Frederick II

Frederick II (1194-1250) - King of Sicily, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Jerusalem, expert ornithologist, Wonder of the World, has long been considered the first Renaissance ruler. A visionary autocrat who embraced the religious divisions within his empire to challenge the armies and oppressive limitations of the medieval church, he has also been denounced as the Antichrist, a heretic and a heathen, who died condemned by the papacy to eternal damnation. "From the Trade Paperback edition.