Kingdom of Sicily Manfred 1258 - 1266 Monogram Cross

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Kingdom of Sicily Manfred 1258 - 1266 Monogram Cross Slall Billon Coin 16 mm , 0.7 grams of Manfred King of Sicily . Obverse . Monogram . Reverse ; Cross. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. . Manfred (c. 1232 — February 26, 1266), King of Sicily from 1258, was an illegitimate son of the emperor Frederick II by Bianca Lancia, or Lanzia, who is reported on somewhat slender evidence to have been married to the emperor just before his death. Frederick himself appears to have regarded Manfred as legitimate, and by his will named him as prince of Tarentum and appointed him as the representative in Italy of his half-brother, the German king, Conrad IV. Although only about eighteen years of age Manfred acted loyally and with vigour in the execution of his trust, and when Conrad appeared in southern Italy in 1252 his authority was quickly and generally acknowledged. When in May 1254 Conrad died, Manfred, after refusing to surrender Sicily to Pope Innocent IV, accepted the regency on behalf of Conradin, the infant son of Conrad. But the strength of the papal party in the Sicilian kingdom rendered the position of the regent so precarious that he decided to open negotiations with Innocent. By a treaty made in September 1254, Apulia passed under the authority of the pope, who was personally conducted by Manfred into his new possession. But Manfreds suspicions being aroused by the demeanour of the papal retinue, he fled to the Saracens at Lucera. Aided by Saracen allies, he defeated the papal troops at Foggia on December 2, 1254, and soon established his authority over Sicily and the Sicilian possessions on the mainland. Taking advantage in 1258 of a rumour that Conradin was dead, Manfred was crowned king of Sicily at Palermo on August 10 of that year. The falsehood of this report was soon manifest; but the new king, supported by the popular voice, declined to abdicate, and pointed out to Conradins envoys the necessity for a strong native ruler. But the pope, to whom the Saracen alliance was a serious offence, declared Manfreds coronation void and pronounced sentence of excommunication. Undeterred by this sentence Manfred sought to obtain power in central and northern Italy, and in conjunction with the Sieneses Ghibellines, his forces defeated the Florentine Guelphs at the battle of Montaperti on September 4, 1260. He was then recognized as protector of Tuscany by the citizens of Florence, who did homage to his representative, and he was chosen senator of the Romans by a faction in the city. Terrified by these proceedings, Pope Urban IV implored aid from France, and persuaded Charles the Count of Anjou, a brother of King Louis IX, to accept the investiture of the kingdom of Sicily at his hands. Hearing of the approach of Charles, Manfred issued a manifesto to the Romans, in which he not only defended his rule over Italy but even claimed the imperial crown. The rival armies met at the Battle of Benevento on February 26, 1266, and Manfred army was defeated. The king himself, refusing to fly, rushed into the midst of his enemies and was killed. Over his body, which was buried on the battlefield, a huge heap of stones was placed, but afterwards with the consent of the pope the remains were unearthed, cast out of the papal territory, and interred on the bank of the Garigliano River, outside of the boundaries of Naples and the Papal States. Authenticity: Authenticity is unconditionally guaranteed. Payment: PayPal Sales Taxes: State Tax 7% for all orders shipped within the State of Florida . Domestic shipping: We ship USPS only, $4.50 insured shipping with delivery conformation within the United States . Add $1.50 per each additional coin . International sipping (INCLUDING CANADA ): We ship USPS only, $8.00 First Class International , $16.90 Priority Mail International ( Required ... read more

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