Frederick II & St. Francis of Assisi
Temptation
Legend tells of the meeting of the
great skeptic Emperor Frederick and the great believer St. Francis. In 1222, As Frederick II held court in Bari, St. Francis came to the
royal court with holy exhortations against the dangers of sin, and to warn the nobility of the dangers of the court. A strange encounter
between the Emperor of the known world and a man who had taken a vow
of poverty took place with the Frederick taking the role of tempter.
He tried to undermine the celebrated celibacy of Saint Francis with a
sultry dance by a palace courtisan, but when this didn't work and the
Emperor saw that "his practice was even his precept," he dismissed his
imperial retinue and spent many hours listening attentively to what
the saint had to say for the salvation of the soul.
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