We all know that Frederick Barbarossa was the Holy Roman Emperor who lived from 1122–1190 A.D. He is one my favorite kings who led Germany to global supremacy during his reign. Of course he had some misfortunes in northern italy but during his reign he was the most feared king in all of Europe. You can find out more info on him
here. Now during his later years of his life when his conflict with pope ended with the arrival of a new one Pope Gregory VIII he made peace with him and was immediately assigned with the duty to take the cross for the Third crusade.
He took the responsibility and marched for the Third crusade which is also referred to as Kings crusade because
Richard the Lionheart and
King Philip-II of France also joined it. The reason for calling the third crusade was that the Saracens under the leadership of Saladin were defeating the crusader kingdoms. Now Barbarossa had gathered a vast crusading army nearly 100000 Soldiers and their armies coming from Western Europe pushed on through Anatolia (where they were victorious in taking Aksehir and defeating the turks in the
Battle of Iconium), and entered Cilician Armenia. The approach of the immense German army greatly concerned Saladin and the other Muslim leaders, who began to rally troops of their own to confront Barbarossa's forces. However, on 10 June 1190, Emperor Frederick drowned in the Göksu River as his army was approaching Antioch from Armenia; Arab historians report that his army had encamped before the river, and that the Emperor had gone to the river to bathe when he was carried away by the current and drowned in it.
So what if this didn't happen? How would the Third Crusade play out differently? Back in the HRE, would this ensure a less shaky sucession and future for the Hohenstaufens?