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 crowned emperor at the age of seventeen, after having fought and bluffed his way all the way from Sicily to Aachen. It is at the same time the first emergence of the shadowy character known in his day as Lord Balian, but thanks to the Secret History is also known as Tuck, the creator and commander of the imperial secret service.
Palermo
Frederick was sixteen years old when he decided that if he were going to become emperor, he’d have to do it himself. He gathered about him a few close friends and together they plotted how to escape northward.
At first glance–and even at a second or third–it seems mad. True, Frederick had been declared King of the Romans while he was still an infant, but this counted for little in the hard cold world, and in the meantime it appeared that the Colleges–and especially the College of Roma–were determined to make Frederick their pawn.
Moreover, there was already a fellow calling himself emperor: Otto of Brunswick. Otto was a Welf, son of that ferocious man, Henry the Lion (who, the persistent rumor ran, would actually turn himself into a lion and pursue his enemies to a bloody death). The Welfs had long contested with the Hohenstaufen for position within Germania, and when Frederick’s uncle Philip died, Otto had seized the initiative.
The youth of Apulia (so-named because he’d been born there) therefore had to face not only the presence of a usurper with a strong power base, but also the powerful enmity of at least one Collegium. He himself had virtually no adherents.
But he had his strengths. First of all, there was the name. His father was Henry VI, and his grandfather was Barbarossa. The name Hohenstaufen carried an aura of power and authority, and even at so young an age Frederick understood that he could call upon this. Secondly, he knew that Otto had at least as many enemies as friends, and that if he could only get north these might be won over with hardly more than a word and a nod. This was especially true of the Alpine Dwarves, who hated Otto and refused to call him emperor, referring to him sneeringly as “the Saxon”.
Frederick’s greatest strengths, though, were surprise and his own natural talents. No one expected much of him. They thought him truculent and ill-disciplined and strange. It would be years before he’d have to be reckoned with. Frederick counted on that and nurtured the image. In truth, he was clever, incredibly disciplined, and had charm and good looks. And he intended to use them.
Cefalu
Frederick was already an expert hunter and particularly loved the falcons. So it was not at all unusual when he proposed an expedition in the hills behind Cefalù. He made sure that his most dangerous enemies–the so-called Great Captain (William Capparone), Dipold of Acerra, Walter of Palear, all were safely out of Palermo. He was unable, however, to pry out Lotario of Apulia, which seriously hindered the ability of his friends to gather the supplies they needed in secret.
But the setback was not enough to delay plans. The party went to Cefal` and stayed there at a hunting lodge. The next day, Frederick led them on a series of hard rides deep into the hills, then disappeared.
The others were neither surprised nor concerned, though they were irritated, for Frederick had a reputation for this sort of thing. He was headstrong and independent, and went his own way, daring others to keep up with him. His circle of young friends found this exciting and adventurous, but the older adults regarded it as self-indulgent and foolish. In this case, however, it was neither, but was part of a carefully-calculated plan.
Frederick, as soon as he had lost the last of his companions, made for Cefal`. He announced to the two servants still there that he felt unwell, was taking to his bed, and was not to be disturbed. Whereupon he changed into ragged clothes, slipped out a window, and went to the docks. There he boarded a small fishing boat bound for Lipari Island.
Lipari Island
This is where his friends met him, aboard a small galley. His closest friends were there, including the mysterious Chiron, his secret tutor from the streets of Palermo.
Also on board was the alchemist Ricardo Pedite. Inclined even at his young age to obesity, Ricardo was an intense, insecure fellow who was nevertheless utterly indomitable in his own realm of alchemical mysteries.
A Numidian couple was aboard, Juba and Elissa, barely sixteen but madly in love. Outstanding horsemen, both, they were tough and suprisingly ruthless for ones so young. They had made their way as acrobats on the streets of Palermo; Frederick had given them certain help, ever since when they regarded themselves as his personal bodyguard.
Diego the Calabrese was aboard. Tall, brown-haired, a bit too scholarly to be handsome, but already with a certain presence, he was the poet of the group. He had courtly manners, wide knowledge of history, and a taste for curiosities.
Last but not least was Balian, a youth who if not quite an orphan was certainly without parents. According to him he was the lord of Minorca, but there’s no evidence for this. He was Frederick’s fast friend, ever since they were about ten years old. Balian, or “Tuck” as he was known on the streets, had introduced Frederick (whom he would tease by calling “Fritz”) to the wonders of the low life, and had seen to it that the boy-king came to no serious harm. This, of course, continued to be his role throughout his adventurous life.
Capri
Here, the little party met up with the famous pirate, Henri the Fisherman, Count of Malta, who would later become Lord of Crete. Henri provided a naval escort to Genoa, his home town.
Gaeta
First Magic
Not on Fritz’s boat. He doesn’t command followers of that calibre. Yet. This is done by one of the Fisherman’s men, a genuine Mancer of exceptional abilities. When becalmed near Gaeta, a band of Sahaugin threaten the flotilla. A wind springs up out of nowhere and bears the ships to safety. Fritz and Balian happen to be on the Fisherman’s ship at the time and witness the event.
Balian says he thought Sahaugin were only legends. “Young sir, “the Fisherman replied, “stay at sea long enough and you’ll learn this to be true: on the sea there are no legends, only wonders you’ve not yet seen.”
Ajaccio
A storm scattered the fleet and Fritz had to make landfall here, where he fought some local monsters.
Genoa
The party spent two months in Genoa. Everything was a problem: money, men, supplies, logistics, politics, even women.
Savona
Asti
Turin
Pavia
Lambro River
The Milanese come charging (on their Lombard chargers, naturally) and they are trying to capture Fritz, so they try to cast confusion, maybe darkness. They send in an Eye. But it is detected. The Piavese come to Fritz and urge him to flee.
No, he doesn’t want to flee. He snuck away in Sicilia. He fled off Gaeta. He slunk away from Genoa and avoided Milan. This time he’ll fight.
No, no, the Piavese say. We are to deliver you to the Cremonese. If you fall or are captured, it will disgrace our city, our families and our honor. You must leave at once. Horses are ready and the forces of Cremona stand ready at the ford. Escape. Live. And our families will honor us before all the city.
This appeal to honor cuts straight to Fritz’s heart. He salutes the captain and assures them they will not be forgotten, and indeed Friedrich always gave favor to Pavia.
They rushed out of their tents without even dressing. Pavian guides took them in two parties. Arrows were already threading the air. Some could be seen to trace strange twisting arcs: seeker-arrows. Fritz had to bend low over the horse, a speedy piebald that never once stumbled in the crossing. It was so swift and sure-footed, it got Fritz across the river first, which mortified him as he felt as if he’d fled first.
The men of Cremona held the shore, but they were smart. They stood in shadows and stayed silent, so that it was long before the Milanese realized the young king was gone. Moreover, the Pavians fought like bears.
Cremona
Friedrich was spirited away at once to Cremona, still riding Surefoot. He did not see his companions until they, too, arrived within the city walls, in small groups. He waited by the gates, refusing to sleep or dine until they were all returned.
He was determined to keep moving. The Cremonese had promised five hundred men. Keep them, Friedrich said, until you know the city is safe. Help the Pavians, if you can. I shall go to Verona and gather there such troops as I can.
Even so, when he left the next dawn, he had three hundred soldiers–250 from Cremona and 50 from Pavia who had escaped the carnage at the river. These were the first regular soldiers Friedrich ever commanded.
Mantua
Verona
Trent
Some sort of Dwarven magic here, which is a magic quite different from Human magic. The line between craft and magic is blurry among the Dwarves.
Dwarf is the oldest magic. Earth magic, mainly, with some good fire magic as well. Very arcane stuff. Runic, with a kind of Qabbalistic attention to letters and numbers and encoding.
Dwarves are, of course, the great specialists in making enchanted weapons, so maybe they make one for Fritz.
We see Dwarf magic in their extraordinary bridges and other engineering feats.
Blocked at the Brenner
Frederick had no inkling of the trouble he was about to encounter. The first hint did not come until they were well up into the Brenner Pass, where they encountered a bridge that was gone. At first, they thought it had been washed out, but their Dwarf guide declared that it had been deliberately destroyed.
Soon after, they were approached by Giants, who demanded an exorbitant toll to carry the party across. Frederick’s temper got the better of him and he refused to pay. Heated words were followed by blows, and before anyone realized it, a full-blown battle was under way. The Giants were ill-prepared and got the worst of it. After one of their number was killed, they drew off.
But it was clear there would be no crossing at the Brenner. The Dwarf guide advised them of another route. Frederick employed a ruse and slipped out of camp under cover of darkness.
The Engadine and the Inn River
This is rugged country, even today. These are photos of the Albula Pass.
Dwarvish bridges are, of course, famous the world over. The skill exhibited in some of the Alpine bridges has yet to be surpassed.
Note the perfect symmetry. Note also how Dwarves will, wherever feasible, use native stone in their bridges. They say that such stone naturally adheres to the mountainside.
Friedrich and the Dwarves crossed here in late summer, probably the ideal time for doing so, not so much because of the weather as because the streams are at their lowest.
They travelled at Dwarvish pace, which suited Friedrich just fine, as he was burning with impatience. He had not heard reliable news from the north since Pavia and he fretted constantly that Otto was stealing a march on him. This is amusing to modern ears; no one ever stole a march on Friedrich!
The rest of the party was glum, being tired and discouraged: so close to Germany and still so few! Fritz, however, was positively bouyant. He was finally closing for battle. That he utterly lacked an army appeared to bother him not at all.
“My family has a thousand friends,” he would say, “and each of them has a thousand clients. They will follow the name of Hohenstaufen; soon enough, they will follow the name of Freidrich as well.”
Fritz grew close to the Dwarves on this journey, not least because he kept up with them, did every labor without complaint, and showed courtesy and concern for his followers and for their animals. Most especially did they note that he was unfailingly courteous and behaved properly towards each Dwarf according to his station. Most Humans either paid no attention to all to the subtle gradations of Dwarvish society, or took months or even years to learn them. Fritz picked up on the hierarchy almost at once and, even more important, respected it.
Chur
The first stop of any importance across the Engadine was the Dwarven town of Chur. This was not a big trading point; rather, it was a prime farming region that supplied crops to the underground fortresses and mines. Friedrich’s arrival caused quite a stir and by the time the party had finished dining at the local inn, a considerable crowd had gathered. No Dwarf would dream of interrupting a meal for business, of course.
The moment the last Dwarf had finished, though, a kind of rush ensued–if respectable Dwarvish citizens can be said to rush–and the Tridentine Dwarves were soon engaged in long discussions made longer because they kept having to translate for Fritz. He finally gave up and asked his hosts to converse among themselves; he would await their summary. Whereupon he retired to his room for a good sleep.
Gall
Here Friedrich paused on his mad dash across the Alps, for here at last he encountered friends of the name Hohestaufen. The very first night, the knight Rogerius of Gall recognized Friedrich. The knight had known the lad’s mother and saw the resemblance at once, even though the emperor-to-be was still travelling incognito with the name Oberberg.
As every textbook in the world points out, we have no record of this knight Rogerius. It’s at least possible the little town of Gall might have its own knight, but the whole story has the feel of legend. Even so, the story is quite old and has never been disproved, so I offer it here.
Frederick’s Haven
Past Gall, they began to see signs they were being followed. Within hours they knew: the Giants were back, in even greater numbers. They managed to cut off retreat and were obviously trying to cut off advance as well, so Frederick couldn’t reach Lake Konstanz.
He got through, but it was a very near thing and Fred was unable to get anywhere near a friendly castle. Instead, he took his stand in a small cove in which a small island stood just off-shore. That’s where he took his stand.
The Giants attacked at once, wading into the water. But the lake bottom dropped away steeply just here (which Frederick saw by noting the color of the water), so the Giants were waist deep as they tried to attack. Fred ordered his men to keep the Giants engaged–a dangerous endeavor. His Mancers meanwhile conjured up a storm, which drowned several of the Giants as they couldn’t keep their balance in the heavy waves. When the storm subsided, the Giants saluted Frederick as their equal, and withdrew.
In later years, Frederick built a little castle on the island, and a hunting lodge in the cove, which was renamed Haven and then later Frederickshaven. For several generations, though, the locals called it Giant Cove–a typical peasant joke (for the cove was not at all gigantic).
Constance
Fritz was on one side of the lake. He knew Bruns (Otto) was rapidly approaching (at Überlingen). Konstanz was the first town of any size in Germany and Fritz had to have it. So he got in a boat with Tuck and crossed the lake. The town was ruled by its Mancers and these were loyal to Bruns. Fritz knew this, but went anyway.
He negotiated outside the walls and talked his way in. Then he won the townsfolk over to his side. He even won over the Mancers. With less than three hours to spare, he directed efforts to fortify the one bridge giving access to the city. When Bruns arrived, he found the city closed against him and turned around.
It was a brilliant victory because had Bruns forced the bridge, he would have found no army on the other side. What army Fritz had was still on the other side of the lake.
Local lords flocked around: the Mancer of Richenau and the Mancer of Gall, plus Count Ulrich of Kiburg
After he left Konstanz, the next leg of the journey had something of the flavor of a triumphal march. Local lords flocked to his standard, though they had pitifully few men. The most important of them, Count Ulrich of Kiburg, brought only a dozen, only half of whom were mounted.
Breisach
Basel
Here Fritz was joined by the Mancer of Strasburg, who brought with him five hundred horsemen. He accepted the loyalty of the city but quickly moved out. It was becoming imperative to gain allies, and the Kingdom of the Franks was close to hand.
Vaucouleurs
Met with Prince Louis of France
There was an assassination attempt here. It actually succeeded: Fritz was poisoned and fell ill. But Louis had physicians with him who were able to save Fritz’s life.
Frankfurt (December 5)
Crowned emperor but without the offiical regalia
But not before he was attacked a second time, this time by a Doppelganger. In this one, Juba was captured and a doppelganger was cast from him. This was then sent into Fritz’s chambers. That part of the plan worked perfectly, but Fritz wasn’t there. He’d gone with Balian, who was certain some danger was imminent, and who wanted Fritz to see with his own eyes.
A Doppelganger has limited intelligence. It tried to fulfill its mission, but it was spotted by Isolde [Anno?] at the last minute. Even as it prepared to strike, she shot him dead. Did she know it was not Juba? “It would not have mattered,” was her only reply.
A Doppelganger vanishes when it is killed (pile of dust), so everyone knew at once Juba was in terrible danger. He had to be kept alive to keep the Doppelganger animated, but once the creature was slain or had succeeded, Juba would be killed. There followed a mad race through the castle (he had to be nearby) and a precarious rescue. They actually stabbed him, but he lived. He and Isolde retired not long after. Founded the Doppelganger Inn at Nuremberg.
Mainz
There was an assassination attempt here, conducted by the mad Drow. Fritz didn’t know of it. Tuck made the mistake of letting others know, and one of Fritz’s servants contrived to have Fritz sleep elsewhere while he took his place. In the night, four knifemen entered the room and stabbed him to death.
Aachen
Crowned with the official robes
Final Battle with Otto
Otto had been completely out-politicked, but he believed he had secret weapons that would still win the day. This involved using monsters from the Wild, a thing unprecedented to that time, but also some dark magicks, the exact nature of which is still debated by scholars. Kantorowicz first put forward the idea that the magick on the battlefield that day was Drow. Our sources only speak of forces “unknown to the Three Races.”