WI: Philip of Swabia not murdered

Philip of Swabia (1177-1208) was the youngest son of Holy Roman Empeor Frederick I Barbarossa. He was thus brother to Emperor Henry VI and uncle to Emperor Frederick II.

Following the death of Henry VI, because the future Frederick II was too young (he was 3 years old), Philip presented his candidacy to the German throne. The result of the election saw the nomination of both Philip and Otto IV as Kings of Germany, and the two then were at war up until Philip of Swabia was assassinated in 1208. Following this, Otto IV, being the only remaining German King, was crowned as Holy Roman Emperor in 1209.

But what would be the consequences of Philip of Swabia not being assassinated?
 
Ought to be better for the Hohenstaufens, as a dynasty - though what happens to OTL Frederick II is a good question.
 
Elfwine said:
Ought to be better for the Hohenstaufens, as a dynasty - though what happens to OTL Frederick II is a good question.

Well, apparently, Philip of Swabia didn't have any sons in his lifetime. So, it's probable OTL Frederick II would be his successor as Emperor or at least Hohenstaufen candidate. Plus, Philip was seen as a good man by his contemporaries, so I think it's likely Frederick II would still have succeeded his uncle as the main Hohenstaufen leader.
 
Well, apparently, Philip of Swabia didn't have any sons in his lifetime. So, it's probable OTL Frederick II would be his successor as Emperor or at least Hohenstaufen candidate. Plus, Philip was seen as a good man by his contemporaries, so I think it's likely Frederick II would still have succeeded his uncle as the main Hohenstaufen leader.

Was Philip all that old though? If he lives another twenty years, he might easily have sons, which complicates things.

Not impossible to resolve of course, but something to note.

I was thinking more "Does Frederick stay merely King of Sicily?" sort of "So what happens?" rather than "Does Philip murder him?", should have been clearer.
 
Elfwine said:
Was Philip all that old though? If he lives another twenty years, he might easily have sons, which complicates things.

Not impossible to resolve of course, but something to note.

I was thinking more "Does Frederick stay merely King of Sicily?" sort of "So what happens?" rather than "Does Philip murder him?", should have been clearer.

Well, it's true Philip of Swabia was only 31 when he died : the possibility that a son was born to him was still there. However, from what I understood, Philip only took the Royal Mantle just because his nephew was too young. My guess would be that he had the intention to give the crown back to his nephew when Frederick II would have been old enough : after all, Frederick was the son of Philip's brother, the late Emperor Henry VI.

If Philip lives longer and does father a son, then all will depend on the age of the son : if Philip leaves an infant child behind, Frederick II would be the most likely Hohenstaufen candidate. If Philip's son is old enough to be considered a candidate, a negociation might be needed between Frederick II and his cousin.

However, the scenario I was talking about also includes Otto IV. Philip living longer doesn't mean he's gonna beat Otto and take his place as Holy Roman Emperor. I had trouble understanding how the war between Philip of Swabia and Otto IV was going on when Philip was murdered OTL. How would Philip's survival affect Otto IV's reign? And could Philip won the war?
 
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