Summary
The Hohenstaufen dynasty was one of the great ruling houses of the high medieval Holy Roman Empire, especially associated with emperors such as Frederick I Barbarossa and Frederick II.
Historical role
It matters because Hohenstaufen rule linked Germany, imperial ideology, Italian politics, and papal-imperial conflict. The dynasty occupies a central place in the history of medieval empire in Europe.
Connections
Useful for linking imperial ambition, medieval Germany, Italy and the empire, and the political imagination of universal monarchy.