For a Late start, Bulgaria are more deserving than Serbia (whereas in Early I'd pick Serbia instead), since Late coincides with the height of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Besides, everyone always says Serbia, never Bulgaria - I have to be different!
And for the heck of it, even though it's a post from May...
The Pope made Frederick sign a treaty preventing him from uniting Sicily with the Holy Roman Empire, hence there being a King of Sicily as well as a King of the Germans. Being Holy Roman Emperor did not give one absolute power, as can be seen through the downfall of Emperor Otto IV Welf after Bouvines - one battle lost and his fate sealed. I'm more inclined to view Sicily and Southern Italy as Frederick's hereditary possessions, whereas the various nobles of the different German states gave him power as Emperor only through their support - they gave him the boot later on, electing an anti-Emperor.
Also, Sicily was independent under the Crown of Aragon for a time, ruled by a branch of the family tree (Naples was not part of this kingdom).




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