Holy Roman Empire, 1220–1250 CE
Autocracy · Empire · Central Europe · Mongol Century era
The Hohenstaufen empire under Frederick II, a cosmopolitan monarchy centralizing in Sicily while clashing with the papacy and conceding autonomy to the German princes.
Frederick II united the German kingship and the imperial title with his hereditary kingdom of Sicily, where he built a centralized, bureaucratic and cosmopolitan administration. In Germany he purchased princely support with sweeping privileges that entrenched territorial autonomy, while in Italy he fought the papacy and the Lombard communes. His death in 1250 was followed by the collapse of Hohenstaufen power and the imperial interregnum.
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Dominant patterns
- Imperial Decline
- Succession Crisis
- External Expansion
- Institutional Decay
- Militarization
Political-science factor profile
Each factor 0–100; higher = stronger authoritarian / crisis pole (except institutional stability, where higher = stronger institutions).
| Centralization of Power | 42 |
| Media Control | 45 |
| Repression | 45 |
| Nationalism | 40 |
| Militarization | 60 |
| Economic Stress | 45 |
| External Conflict | 70 |
| Cult of Personality | 58 |
| Elite Fragmentation | 78 |
| Institutions | 42 |
| Social Polarization | 50 |
| Corruption & Patrimonialism | 50 |
| Ideological Mobilization | 55 |
| External Sovereignty | 88 |
Economy & society
| GDP per capita | $900 (intl-$) |
| Population | 12.0M people |
| Share of world population | 3.5% |
| Territory | ~1.0M km² |
Closest historical twins
The country-eras whose structural profile most resembles Holy Roman Empire 1220–1250 CE, by similarity score (0–100).
- Holy Roman Empire, 983–1024 CE – similarity 94/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Succession Crisis, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Militarization
- Ottoman Empire, 1730–1774 CE – similarity 94/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Succession Crisis, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Militarization
- Ayyubid Sultanate, 1171–1250 CE – similarity 93/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Succession Crisis, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Militarization
- Ottoman Empire, 1789–1808 – similarity 93/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Succession Crisis, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Militarization
- Parthian Empire, 100 BCE–1 CE – similarity 92/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Succession Crisis, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Militarization
- Maratha Confederacy, 1720–1761 CE – similarity 90/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Succession Crisis, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Militarization
- Qajar Persia, 1789–1834 – similarity 89/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Succession Crisis, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Militarization
- Xiongnu, 120–60 BCE – similarity 87/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Succession Crisis, External Expansion, Institutional Decay, Militarization
What followed
- Papal–imperial struggle over Italy and the church.
- The interregnum and fragmentation after 1250.