Life in myth

The life of Emperor Frederick II of Swabia was at the center of prophecies and legends, which increased his fame both during his lifetime and after his death.
At the time of his birth, poet Pietro da Eboli proclaimed his advent heralded a return to the golden age, while chronicler Goffredo da Viterbo announced a renewed harmony between Church and Empire. On the other hand, some prophecies, attributed to Abbot Joachim of Fiore, recognized him as the Antichrist. Even Frederick's death was the subject of prophecies: philosopher Michael Scotus, active in Frederick's court, is attributed with the prediction that he would die "sub flore" ("under the flower"), which is why, according to later accounts, the Emperor always avoided stopping by Florence. The alleged prophecy gained credibility when Federico died on December 13th 1250 in Fiorentino (near Torremaggiore) in Puglia.
Some chroniclers (such as Ricordano Malispini and Giovanni Villani, an acquaintance of Dante) say that, to dispel doubts about the actual pregnancy of his mother Constance (40 years old at the time and considered too old to give birth), on December 26th 1194 the birth took place in public, under a tent (allegedly in Palermo and not in Jesi). The imaginative story was also reprised by Giovanni Boccaccio, according to whom Constance was 55 years old; still less than chronicler Bartolomeo di Neocastro, who reported her being 60 when she gave birth!