Frederick Barbarossa

Frederick Barbarossa (1122 – 1190) was Holy Roman Emperor from 2 January 1155 until his death.

During the Third Crusade, Frederick answered the call to join the Crusaders in their war against the Ayyubid Sultanate under Saladin, leading a huge army which including twenty thousand mounted knights. However, while crossing a river in the mountains of what is now Turkey, Frederick's horse slipped and he drowned in the swift current. Much of his army retreated to Germany, leaving only a fraction of troops which managed to arrived in the Holy Land.