Conrad I (died 18 February 1159) was the Duke of Merania from 1152 until his death. Thitherto he had been the

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

of St Andreas at

Freising Freising () is a university town in Bavaria, Germany, and the capital of the Freising (district), with a population of about 50,000. Location Freising is the oldest town between Regensburg and Bolzano, and is located on the Isar river in ...

since 1150 and Count of Dachau (as Conrad II) from 1152.

Origin

Conrad was the elder of two sons of , a member of the

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a former Bavarian dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including the Electorate of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Electorate of Cologne, County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, ...

. His younger brother was Arnold III of Dachau. Their father Conrad I of Dachau was a son of Arnold I of Scheyern, who was the youngest son of

Otto I, Count of Scheyern Otto I, Count of Scheyern (some authors call him ''Otto II of Scheyern''; – before 4 December 1072) was the earliest known ancestor of the House of Wittelsbach whose relation with the House can be properly verified. Life Most historians belie ...

Life

Conrad inherited Dachau from his father and lands in Dalmatia which had formerly been the

March of Carniola March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 21 ...

from his mother, Willibirg, who had inherited them from Adelaide, daughter of Poppo II of Carniola. Conrad married Adelaide, daughter of

Henry, Duke of Lower Lorraine Henry I ( – 1119) was the count of Limburg and Arlon from 1082 to his death and duke of Lower Lorraine between 1101 and 1106. His mother was Jutta, daughter of Frederick, Duke of Lower Lorraine, and his father is uncertain, but possibly na ...

, sometime before 1140. They had no children and Conrad remarried after her death (before 1146). His second wife, Matilda of Falkenstein, gave him one son,

Conrad II Conrad II (, – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdom ...

, who inherited Merania and, in 1172, Dachau. Conrad was in

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

in February 1152, when King

Conrad III Conrad III (; ; 1093 or 1094 – 15 February 1152) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was from 1116 to 1120 Duke of Franconia, from 1127 to 1135 anti-king of his predecessor Lothair III, and from 1138 until his death in 1152 King of the Romans in the ...

died there. In late June or early July 1152, the

Frederick I Frederick I or Friedrich I may refer to: * Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978) * Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105) * Frederick I ...

granted Conrad the title of duke for his lands around the

Kvarner Gulf The Kvarner Gulf (, or ; ; or ) sometimes also Kvarner Bay, is a bay in the northern Adriatic Sea, located between the Istrian peninsula and the northern Croatian Littoral mainland. The bay is a part of Croatia's internal waters. The largest is ...

, possibly as a reward for helping Frederick secure the throne after the king's death. He used the title ''dux Meranus'' to refer to his coastal territory, but Bishop Otto I of Freising, in his history of Frederick's reign, calls him "Duke of Dalmatia and Croatia". He was also sometimes called "Duke of Dachau", but he was still officially a count there.Benjamin Arnold (1991), ''Princes and Territories in Medieval Germany'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). In 1156, Conrad gave Dachau to his younger brother Arnold. Conrad died in battle at

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

and was buried in Scheyern.

References

External links

{{Authority control 1159 deaths Dukes of Merania Military personnel killed in action Year of birth unknown House of Wittelsbach