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Why did Frederick I seek an imperial coronation in Rome?

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Medieval manuscript miniature showing Frederick I as a crowned crusader holding an orb and scepter, with Henry of Schaftlarn kneeling and presenting a book to him. — Frederick I Frederick I as a Crusader with (right) Henry of Schäftlarn dedicating to him a copy of the *History of the First Crusade* by Robert of St. Remy; miniature from a manuscript in the Vatican Library.

Frederick I, also known as Barbarossa, sought an imperial coronation in Rome primarily to secure his status as emperor and to assert the legitimacy and traditional rights of the Holy Roman Empire.1

His journey to Rome in 1154 was driven by the need to formalize his imperial title, which required the sanction of a papal coronation. By obtaining this crown from Pope Adrian IV in 1155, Frederick aimed to uphold the honor papatus (the honor of the papacy) while simultaneously securing the recognition of his own imperial authority.12

Beyond the symbolic importance of the coronation, Frederick’s Italian policy was motivated by a desire to restore imperial rights and establish a systematic administration in Italy. He viewed the coronation as a necessary step in his broader effort to reassert the empire's influence and control over Italian territories, which he believed were essential to the empire's strength and independence from church authority.341