Frederick II dies in Apulia

December 13, 1250

The stupor mundi died unexpectedly at Castel Fiorentino, dressed in Cistercian robes. With him died Hohenstaufen dreams of a united Italo-German empire. The Great Interregnum descended on Germany; the papacy set out to exterminate his line. His death removed the last emperor who genuinely threatened papal supremacy, and the vacuum he left in Italy sparked decades of Guelph-Ghibelline warfare.