The Emperor and the Saint

This is a vivid place-by-place telling of the life and times of the most enlightened, creative, and dynamic ruler of Medieval Europe, Frederick II of Hohenstaufen. St. Francis, who shared with Frederick a love of the natural world and was baptized in the same cathedral in Assisi, is a parallel and contrasting presence. This enthusiastically guides the reader through the history and legends, pausing to describe the architecture of a cathedral, and to marvel at the atmosphere of a town.