Enzo was an illegitimate son of the Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick II, who appointed him King of Sardinia in 1238. He played a major role in the wars between Guelphs and Ghibellines in the Imperial ki
The captured King Enzio of Sardinia (here called "Rex Hentius") in the initial to Amor mi fa sovente in the song manuscript Canzoniere Palatino, created in Pistoia at the end of the 13th century
Coat of arms of Enzo of Sardinia
Posthumous epitaph from 1731 by Giuseppe Maria Mazza in the Basilica of San Domenico, Bologna
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor in the Italian city-states of Central and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th and 13th centu
Enzo of Sardinia
…an illegitimate son of the Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick II, who appointed him King of Sardinia in 1238. He played a major role in the wars between Guelphs and Ghibellines in the Imperial kingdom of Italy, and was captured by his enemies in 1249. He remained imprisoned in Bologna until his death. Enzo was an illegitimate…
A 14th-century conflict between the militias of the Guelph and Ghibelline factions in the comune of Bologna, from the Croniche of Giovanni Sercambi of Lucca
Artist's conception of the defence of the Carroccio during the Battle of Legnano (1176), painted by Amos Cassioli (1832–1891)
The medieval towers of San Gimignano, built by rival aristocratic families as fortified residences
Battle of Montaperti, workshop of Pacino di Buonaguida