1194-1250

German-Italian Ruler who contributed significantly to the foundation of European medicine and to medieval intellectual life. The grandson of Frederick I Barbarossa, he was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1220, a position he held until his death. Frederick licensed the medical school at Salerno and decreed that all practicing physicians must have the approval of its faculty. Salerno was influential in the foundation of the medieval medical schools at Montpellier, Paris, Bologna, and Padua.