<P> Despite his imperial claims, Frederick's rule was a major turning point towards the disintegration of central rule in the Empire . While concentrated on establishing a modern, centralized state in Sicily, he was mostly absent from Germany and issued far - reaching privileges to Germany's secular and ecclesiastical princes: In the 1220 Confoederatio cum principibus ecclesiasticis, Frederick gave up a number of regalia in favour of the bishops, among them tariffs, coining, and fortification . The 1232 Statutum in favorem principum mostly extended these privileges to secular territories . Although many of these privileges had existed earlier, they were now granted globally, and once and for all, to allow the German princes to maintain order north of the Alps while Frederick concentrated on Italy . The 1232 document marked the first time that the German dukes were called domini terræ, owners of their lands, a remarkable change in terminology as well . </P> <P> The Kingdom of Bohemia was a significant regional power during the Middle Ages . In 1212, King Ottokar I (bearing the title "king" since 1198) extracted a Golden Bull of Sicily (a formal edict) from the emperor Frederick II, confirming the royal title for Ottokar and his descendants and the Duchy of Bohemia was raised to a kingdom . Bohemian kings would be exempt from all future obligations to the Holy Roman Empire except for participation in the imperial councils . Charles IV set Prague to be the seat of the Holy Roman Emperor . </P> <P> After the death of Frederick II in 1250, the German kingdom was divided between his son Conrad IV (died 1254) and the anti-king, William of Holland (died 1256). Conrad's death was followed by the Interregnum, during which no king could achieve universal recognition, allowing the princes to consolidate their holdings and become even more independent rulers . After 1257, the crown was contested between Richard of Cornwall, who was supported by the Guelph party, and Alfonso X of Castile, who was recognized by the Hohenstaufen party but never set foot on German soil . After Richard's death in 1273, the Interregnum ended with the unanimous election of Rudolf I of Germany, a minor pro-Staufen count . </P> <P> During the 13th century, a general structural change in how land was administered prepared the shift of political power towards the rising bourgeoisie at the expense of aristocratic feudalism that would characterize the Late Middle Ages . Instead of personal duties, money increasingly became the common means to represent economic value in agriculture . Peasants were increasingly required to pay tribute to their lands . The concept of "property" began to replace more ancient forms of jurisdiction, although they were still very much tied together . In the territories (not at the level of the Empire), power became increasingly bundled: Whoever owned the land had jurisdiction, from which other powers derived . It is important to note, however, that jurisdiction at this time did not include legislation, which virtually did not exist until well into the 15th century . Court practice heavily relied on traditional customs or rules described as customary . </P>

Who was the creator of a unified christian empire