The Hohenstaufen king Frederick II was a figure of all but mythical dimensions. The 800th anniversary of his birth in 1994 was noted with particular interest in Italy, where Frederick reigned as King of Sicily from 1198. Later, as Emperor, he also gave Italy a prominent place in his policies. The German Historical Institute in Rome decided to mark this anniversary by organizing a large-scale review of the present state of research on the power claims implicit in Frederick's policy towards Italy and the implementation of those claims. Thus the 25 articles making up these conference proceedings pay as much attention to the latest editorial ventures as to ongoing discussion about the efficiency and modernity of the King of Sicily's administrative and economic reforms. Other major topics dealt with in the volume are the cultural setting, the religious mood of the epoch, the repercussions that Emperor Frederick's power claims had on Italian regions such as Tuscany and Romagna, and the architecture of the Hohenstaufen fortresses in Southern Italy.