Frederick imposed a long and humiliating surrender ceremony on Milan. The consuls in office presented themselves in Lodi bareheaded, surrendering their swords. Three days later, it was the turn of 300 elected knights to ask for forgiveness and kiss the Emperor’s foot. Among them was Master Guintelmo, who handed the keys to the city to the sovereign. Finally, on March 6th, the city’s people arrived, represented by a thousand men with 94 (or 100) banners. Finally, the Carroccio was made to bow before the Emperor. Finally, Frederick demanded the surrender of 400 hostages. But that wasn’t the end of it. On March 19th, the entire population was ordered to leave the city within eight days. On the 26th, the city was systematically destroyed, razed to the ground, with the exception of the churches. Destroying the greatest metropolis in the West was no easy feat. Fire was used, but even then it took eight days to achieve visible results. Finally, Frederick tenaciously tried to prevent the city’s reconstruction.
