Question 1

True or false: Legend says Barbarossa sleeps in a mountain cave and will return when Germany needs him.

Accepted Answer

True. The Kyffhäuser legend claims he sleeps in a cave with his knights, his beard growing around a stone table, awaiting resurrection.

Question 2

True or false: Barbarossa led a successful invasion of England and forced King Henry II to pay tribute.

Accepted Answer

False. Barbarossa never invaded England; he was occupied with Italian campaigns and the Crusade. This myth may confuse him with later emperors.

Question 3

True or false: Barbarossa was elected Holy Roman Emperor after his father's sudden abdication.

Accepted Answer

False. He was elected king in 1152 after his uncle Conrad III died; his father never ruled as emperor.

Question 4

True or false: Barbarossa was excommunicated by the Pope for refusing to kiss his feet.

Accepted Answer

False. He was excommunicated multiple times for conflicts with the papacy, but not specifically for refusing a foot kiss—that's a later legend.

Question 5

True or false: Frederick Barbarossa died by drowning in a river while on crusade.

Accepted Answer

True. He drowned in the Saleph River in 1190 during the Third Crusade, likely due to heavy armor or a heart attack.

Question 6

True or false: Barbarossa was the first Holy Roman Emperor to declare himself 'King of the Romans' in Italy.

Accepted Answer

False. The title 'King of the Romans' was used by German kings before him; he emphasized 'Emperor of the Romans' to assert supremacy over the Pope.

Question 7

True or false: Frederick Barbarossa never learned to read or write Latin, despite being emperor.

Accepted Answer

True. Despite being emperor, Frederick Barbarossa remained illiterate in Latin, relying on clerics to handle all official correspondence in that language.

Question 8

True or false: Barbarossa's red beard gave him his nickname, but he was actually a natural blonde.

Accepted Answer

True. Contemporary accounts, such as that of chronicler Acerbus Morena, describe Frederick's hair as golden blond. His red beard inspired the Italian nickname 'Barbarossa,' meaning 'red beard.'

Frederick Barbarossa Trivia Questions