Frederick the Fair facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Frederick the Fair |
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Frederick's effigy on his seal
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| King of the Romans King of Germany with Louis IV |
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| Reign | 19 October 1314 – 13 January 1330 |
| Coronation | 25 November 1314 (Bonn) |
| Predecessor | Henry VII |
| Successor | Louis IV |
| Duke of Austria and Styria until 1326 with Leopold I |
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| Reign | 1 May 1308 – 13 January 1330 |
| Predecessor | Albert I |
| Successor | Albert II Otto the Merry |
| Born | 1289 Vienna, archduchy of Austria |
| Died | 13 January 1330 (aged 40) Gutenstein, Austria |
| Burial | Ducal Crypt (Vienna) |
| Spouse | Isabella of Aragon |
| Issue | Anna, Duchess of Bavaria |
| House | House of Habsburg |
| Father | Albert I of Germany |
| Mother | Elizabeth of Carinthia |
Frederick the Fair (German: Friedrich der Schöne), also known as Frederick the Handsome, was born around 1289 and died on January 13, 1330. He belonged to the House of Habsburg. Frederick was the Duke of Austria and Styria starting in 1308. He also became a rival king of Germany from 1314 to 1325. Later, he ruled alongside another king until his death.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Frederick was born in Vienna, a city in Austria. He was the second son of King Albert I of Germany and his wife, Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol. This made him the grandson of Rudolph I of Germany, who was the first Habsburg king of Germany.
Becoming Duke of Austria
In 1298, when Frederick was still young, his father gave him and his older brother, Rudolph III, control of the duchies of Austria and Styria. After Rudolph III died in 1307 and his father was killed in 1308, Frederick became the main ruler of these lands. He ruled for himself and his younger brothers.
However, the title of King of Germany, which his father and grandfather held, went to Henry VII of Luxembourg. Henry was chosen by most of the important electors. Frederick had to give up his claim to the German crown. In return, King Henry officially confirmed that Frederick could keep his lands in Austria and Styria.
Frederick was originally good friends with his cousin, Louis IV of Bavaria. They had both grown up at the Austrian court in Vienna. But they later had a disagreement. In 1313, some local nobles asked Frederick to become the guardian for the young sons of Louis's cousin, Duke Stephen I of Lower Bavaria. Frederick saw this as a chance to gain more power. He invaded Bavaria, but Louis defeated him at the Battle of Gammelsdorf on November 9, 1313. After this, Frederick had to give up the guardianship.
Two Kings for Germany
In 1312, Henry VII had been crowned emperor. But he died the next year. His son, King John of Bohemia, seemed too powerful to the electors. So, Frederick became a candidate for the crown again. King John decided not to run and instead supported Louis IV of Bavaria.
On October 19, 1314, in Frankfurt, Frederick received four votes out of seven. However, two of these votes were disputed. The next day, a second election was held. This time, Louis IV was elected with five votes. This meant there were two kings elected at the same time!
Louis was quickly crowned in Aachen Cathedral. Frederick, however, had to go to Bonn Minster for his coronation on November 25, 1314. Both tried to get support from the different states in the empire. Frederick faced problems because he was crowned in the "wrong" place. He also struggled with the rebellious Swiss Confederacy in the Habsburg lands. He suffered a big loss at the 1315 Battle of Morgarten.
Despite this, Frederick managed to stand his ground against Louis for several years. His younger brother, Leopold I, strongly supported him. It looked like Frederick might win the war. But then, Frederick's army was completely defeated at the Battle of Mühldorf on September 28, 1322. Frederick and many nobles were captured.
Making Peace
Louis held Frederick as a prisoner for three years. But Frederick's brother Leopold kept fighting, and King John of Bohemia left his alliance with Louis. Also, Pope John XXII put a ban on Louis. These things made Louis decide to release Frederick. This happened under the Treaty of Trausnitz on March 13, 1325.
In this agreement, Frederick finally accepted Louis as the rightful ruler. Frederick promised to return to prison if he couldn't convince his younger brothers to accept Louis. Frederick couldn't convince Leopold, so he returned to Munich as a prisoner. This was a very honorable thing to do, even though the Pope had said he didn't have to keep his promise.
Louis was very impressed by Frederick's noble act. They became friends again and agreed to rule the Holy Roman Empire together. However, the Pope and the electors didn't like this idea. So, they signed another treaty on January 7, 1326. This treaty said that Frederick would govern Germany as king, while Louis would be crowned emperor.
After Leopold died in 1326, Frederick stopped ruling Germany. He went back to ruling only Austria and Styria. He died on January 13, 1330, at Gutenstein Castle. He was buried at Mauerbach Charterhouse, a place he had founded. Later, his remains were moved to the Ducal Crypt in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.
Frederick's honorable return to prison inspired famous writers. Friedrich Schiller wrote a poem called Deutsche Treue ("German Loyalty"). Uhland wrote a play called Ludwig der Bayer ("Louis the Bavarian").
Marriage and Children
On May 11, 1315, Frederick married Isabella of Aragon. She was the daughter of King James II of Aragon. Isabella was a determined woman and brought a very large dowry (money or property given by the bride's family). They had one son, who was born in 1316 but sadly died in 1322.
They also had two daughters:
- Elizabeth was born in 1317 and died in 1336.
- Anna was born in 1318. She married Duke Henry XV of Bavaria in 1328. They did not have any children, and Henry died in 1333. Anna's second husband was Count John Henry IV of Gorizia. This marriage also had no children, and John died in 1338. Anna died in 1343.
Frederick was succeeded in Austria and Styria by his younger brothers, Albert II and Otto. It took the Habsburg family more than a hundred years to get the royal crown back. This happened when Albert II's great-grandson, Albert V of Austria, became the German king in 1438.
Images for kids
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Frederick's effigy on his seal
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Frederick III the Fair
