Friedrich II

Stupormundi Frederick Hohenstaufen, the second emperor by that name, was called the “wonder of the world” (stupor mundi) by contemporaries. He was called other things, too, not all of which have Latin equivalents. There are dozens of stories of his exploits. This is one of them. Introduction This is the story of how Frederick was […]

Balian

Trecastra It’s not really the name of a place, it’s the name of a district. It means “three castles”. There’s White Castle, Green Castle, and Red Castle, each built with characteristic stone. Red Castle is actually brick and was once more like a hunting lodge. White Castle is faced with marble and is more of […]