Emperor Frederick II: Expert Falconer

German historians in the 19th century promoted Emperor Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire to diplomatic wonder worker. They showed him as a mild monarch and philosopher of enlightened tolerance. This contrasted starkly with his treatment of Muslims in Sicily. His reading habits were not those of a philosopher, either.

Emperor Frederick II

If you believe German historians, Frederick II was an avid reader of Arab science tracks. In reality, he was mainly interested in one particular subject treated in the Arab philosophy of science, that was hawking and falconry. For centuries, the Arab world had their findings in falconry and in the process produced a voluminous literature on the topic. To expand his knowledge of hunting with birds, the emperor collected Arab texts and had them translated into Latin. Into this context falls a treatise known as the Moamin which includes the medical treatment for dogs on top of falconry. The text is not an original but a compilation of two older Arab sources. At Frederick II's court, and with his participation, a number of versions of this treatise were compiled. The corpus includes at least 70 manuscripts in over a dozen languages and stretches over 800 years.
 
The versions of the Moamin coming from the imperial court at Palermo were prime examples of the oriental-occidental knowledge transfer in Christian Europe during the crusades. They are evidence of Arab literature lost in the original but preserved in Christian, European translations. Based on these tracts, and annotated with the emperor’s own observation of birds, the famous treatise De Arte Venandi Cum Avibus (The Art of Hunting with Birds) was written. The text is infallibly linked to the name of Frederick II.
 
That a ruler was interested in a different culture underlined his thirst for knowledge. Perhaps it reflects an understanding that other cultures have gathered knowledge, too. This way of thinking is remarkable not only for the Middle Ages. As a proof of friendship or even affection of the emperor towards Islam, it is worthless. Frederick II’s study of Arab literature wasn't a case of inclination, but the benefits of obtainable scientific information caught the ruler’s full attention.
 
Frederick II was also pursuing a pragmatic policy while in the Holy Land. In June 1228, the emperor cast off the lines at the port of Brindisi to launch his fleet in another crusade. Embarked on a galley, he went on a nearly year-long military expedition to the Holy Land. As early as 1215, he had taken his crusading vow. It was 13 years later that the Emperor finally set foot on oriental soil.
 
Soon after arrival at his camp south of Acre, Frederick II started negotiations with the Egyptian Sultan Al-Malik al-Kamil (1218 to 1238), a nephew of the great Saladin. The sultan had fought his family for years over inheritance rights in the Middle East. One area in which the interests of the various family members embroiled in the inheritance discussion overlapped was Palestine. Having a crusader army encamped exactly there didn't fit into the plans of the sultan.
 
The negotiations began with the deployment of two messengers to the sultan’s camp in Nablus. They proceeded at snail’s space despite the protestations of mutual esteem and the exchange of precious gifts. Until November 1228, Frederick II's army remained camped at Acre. He then moved them south to Jaffa, now part of Tel Aviv, to spend winter there. In 2011, an inscription in Latin and Arabic was discovered there. It is so far the only known inscription in Arab made by Crusaders. It bears witness to the presence of the emperor in the city.

Further reading
Bulla Aurea: The Golden Bull
1,000 Years of Fun at The Fair
The Knights Templar in Switzerland