Islamset - Emperor Frederik II

Emperor Fredrik II

He ascended the throne at an early age. This gave him the chance to leave ruling affairs in the hands of his advisors and to pursue his studies and to benefit from Arabic, Greek and Latin cultures that prevailed at that time. Undoubtedly, the cultural legacy left by the Arabs and the Normans in Sicily and southern Italy had a great impact on the formation of his character. This was clearly evident in his interest in Arab culture, and in the translation of its sciences, his preference for peaceful resolution of political problems and in establishing friendly relations with the Ayyubid rulers of Egypt and Syria.

This policy angered Pope Gregory IX, who considered him disobedient and excommunicated him. This led Frederick to mount the sixth Crusade with 600 troops. Not a single drop of blood was shed because he concluded a treaty with the Ayyubid King of Egypt Mohammad Al Kamil lbn Al Adil in 626 H. (1229 A.D.) by which he gained control of Jerusalem without fighting. During the negotiations, a close friendship was established between Frederick and Al Kamil and a number of princes, senior officials and scientists like Al-Ashraf Musa, brother of Al Kamil, Prince Fakhruddin, son of Shaikh Al Shuyoukh, commander of the Ayyubid army, and Shamsuldin, the military judge, who accompanied the Emperor during his stay in Syria. After returning home, the Emperor sent a white bear to Al Ashraf Musa as a gift. Sultan Al Kamil in return sent some exotic animals including an elephant Prince Fakhruddin Ibn Shaikh Al-Shuyoukh was sent i as a messenger from King Al Kamil to the Emperor and they become close friends. The historian Mohammed Ibn Nazif ! included in his book entitled: 'Al Tarikh al Mansouri' -published in Moscow in 1960- a number of letters providing: important news on the Emperor and his state.

Frederick II was fond of the natural sciences, mathematics and philosophy. He quite often encountered scientific : problems that neither he nor those around him could solve: so he would send them to his friends the Muslims rulers for help in finding answers. Once he sent mathematical and astronomical problems to Al Kamil, and the Egyptian mathematician A'lam Al Din Kaisar Al-Asfouni solved them. Al Kamil sent him the answers together with a book on astronomy as a gift. On another occasion, Frederick sent a number of philosophical questions to the Andalusian sufi philosopher Ibn Sab'ayn who answered them. They were known as The Sicilian Questions.

When Al Malik Al Salih Najmuddin Ayyub became the ruler of Egypt, he continued the policy of friendship towards Sicily and exchanged messengers and gifts with Frederick II. An example was Ambassador Shaikh Siyajuddin AI Armawi who spent some time in Sicily and wrote a book on logic for the Emperor. It is said that this emperor sent Al Malik Al Salih Ayyub a messenger disguised as a merchant to alert him of the campaign of Louis IX in Egypt.

His son Manfred succeeded him; he was no less interested in Arabic culture especially mathematical and natural sciences. This emperor was contemporary of the first Mamluk state in Egypt and Syria during the reign of Sultan Zahir Baybars. They developed friendly relations similar to those during Ayyubids. The historian Jamal Al Din Ibn Wasil reports that Sultan Baybars appointed him head of a delegation to Emperor Manfred in 659 H. He sent with him gifts including giraffes and Tartar captives from the battle of Ain Jalout. The emperor admired the gifts and honoured the delegation. Ibn Wasil describes his meeting with the Emperor saying: "I stayed with him at Barletta; I met with him and found him to be distinguished, a lover of the rational sciencies; he memorizes ten articles from Euclid's book on geometry. Near Barletta was a city called Lucera populated by Muslims who came from Sicily; Friday prayers and other Islamic rituals are maintained there since the time of his father the Emperor. He commenced building an academy of science for all theoretical sciences. His private affairs are handled by Muslims; the call to prayers and prayers are announced in his camp".

Al Safadi, in his biography of Ibn Wasil, adds that Manfred said the following to Ibn Wasil in his audience: "Judge! I have nothing to ask you about Arabic or jurisprudence. Then he asked him thirty questions on landscaping. The next morning he answered these questions. The emperor made the sign of the cross and said: "This is how a Muslim monk should be!" because the judge did not have his books with him. In addition, while in Italy Ibn Wasil wrote a treatise on logic which he called: Al-Risala al Anbarurla which he presented to Manfred.