A really interesting read. You'd think, more than taking out an external enemy, a king, during the middle ages, would be more afraid of losing legitimacy among his subjects.

Maybe this could be considered another historical event/marker of the start of the European Renaissance alongside 1492 and 1453.

It might've helped that Barbarossa was previously a Christian pirate before becoming a Muslim admiral in the Ottoman navy. A sign he's not as motivated by religious dogma than by power. It's much easier to trust someone when interests align.