Holy Roman Emperors

emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of German origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty's most prominent rulers – Frederick I (1155), Henry VI (1191) and Frederick II (1220) – ascended the imperial throne and also reigned over Italy and Burgundy. The non-contemporary name of "Hohenstaufen" is derived from the family's Hohenstaufen Castle on Hohenstaufen mountain at the northern fringes of the Swabian Jura, near the town of Göppingen. Under

thumb|Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth