Hohenstaufen

Hohenstaufen, medieval German dynasty of Swabian origin whose members ruled Germany and the Holy Roman Empire. The great Hohenstaufen emperors were Conrad III, Frederick I Barbarossa, Henry VI, Frederick II, and Conrad IV. Their concept of a strongly centralized empire brought them into continual conflict with the papacy and with the 2 powerful opposing groups, Guelphs and Ghibellines.