The 12th century saw the resumption of the efforts by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I to reassert his authority in Northern Italy, which some Lombard cities resisted, and sought to preserve their autonomy by siding with Pope Innocent III. Still, a pro-imperial faction of cities also existed, termed the "Ghibelline" party after Waiblingen, one of the early centers of the Hohenstaufen power base. Among them was the city of Cremona. On the other hand, Brescia, a traditional rival of Cremona, belonged to the "Guelphs", named for the Guelph dynasty that took a pro-papal stand after its duke Henry the Lion fell out with Frederick I in 1180.
After the death of Frederick I, his son Henry VI became his successor. When Henry VI died in 1197, the conflict between Guelphs and Ghibelline reached a new phase in the German throne dispute between the Hohenstaufen candidate Philip of Swabia and the Guelph candidate Otto. Although this dispute was largely fought out in Germany itself, Italy continued to be the scene of proxy wars. They mainly revolved around the question of which local noble families were to rule their respective communes as podestá. In Brescia this was Rambertino Buvalelli, while the Ghibellines in Cremona were headed by the Suardi family.