Barbarossa; An Historical Novel of the XII Century

Milan's power over its neighbors provides the opening setting for Conrad von Bolanden's novel of twelfth-century Italy. The struggle between Emperor Frederic Barbarossa and Pope Alexander III gives its political conflicts a religious dimension. In a later scene, Milan's consuls present the city's keys before the emperor while crowds seek mercy. Knights, foreign ambassadors and soldiers surround a ruler whose ambitions reach across Christendom.

The preface describes the love story of Erwin and Hermengarde as a thread connecting the larger events. It also argues strongly for the Church's independence from civil authority, making the edition's viewpoint explicit. Readers can approach the novel through that declared position and through its elaborate scenes of public ceremony. The contrast between imperial splendor and the distress of Milan's citizens offers a concrete example of how this historical fiction presents power, loyalty and appeals for justice.