries gazed upon him with astonishment gradually turning into horror;
they called him "wonder of the world and marvellous innovator." While still alive, he was the
subject of myths. He was said to be the author of a book De Tribus Impostoribus--the three
impostors were Moses, Christ, and Mahomet. This book, which never existed, was attributed,
successively, to many enemies of the Church, the last of whom was Spinoza.
The words "Guelf" and "Ghibelline" began to be used at the time of Frederick's contest with the
Emperor Otto. They are corruptions of "Welf" and "Waiblingen," the family names of the two
contestants. ( Otto's nephew was an ancestor of the British royal family.)
Innocent III died in 1216; Otto, whom Frederick had defeated, died in 1218. The new Pope,
Honorius III, was at first on good terms with Frederick, but difficulties soon arose. First, Frederick
refused to go on Crusade; then he had trouble with the Lombard cities, which in 1226 contracted
an offensive and defensive alliance for twentyfive years. They hated the Germans; one of their
poets wrote fiery verses against them: "Love not the folk of Germany; far, far from you be these
mad dogs." This seems to have expressed the general feeling in Lombardy. Frederick wanted to
remain in Italy to deal with the cities, but in 1227 Honorius died, and was succeeded by Gregory
IX, a fiery ascetic who loved Saint Francis and was beloved by him. (He canonized Saint Francis
two years after his death.) Gregory thought nothing else so important as the Crusade, and
excommunicated Frederick for not undertaking it. Frederick, who had married the daughter and
heiress of the King of Jerusalem, was willing enough to go when he could, and called himself
King of Jerusalem. In 1228, while still excommunicate, he went; this made Gregory even more
angry than his previously not going, for how could the crusading host be led by a man whom the
Pope had banned? Arrived in Palestine, Frederick made friends with the Mohammedans,
explained to them that the Christians attached importance to Jerusalem although it was of little
strategic value, and succeeded in inducing them peaceably to restore the city to him. This made
the Pope